USB ~ John 15

The Vine and the Branches.

1 † “I am the true vine,† and my Father is the vine grower. a

2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes† so that it bears more fruit.

3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. b

4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

6 † c Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. d

8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. e

9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. f

10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. g

11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. h

12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. i

13 † No one has greater love than this, j to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,† because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. k

16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. l

17 This I command you: love one another. m

The World’s Hatred. †

18 “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. n

19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. o

20 Remember the word I spoke to you,† ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. p

21 And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,† because they do not know the one who sent me. q

22 If I had not come and spoken† to them, they would have no sin; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin. r

23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father. s

24 If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father. t

25 But in order that the word written in their law† might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’u

26 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send† you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. v

27 And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. w

Footnotes

†. 15:1-16:4 Discourse on the union of Jesus with his disciples. His words become a monologue and go beyond the immediate crisis of the departure of Jesus.

†. 15:1-17 Like Jn 10:1-5, this passage resembles a parable. Israel is spoken of as a vineyard at Is 5:1-7; Mt 21:33-46 and as a vine at Ps 80:9-17; Jer 2:21; Ez 15:2; 17:5-10; 19:10; Hos 10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Ps 80:15 and Wisdom’s description of herself as a vine in Sir 24:17 are further background for portrayal of Jesus by this figure. There may be secondary eucharistic symbolism here; cf. Mk 14:25, “the fruit of the vine.”

†. 15:2 Takes away,prunes: in Greek there is a play on two related verbs.

†. 15:6 Branches were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard for later use as fuel.

†. 15:13 For one’s friends: or: “those whom one loves.” In Jn 15:9-13a, the words for love are related to the Greek agapaō. In Jn 15:13b-15, the words for love are related to the Greek phileō. For John, the two roots seem synonymous and mean “to love”; cf. also Jn 21:15-17. The word *philos is used here.

†. 15:15 Slaves,friends: in the Old Testament, Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh”; only Abraham (Is 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; cf. Jas 2:23) was called a “friend of God.”

†. 15:18-16:4 The hostile reaction of the world. There are synoptic parallels, predicting persecution, especially at Mt 10:17-25; 24:9-10.

†. 15:20 The word I spoke to you: a reference to Jn 13:16.

†. 15:21 On account of my name: the idea of persecution for Jesus’ name is frequent in the New Testament (Mt 10:22; 24:9; Acts 9:14). For John, association with Jesus’ name implies union with Jesus.

†. 15:22, 24 Jesus’ words (spoken) and deeds (works) are the great motives of credibility. They have seen and hated: probably means that they have seen his works and still have hated; but the Greek can be read: “have seen both me and my Father and still have hated both me and my Father.” Works,that no one else ever did: so Yahweh in Dt 4:32-33.

†. 15:25 In their law: law is here used as a larger concept than the Pentateuch, for the reference is to Ps 35:19 or Ps 69:5. See notes on Jn 10:34; 12:34. Their law reflects the argument of the church with the synagogue.

†. 15:26 Whom I will send: in Jn 14:16, 26, the Paraclete is to be sent by the Father, at the request of Jesus. Here the Spirit comes from both Jesus and the Father in mission; there is no reference here to the eternal procession of the Spirit.

15:1 Ps 80:9-17; Is 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Ez 15:2; 17:5-10; 19:10.
15:3 13:10.
15:6 Ez 15:6-7; 19:10-14.
15:7 14:13; Mt 7:7; Mk 11:24; 1 Jn 5:14.
15:8 Mt 5:16.
15:9 17:23.
15:10 8:29; 14:15.
15:11 16:22; 17:13.
15:12 13:34.
15:13 Rom 5:6-8; 1 Jn 3:16.
15:15 Dt 34:5; Jos 24:29; 2 Chr 20:7; Ps 89:21; Is 41:8; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:7; Jas 2:23.
15:16 14:13; Dt 7:6.
15:17 13:34; 1 Jn 3:23; 4:21.
15:18 7:7; 14:17; Mt 10:22; 24:9; Mk 13:13; Lk 6:22; 1 Jn 3:13.
15:19 17:14-16; 1 Jn 4:5.
15:20 13:16; Mt 10:24.
15:21 8:19; 16:3.
15:22 8:21, 24; 9:41.
15:23 5:23; Lk 10:16; 1 Jn 2:23.
15:24 3:2; 9:32; Dt 4:32-33.
15:25 Ps 35:19; 69:4.
15:26 14:16, 26; Mt 10:19-20.
15:27 Lk 1:2; Acts 1:8.