1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14“You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17“This I command you, that you love one another.
18“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23“He who 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 they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’ 26“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Interesting Words
vine
(ἄμπελος – Greek) – ampelos ► vine, grape-vine, Jesus Christ, “the true vine“, also used symbolically of Christless Judaism and apostate Christianity, i.e. the (external) religious body of people which merely pretends to bear fruit but is in fact fruitless – Jer 2:21 (LXX); James 3:12;
vinedresser
(γεωργός – Greek) – geórgos ► husbandman, vinedresser, worker of the soil, farmer, farm-laborer , from “ge” (land) and the base of “ergon” (worker); a land-worker – Mark 12:1, 7, 9; 2Tim 2:6;
branch
love
(ἀγάπη – Greek) – agapé ► love, benevolence, good will, esteem – John 3:16; Rom 5:8;
friend
(φίλος – Greek) – philos ► beloved, dear, friendly, friend, an associate, someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection, The root (phil-) conveys experience-based love. – Luke 12:4-5; James 2:23, 4:4;
Cross References
▪︎ James 5:7;
▪︎ 1John 4:7-8, 10
Discussion Questions
1. Consider John 15:1, 4, 5 … What does this tell you about your ministry as a Christian in the world today?
▪︎ Jesus and the Trinity are true… We are on the right team.
▪︎ God is the one who is caring for the whole vineyard, all the various branches… We can rest in Him.
▪︎ If we continue, God is powerfully at work in us thru the word to makes us more fruitful.
▪︎ We have just one job to do and that is to abide in Him, (e.g. live, continue in, be close to Him)
▪︎ Continue to remember that everything is from Him… He caused it, He empowers us, we need to give Him the credit, give Him praise and glory.
▪︎ Apart from Him we can do nothing… with Him we can do all things (Phil 4:13).
▪︎ We need to be careful to follow God’s lead in everything.
2. What does 1Cor 12:13 add to the discussion about vines and branches? Also consider Matt 10:29-31 and Ps 84:3.
▪︎ We are all part of the same functioning body.
▪︎ No one is more important than another.
▪︎ Some are being groomed for this and some for this other thing
▪︎ All groomed by God for His purposes.
▪︎ We are all fueled by the same Holy Spirit.
▪︎ God is intimately following the progress of each part… training us, protecting us and empowering us.
▪︎ We are most valuable to God because of His love for us and this work.
▪︎ We are to prayerfully place each person with whom we have contact into the loving arms of God. He will care for them and nurture them to their highest potential.
3. What is the key to a fruitful ministry as part of the vine?
▪︎ Abiding in Christ… getting our full nourishment from Him, continuing in Him, following Him.
▪︎ if the above is done faithfully, we can be assured of success… whatever we ask.
▪︎ We need to be in the word.
▪︎ We need to be carefully following God’s leading thru the Spirit… not treking down our own rabbit trails.
▪︎
4. What are the advantages of this effort?
▪︎ God’s word becomes effective in our lives, guiding us, making us fruitfull.
▪︎ Our prayers become effective.
▪︎ We glorify God in the doing and in the completed work.
▪︎ We experience God’s love in its fullest perspective.
▪︎ All this will make His joy complete in us and increase His joy.
5. Jesus brings up a subject that He talked about in John 13. What is that subject and why is it so important?
▪︎ Subject: that we re to love one another.
▪︎ As before He fully intends to show His perfect example of this love , by dying for us.
▪︎ We are His friends and He communicates to us His intentions and we follow His intent.
▪︎ We like Him, will be suffering for others in His Body (John 20:21; Col 1:24; 1Peter 2:4, 5;)
▪︎ We are appointed to this (chosen specifically for this task). It should be our highest priority and we should rejoice exceedingly when we successfully have lasting fruit.
6. Jesus reclassified our relationship with Him. How does He describe that new aspect? How does it change things?
▪︎ We are no longer slaves, but now we are friends.
▪︎ We have intimate conversations, talking about everything. Nothing is hidden.
▪︎ We understand God’s motives, His plans.
▪︎ As slaves, we were compelled to follow God. Now we freely want to follow His commands out of love.
▪︎ We are not rejected but chosen. We are preveledged to find favor in His sight.
▪︎ There is no bitterness or resentment, just joy as brothers.
7. In the last half of the chapter, Jesus presents several contrasts between Him and us His children (us), and the world. What are they and how do they effect our lives?
▪︎ We walk in similar shoes to Jesus, the world hates us all.
▪︎ The animosity come from God choosing us as His children.
▪︎ Jesus is the dividing line between two camps, those chosen of God and the children of judgement (Matt 10:34, 35-36)
▪︎ Being on the side of Jesus, we have a new affinity for others on our team… how difficult life can be.
▪︎ The good news is they also walk according to the word and love Jesus.
▪︎ We all (in the Body) know God and share common goals.
▪︎ We have the winning team , however, with the God of the universe on our side, and the Holy Spirit within us (John 15:26-27)