V F1 15:1-17. Love manifested and commanded. F2 15:18-16:4. Hatred foretold and experienced.
F1 G b 1-3. The Vine and its branches. Pruning.
c 4. Fruitfulness.
b 5-. The Vine and its branches. Abiding.
c -5-7. Fruitfulness.
H1 8. Purpose. The Father glorified.
G2 d 9-. The Father's love to the Son.
e -9-. The Son's love to the Disciples.
d -9-10-. Disciples abiding in the Son's love.
e -10. Son abiding in Father's love.
H2 11. Purpose. Joy.
G3 f 12-. Command. Love one other.
g -12,13. Example.
f 14. Commands for friends.
g 15,16. Proof of friendship.
H3 17. Purpose.
29 A.D.
John 15)
1 I am the real vine (3 trees are used in the N.T. to teach important lessons. The fig is used by our Lord to show the cause of the doom of Israel. In Rom. 11, Paul applies the figure of the olive tree also to Israel, and utters a solemn warning to the Gentile; i.e. all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called [Acts 15:17], now grafted in in Israel's place. the vine speaks of Israel's temporal and spiritual blessings [Ps. 80 and Isa. 5]. That vine failed. Henceforth, there is no blessing for Israel as such till He comes Who is the true Israel [Isa. 49:3], as He is the true vine. then shall Isa. 27:6 be fulfilled. The interpretation of this passage is for Israel alone, though many blessed lessons may be drawn from it, by way of application. Through reading the "Church" into these verses, great confusion has resulted and grievous distress has been caused to the people of God.), and My Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He raises (take away is a secondary meaning): and every branch that bears fruit, He cleans it (of the 2 kind of branches, the fruitless and the fruitful, He raises the former from grovelling on the ground, that it may bear fruit, and prunes the later that it may bear more fruit), in order that it may bear more fruit. (Cleans it up to remove bad stuff. Teaching of Jesus Christ is both O.T. and N.T.)
3 Already you are clean on account of the word (logos) which I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in Me (mansion, dwelling place, resting place), and I also [abide] in you. As the branch is not able to bear fruit of itself, if it abide in the vine; even so neither can you, if you abide in Me. (Nutrients from the Father. Spiritual food flows into you.)
the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. ( You cannot do Anything without Christ.)
8 In this was My Father glorified, in order that you bear much fruit (showing the Father's purpose); and that you be My disciples.
9 Even as the Father loved Me,
so have I loved you: abide you in My love. (Love is the strongest force in the world.)
10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; (you're not going to be perfect, but try)
even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.
12 As the Father's charge to Me (v. 10), so My charge to you, That you love one another,
as I loved you. (This includes tough love)
14 You are My friends, if you do the thing I command you. (Condition)
15 No longer I call you bond-servants; for the bond-servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard with My Father I made known to you. (Discipline and education.)
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
18 If the world hate you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
21 But all these things will they do to you on account My name, because they know not Him that sent Me. (They are of this world, i.e. of the devil)
22 If I had not come and spoke to them, they would not have sin (i.e. in rejecting Him as the Messiah): but now they have not any excuse concerning their sin. (Sin is to transgress the law.)
25 But this comes to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause. (Quoted from Ps. 35:19 and 69:4)
26 But when the Comforter shall have come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth (meditate and ask for this), which goes forth from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me:
27 And you also shall testify, because you are with Me from the beginning. (1:1. Before the foundation of the world. See Tim. 2:1-26. Eph. 1:4)
6 If any one abide not in Me, he is cast forth as the branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (Like at the end of the millennium.)
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask what you will, and it shall come to pass to you. (Fruit, not worldly goods, according to God's will.)
11 These things have I spoken to you, that the joy that is Mine might abide in you, and that your joy might be fulfilled. (As He gave them His peace [14:27], so He seeks to make them partakers of His joy. Show it, your joy. How you doing?)
13 Greater love has no one than this (Gr. agapao = to regard with favor, to make much of a person, on principle), that one gives his life on behalf of those whom he loves. (Gr. philo = to kiss, or be fond of, having regard to feeling as distinct from principle. He thinks your worth it.)
16 Not that you chosen Me, but I choose you (thus reversing the custom of the Jews for the disciple to choose his own master), and placed you, that you should go forth and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain (this is the name of the game): that whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. (Father takes care of His own. are you His?)
F2 J h 18-20. The World's hatred to Disciples.
i 21. Reason.
h 22-24. The World's hatred of Christ.
i. Reason.
K l1 26. The Spirit's testimony.
l2 27. The Disciples testimony.
l3 16:1. The Lord's warning.
J j 16:2. The World's hatred manifested.
k 16:3. Reason.
j 16:4-. The World's hatred foretold.
k 16:-4. Reason.
19 If you were out of the world, the world would love and continue loving his own: but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, on account of this the world hates you. (Don't give the devil any slack. Don't sap please to him. Don't beg. Tell him to get out in the name of Yahshua [Jesus])
20 Remember the word that I said to you (see 13:16), The servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecute Me (to pursue with malignant intent), they will persecute you also; if they keep My word (logos), they will keep yours also. (Its all the same, don't change it)
23 He that hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father.