NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 60
J ohn 1 5 : 1
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page 1836
Jesus Teaches about the Vine and the Branches (215 )
“I am the true vine, e and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in
me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes a so that
it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already c lean because of the word I have spoken to
you. f 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. g No branch can bear f ruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear
much fruit; h apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like
a branch that is t hrown away and withers; such branches are p
icked up, t hrown into
the fire and burned. i 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever
you wish, and it will be done for you. j 8This is to my Father’s glory, k that you bear much
fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. l
15
a
2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans.
that Jesus was asking the disciples to get ready to leave the upper room,
but they did not actually do so until later (18:1).
15:1-8 Jesus is the Vine, and God is the Gardener, who carefully plants
and cares for the branches with one p urpose—that they may bear fruit.
The branches are all those who claim to be followers of Jesus. The fruitful
branches are true believers who, by their union with him, produce much
fruit. Being united with Jesus means drawing our energy and nourishment
from him (see Colossians 2:6-7). But those who don’t bear fruit—those
who make only a superficial commitment to Jesus—will be separated
from the Vine. Unfruitful “followers” are useless and will be cut off and
tossed aside.
15:1 The grapevine is a useful, prolific plant. It produces fruit to eat,
raisins to store, and wine for meals and ceremonies. A single vine supports
numerous branches and bears many grapes. In the Old Testament, grapes
symbolize Israel’s fruitfulness in doing God’s work on the earth (Psalm
80:8; Isaiah 5:1-7; Ezekiel 19:10-14). In the Passover meal, the fruit of the
vine symbolizes God’s goodness to his people.
15:2-3 Jesus makes a distinction between two kinds of pruning: (1) cutting off branches and (2) cutting back branches. Fruitful branches are cut
back to promote growth. In other words, God must sometimes discipline
his people to strengthen our character and faith. But branches that don’t
bear fruit are cut off at the trunk not only because they are worthless but
also because they can infect the rest of the plant. People who don’t bear
fruit for God or who try to block the efforts of God’s followers will be cut
off from his life-giving power.
15:5-8 Many people try to be good and honest. But Jesus says that to
live a truly good life we must stay close to him, like a branch attached to
its vine. In the same way that plants receive nutrients from their roots, we
receive life-giving water from the Holy Spirit and food from God’s Word.
These provide spiritually regenerative power. Jesus told his disciples they
could ask for anything that would increase fruit bearing. Apart from Jesus,
we lose this connection and our efforts are unfruitful. Are you receiving
and thriving from the nourishment offered by Jesus, the Vine?
15:5-6 Remaining in Christ requires us to be fully connected to Jesus
moment by moment. It means (1) believing that he is God’s Son (1 John
4:15), (2) following him as Savior and Lord (John 1:12), (3) doing what
God says (1 John 3:24), (4) continuing to believe the gospel (1 John
2:24), and (5) relating in love to the community of believers, Christ’s
body (John 15:12).
15:5 “Fruit” is not limited to soul winning. In this chapter, answered
prayer, joy, and love are mentioned as fruit (15:7, 11, 12). Galatians 5:22-24
and 2 Peter 1:5-8 describe additional fruit: qualities of Christian character.
15:8 When we bear “much fruit,” like a fruitful branch, we glorify God.
Each day he sends the sunshine and rain to make the crops grow, and
constantly he nurtures each tiny plant and prepares it to blossom. What a
moment of glory for the Lord of the harvest when the harvest is brought
into the barns, mature and ready for use! He made it all happen! This
farming analogy shows how God is glorified when people come into a
right relationship with him and begin to “bear much fruit” in their lives.
15:11 When things are going well, we feel elated. When hardships come,
15:1
eIsa 5:17
15:3
fJn 13:10; 17:17;
Eph 5:26
15:4
gJn 6:56; 1Jn 2:6
15:5
hver
16
15:6
iver 2
15:7
7:7
jMt
15:8
5:16
8:31
kMt
lJn
we sink into sorrow. But true joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstance. Joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. When
our lives are intertwined with his, he will help us walk through adversity
without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without
moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily
will keep us levelheaded, no matter how high or low our circumstances.
15:12-13 We are to love each other as Jesus loved us, and he loved us
enough to give his life for us. We may or may not have to die for someone,
but we can also practice sacrificial love in other ways: listening, helping,
encouraging, giving. Think of someone who needs this kind of love today,
and give all the love you can.
15:15 Because Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master, he has the right to
call us servants; instead, he regards us as friends. How comforting and
reassuring that he not only chose us but also wants us to be his friends!
Because he is our Lord and Master, we owe him our unqualified obedience
and should listen to everything he says; because we are his friends, we
should love him and others the way he loves us.
15:16 Jesus made the first choice—to love and to die for us, to invite us
to live with him forever. We make the next choice—to accept or reject his
offer. Without his choice, we would have no choice to make.
15:17 Christians will get plenty of hatred from the world; from each
other we need love and support. Do you allow small problems to get in
the way of loving other believers? Jesus commands that you love them,
and he will give you the strength to do it.
15:26 Once again Jesus offers hope. The Holy Spirit gives strength to
endure the unreasonable hatred and evil in our world and the hostility
many have toward Jesus. These words offer special comfort for those
facing persecution.
15:26 Jesus uses two names for the Holy Spirit here—“Advocate” and
“Spirit of truth.” The word Advocate conveys the helping, encouraging,
and strengthening work of the Spirit. Spirit of truth points to his teaching,
illuminating, and reminding work. The Holy Spirit ministers to both the
head and the heart, and both dimensions are important.
16:1-16 In his last moments with his disciples, Jesus (1) warned them
about further persecution; (2) told them where, when, and why he was
going; and (3) assured them that they would not be left alone but that
the Spirit would come. Jesus knew what lay ahead, and he did not want
the disciples’ faith shaken or destroyed. God wants you to know you
are not alone. You have the Holy Spirit to comfort you, teach you truth,
and help you.
16:2 Not many years after Jesus said these words, Saul (also known
as Paul), under the authority of the high priest, went through the land
hunting down and persecuting Christians, convinced that he was doing
the right thing (Acts 9:1-2; 26:9-11).
16:5 Although the disciples had asked Jesus about his death (13:36; 14:5),
they had never wondered about its meaning. They were mostly concerned
about themselves. If Jesus went away, what would become of them?
16:7 Unless Jesus did what he came to do, we would have no gospel.
If he did not die, he could not remove our sins; he could not rise again