John 15 - Printer Friendly

What does John 15 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

John chapter 15 is a unique section of the Bible. Chapter and verse divisions were not original to the text; they were added centuries later to make it easier to find certain statements. Still, this is one of the few chapters composed entirely of words ascribed to Jesus Christ. Some, like John chapters 14, 16, and 17, come very close, but not every single word in those texts is something spoken by Him. Leading up to this text, Jesus has been teaching about His status as the Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6), and the work of the Holy Spirit.

This chapter begins with one of Jesus' most famous analogies. His description of Himself as the True Vine, God as the Vinedresser, and human beings as branches has a specific context that makes its lessons clearer. Just as some branches are "in" a vine, but not connected to the lifegiving aspects, so too can people be "in" a church, or a Christian community, and not be truly saved. The evidence separating these two is fruitfulness: branches that aren't legitimately part of the "true vine" are barren, eventually cut off, and destroyed. This is not about a loss of salvation: the discarded branches were never meaningfully part of the life of the vine in the first place (John 15:1–6).

As He does often in this discourse, Jesus connects obedience to love. Those who truly love and "abide in" Him will naturally adhere to His teachings. Those who don't follow His teachings show, through disobedience, that His words are not abiding in them. This analogy also involves the depth to which born-again believers can access God's power, in order to accomplish His will (John 15:7–11).

Jesus also repeats His earlier command: that Christians are to show love to each other (John 13:34). This love is mostly practical; it's a matter of what we do, not necessarily about the emotions we feel. It is also meant to emulate the love Christ showed for us. That love is sacrificial, humble, and constant. Offering one's life for the sake of others is the ultimate expression of this love; however, Jesus does not mean that Christian love is only shown in grand gestures. Rather, it's to be the pattern of our entire lives (John 15:12–13).

Part of friendship with God is honoring His teachings. It also means God communicating with us in something more than simple orders. Abraham's friendship with God (James 2:23) was demonstrated in God's willingness to speak with Abraham. So too does Christ speak to us. His work in choosing us, saving us, sanctifying us, and teaching us is merciful and amazing (John 15:14–17).

As much as Christ loves believers, the world hates them. In this case, "the world" refers to the unbelieving, godless nature of humanity in general. Just as we should expect to serve as much as our Master served (John 13:15–16), we should expect to be hated just as our Master was hated. The world's hatred is irrational and spiteful—driven by anger and conviction over sins which Christians do not endorse or join in (John 15:18–25).

Part of our help in enduring that persecution is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit provides a reminder of Christ's teachings. In a similar way, Christians serve to remind the world of Christ's message (John 15:26–27).

In the next segment, Jesus will more explicitly describe the persecution Christians may endure from the unbelieving world.

John 15:1–11 contains one of Jesus' most well-known metaphors: the vine and the branches. This features the seventh of seven "I Am" statements as recorded by John. Jesus lays out several nuanced ideas, touching on Christian perseverance, faith, false conversion, and spiritual effectiveness. This ends with another reference to loving obedience, which sets up the next passage of Jesus' teaching.

John 15:12–17 builds on Christ's explanation of the vine and branches. Once again, Jesus commands His followers to demonstrate love toward each other. This is phrased, in no uncertain terms, as an obligation given directly by Christ. Jesus once again ties willingness to obey to the legitimacy of one's love for Him. This contrasts with the hatred shown by the unbelieving world, which He discusses in the following passage.

John 15:18–27 predicts that those who follow Christ faithfully will experience hatred and persecution from the world. The intensity of this experience has varied according to time and culture, but the non-believing world is generally hostile to authentic faith. Jesus reminds His followers this is due to sin and rejection of God by those unbelievers. Just as Christians are never "too good" to serve as Christ served, they are never "too good" to suffer as Christ suffered. In the following passage, Jesus emphasizes that this warning is meant to bolster faith when those hard times come.

Chapter Summary:

This passage begins with a celebrated analogy from Christ: the vine and the branches. This includes the seventh and final "I Am" statement of the gospel of John. Jesus uses this metaphor to explain how our spiritual life, as born-again believers, is drawn from His life. God's intent for our lives is to progress from barrenness to fruitfulness, to spiritual abundance. Jesus also repeats His command for believers to love each other. In this context, He goes so far as to refer to those who follow His teachings as His "friends."

Chapter Context:

Jesus is in the middle of a long discourse given to the disciples, which began during the last supper. He presents the analogy of a vine and branches, then repeats His command for believers to love each other. Jesus also warns about how the unbelieving world will hate and persecute Christians. This leads into the teachings of chapter 16, which focus on perseverance in the face of trials.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

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