Chapter 31 John 15:1–17

Literary Context

This pericope is the fourth of eight sections of the farewell discourse. Surrounded by a prologue (13:31–38) and an epilogue (16:25–33), the farewell discourse can be divided into six significant and developing thematic statements by Jesus, with each offering comfort and consolation for the disciples (and the reader), befitting the nature of a farewell discourse (see comments before 13:1). These six statements within the farewell discourse offer one long exhortation to stay the course and encouragement that their efforts will be matched by the Trinitarian God himself. After offering himself to the disciples in the previous pericope, in the third of these six statements Jesus invites the disciples to enter fully into the life of the Trinitarian God through his person and work, as assigned by the Father and empowered by the Spirit. This takes place in the mutual “remaining” between the disciples and Jesus. The disciples—and the readers—are exhorted to respond to this invitation to participate in Christ in order to be “fruitful” in the work of God, a work that involves the joy of God and the love of God and of one another.

VII. The Farewell Discourse (13:1–17:26)
1. A. Introduction: The Love of Jesus (13:1–30)
  1. 1. Jesus and the Washing of His Disciples’ Feet (13:1–20)
  2. 2. Jesus Announces His Betrayal (13:21–30)
2. B. The Farewell Discourse (13:31–16:33)
  1. 1. Prologue: Glory, Departure, and Love (13:31–38)
  2. 2. I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life (14:1–14)
  3. 3. I Will Give You the Paraclete (14:15–31)
  4. 4. I Am the True Vine (15:1–17)
  5. 5. I Have Also Experienced the Hate of the World (15:18–27)
  6. 6. I Will Empower You by the Paraclete (16:1–15)
  7. 7. I Will Turn Your Grief into Joy (16:16–24)
  8. 8. Epilogue: Speaking Plainly, Departure, and Peace (16:25–33)
3. C. Conclusion: The Prayer of Jesus (17:1–26)

Main Idea

Remain in Christ, the true Vine, the source of purposeful fruit and true joy, and the means by which the love of God is embodied in the church and declared to the world.

Translation

Structure and Literary Form

As the fourth of eight sections of the farewell discourse, this pericope is part of the fourth (and longest) substantial monologue in the narrative proper. A monologue (see Introduction) is similar to a dialogue in that it is set in the context of an engagement and conflict, but rather than engaging point-for-point it allows for a lengthy argument. A monologue can contain elements of rhetoric, challenge, and conflict, but it does so in a sustained presentation.

This pericope is the third of six statements by Jesus in order to exhort and encourage his disciples. The application of the literary technique in 14:31 signals to the reader that 15:1 is a new section. The warrant for this section is not only the thematic development of love that ends at v. 17 as the conclusion of an inclusio that began at v. 12, but also the clear transition in subject matter that occurs at 15:18. In this third statement, Jesus invites the disciples to participate in the life of God by “remaining” in him.

Exegetical Outline

4. I Am the True Vine (15:1–17)
1. a. An Illustration of the Vine, the Farmer and the Branches (vv. 1–8)
2. b. Remain in the Love of God (vv. 9–11)
3. c. The Love Commandment (vv. 12–17)

Explanation of the Text

Since this entire section of the Gospel and “the farewell discourse” proper are replete with interpretive issues, we refer the reader to the first pericope of this section where we provided an overview of the nature (genre), literary structure, and function of the farewell discourse (see comments before 13:1).

15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer” (Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν). In the first section of the pericope (vv. 1–8), Jesus begins with what can be described as an “illustration,” not uncommon in John (see comments on 10:6 and 16:25), that employs agrarian language and describes a context common to first-century farmers.1 Jesus begins this section with the declaration, “I am the true vine” (Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή). This is the seventh of seven formal “I am” statements in the Gospel, each containing “I am” (Ἐγώ εἰμι) and a predicate (see comments on 6:35; cf. 8:58). These seven formal “I am” statements are emphatic descriptions of the person and ministry of Jesus and cumulatively form a detailed picture of Jesus Christ. The symbolic impression created by the predicate, “the true vine,” is almost entirely supported by the OT, which frequently and with great importance used the image of the vine, often for the designation of Israel (e.g., Ps 80:8–16; Isa 27:2–6; Jer 2:21; Ezek 15:2–6; 17:5–10; 19:10–14).2

By declaring himself to be the true vine, Jesus is making a significant symbolic connection with the nature and role of Israel. By comparing this title within the progressive portrayal of Israel in the OT and seeing its radical transformation, two aspects of Jesus’s person and work can be articulated. First, this title describes the condition of the true vine, how Jesus entered and took upon himself the failure of Israel and the sinful condition of the world. In every occurrence where “vine” is used to represent Israel, it is used to rebuke and judge Israel. For example, Israel is compared to a vine that is only fit to be burned (Ezek 15:2–6), a once fruitful and abundant vine that has been uprooted, thrown to the ground, stripped of its fruit, and consumed by fire (Ezek 19:10–14), or a once choice vine that was planted in a fertile vineyard that produced only bad fruit (Isa 5:1–2). This biblical context of “the vine” of God is immensely significant, for by this title Jesus declares solidarity with this vine and participation in its condition.

Second, this title describes the quality of the true vine, how Jesus accomplished everything the Israel-vine was unable to do: he thrives and bears fruit. The qualification “true” is intended to contrast forcefully Jesus with Israel (cf. 10:11).3 Jesus is the fulfillment of the Israel-vine and the one who completes its mission. The vine imagery does not intend to depict the Eucharist/Lord’s Supper4 or the church.5 These comparisons can only be tangential to and derived from the clear and necessary comparison between Jesus and Israel, including her role in the mission of God. The Gospel of John has already taken great care to describe how Jesus fulfills and replaces the old covenant persons and institutions of the temple (e.g., ch. 2), sacred places/mountains (e.g., ch. 4), Moses (ch. 5), and the Jewish feasts (e.g., ch. 6); as the true vine Jesus also supersedes Israel as the center and source of God’s people. The places (i.e., the land, Jerusalem, temple, altar)6 and the people (Israel, Jewish bloodlines, priestly heritage) have been fulfilled and replaced by one person: Jesus Christ.

Jesus provides an important addition to his own self-description: “And my Father is the farmer” (καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν). God has always been depicted in the OT as the farmer, Israel’s vinedresser (e.g., Ps 80:7–15). Just as the Father has always been planting and tending the vine, it was always the Son who was the intended vine. The Father has not stopped tending his vine; it is the Son who has now “become” the vine tended by the Father, that is, sent by the Father (3:16). With this further revelation the same mission of God that began “in the beginning” of the Old Testament is continued, though this time there is perfect communion and obedience between the Vine and the Farmer, the Son and the Father.

15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes it away, and every branch that does bear fruit he cleans it so that it may bear even more fruit” (πᾶν κλῆμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπόν, αἴρει αὐτό, καὶ πᾶν τὸ καρπὸν φέρον καθαίρει αὐτὸ ἵνα καρπὸν πλείονα φέρῃ). Jesus continues the “illustration” involving the vine (the Son) and the farmer (the Father), but now introduces a new character: “the branch” (τὸ κλῆμα). According to v. 5, the disciples are the branches. The illustration explains the nature of the relationship between the vine, the branches, and the farmer. Two things are important to note regarding this relationship. First, the branches are “in me” (ἐν ἐμοὶ), that is, in the vine. As this pericope will make clear, connection to the vine is essential for the branches’ existence and productivity (see vv. 4–7). There is an innate reciprocity that occurs between the vine and the branches: the branches can only produce by their participation in the vine, and the vine produces fruit through the branches. Second, the farmer tends to the branches based upon their production of “fruit” (καρπόν). Two different levels of production are described, followed by two different kinds of responses by the farmer. For the branch that does not bear fruit, the farmer “takes it away” (αἴρει αὐτό). For the branch that does bear fruit, the farmer “cleans it” (καθαίρει αὐτὸ) with the result that it might bear even more. Much has been made of the change of verbs and even the exact meaning of the verbs. Both of these issues need to be addressed in turn.

First, while it cannot be seen in English, the Greek verbs are a play on words since both verbs are so similar, with the latter having the addition of a prefix (“takes away . . . cleans” [αἴρει καθαίρει]). The terms can be used to describe agricultural work, especially the latter, but the former is not the natural choice and is probably to be understood as awkward or out of place.7 That is, the verbs were not chosen because they clearly describe the ancient practices of agriculture; on the contrary, they were chosen because they describe well the relationship Jesus and the Father (the vine and the farmer) have with the disciples (the branches). The true subject matter here is not the work of a farmer (historical) but the work of the Farmer (cosmological).

Second, and related to the previous point, the tendency to place too much weight on an isolated and unique reading of the verbs is unwarranted. The play on words between the verbs demands that they be read in concert.8 This is especially the case with the verb “takes away” (αἴρει), which in popular writings over the last century has been commonly translated as “lifts up.” This latter interpretation is grounded upon the perceived contradiction that occurs between a branch being “in [Christ]” and yet “taken away” and so has become commonly associated with debates over eternal security.9 But there is no need to see in this verse a contradiction.

Several things must be explained. First, as we discussed above, the verb “takes away” is not truly an agricultural word. This alone should prohibit a translation that is rooted in agricultural practices. The word can be translated as “lifts up,” but to apply to a word its larger range of meaning loosely or without enough contextual support is a lexical fallacy. Second, there is further proof that the meaning of the verb is not to be found in agricultural practices. The subject matter of the illustration, its real referent, is not the relationship between a farmer and his vine but the relationship between God and his people. As we have seen before, it is not background but foreground that is needed to explain the verb. Third, beyond the lexical limitations, the translation “lifts up” manipulates the illustration and pushes its intended symbolism beyond appropriate limits.

Contrary to popular readings, this verse is not about an individual Christian and Jesus, for v. 1 had already made clear that the symbolism is intended to evoke the corporate dimension of the relationship between God and his people. Just as Christ represents all Israel, in the same way he represents all of us. To separate the Christian from Jesus, even for the purpose of explaining moral responsibility or eternal security, is to make a category mistake. According to v. 1, the branches have corporate solidarity with the vine. The fruit of the branches is the fruit of the vine, just as the branches are part of the vine.10 It is important to note that the word “branch” (κλῆμα) could have just as easily been translated as “vine,” contextually viewed as a subset of the vine proper. Without denying a distinction, this verse explains how the vines (branches) are the vine. In this verse, “fruit” is not being used as a requirement but as a symptom of faith. Quite simply, since the farmer is the subject of the verbs, it speaks less about the actions of the individual Christian and more about the actions of God. This interpretation makes even further sense in light of the genre of the farewell discourse, which is similar to the “covenant-form” message with its description of corporate relationship with God.

15:3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (ἤδη ὑμεῖς καθαροί ἐστε διὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν λελάληκα ὑμῖν). After talking about God, Jesus now turns to his disciples and addresses their situation. In order to protect them from wrongly interpreting the illustration, Jesus emphatically reminds them what he has already told them, that they are “already” (ἤδη) clean. Based upon the use of the same statement earlier, Jesus is declaring that the disciples are already “in” him and are already branches in the vine (see comments on 13:10). Jesus explains that this has already happened “because of the word which I have spoken to you” (διὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν λελάληκα ὑμῖν). In this case “the word” must imply the entirety of his message; the term could even have been translated as “message.” Jesus is the Word, and his work has been to make God known (1:18). This has been done for his disciples. Here, then, they are simply encouraged to understand their relationship to and identity in him and, as the next verses will make clear, to “remain” in him.

15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί, κἀγὼ ἐν ὑμῖν. καθὼς τὸ κλῆμα οὐ δύναται καρπὸν φέρειν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ ἐὰν μὴ μένῃ ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἐὰν μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένητε). Thus far Jesus has described the work of God in the disciples—their identity (vv. 1–3); now he turns to address the work of God through the disciples—their purpose and function (vv. 4–7). The primary theme presented by the “illustration” is stated as a command: “Remain in me” (μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί). The verb “remain” can be understood to mean “dwell,” “stay,” or even “continue to live.”11 The term has become a technical term in the Gospel (5:38; 6:56; 8:31; 12:36; 14:10, 17, 25), though its meaning and function is fully established in this pericope.12 Wallace suggests that the aorist imperative is a constative (a solemn command), which stresses the urgency of the act: “It is as if the author says, ‘Make this your top priority.’ ”13 This command serves to introduce the primary category by which the Christian relates and communes with God. This is the foundational manner of Christian existence; this is the nature of salvation. It is what the church has long described and defined by several theological terms, perhaps primarily “union with Christ.”

The lack of a verb in the second clause is significant, for it implies that there is such a link between the “remaining” of both subjects that one verb alone will suffice. Jesus commands them to “remain in him” and equally commands the same of himself, that is, he promises to remain in them. Yet the careful reader of the Gospel will realize that he has already been “remaining” or “dwelling” (“tabernacling”) with his people (1:14). All that is left is for them to “remain” in union.

In order to make clear that this mutual indwelling is not something the disciples can simply will into being, Jesus distinguishes the cause from the effect by returning to the illustration.14 The Vine is the cause of this mutually indwelling existence; the effect is fruit produced in—no, through—the branches. Quite simply, and stated emphatically in the Greek, “The branch cannot bear fruit by itself” (τὸ κλῆμα οὐ δύναται καρπὸν φέρειν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ). This is not a new topic in the farewell discourse, for Jesus has spoken previously of this mutual indwelling and interpenetration between the Son and Father and the Christian (“I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you” [14:20]).

15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα. ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ οὗτος φέρει καρπὸν πολύν, ὅτι χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν). After introducing the primary theme of the pericope, Jesus connects it again to the illustration by reidentifying the agents in the illustration: Jesus is the vine and Christians are the branches. The farmer (the Father) and the task of pruning are not being neglected; rather, since the primary mode of “remaining” occurs through the Son, only he is mentioned in relation to the disciples. Jesus also reiterates the mutual indwelling of the Son and disciples, using again only one verb, “remain”: “The one who remains in me and I in him” (ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ). In a real way, both Jesus and the disciples can be described as “the one who remains” (ὁ μένων), for it is a mutual remaining.

15:6 “If a person does not remain in me, he is thrown outside like a branch and is dried up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned (ἐὰν μή τις μένῃ ἐν ἐμοί, ἐβλήθη ἔξω ὡς τὸ κλῆμα καὶ ἐξηράνθη, καὶ συνάγουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ πῦρ βάλλουσιν καὶ καίεται). After describing the positive effects of “remaining” in v. 5, Jesus now describes the negative. The antithesis of “remaining” is departing, though it is important to note that the person is not departing on their own volition but is “thrown outside” (ἐβλήθη ἔξω), depicted in a manner that returns again to the “illustration” for explanatory imagery. As we noted in regard to v. 4, the text is careful to distinguish the cause from the effect; just as Jesus is the primary cause of the mutual indwelling, so he is the primary cause of the departing. The same interpretive looseness exemplified by a “popular” reading of v. 2 is often applied here also, and the same warning needs to be appropriated (see comments on v. 2).

15:7 “If you remain in me and my word remains in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will happen for you” (ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ, ὃ ἐὰν θέλητε αἰτήσασθε καὶ γενήσεται ὑμῖν). Summarizing the premise of the illustration thus far, including both the language of mutual indwelling and “remaining,” as well as the use of his “word” in v. 3, Jesus reminds his disciples of the ministerial authority they have “in him.” This is rooted in and expands upon what he said to them in chapter 14 regarding the asking of God (see comments on 14:13–14). But here more is explained. This prayer is not asked in isolation but in the intimate, mutually indwelling relationship between Jesus and the disciples. Unique this time is the phrase “and my word remains in you” (καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ), which explains how the prayer, like the relationship, has Christ as the primary cause. This is because it is created in and guided from the entirety of Jesus’s message—his person and work. In light of our union with Christ, “whatever you wish” is not a blank-check prayer but participation in the life and mission of God. It is we who are “doing” the work of Christ (see 14:31), with the mutual indwelling creating a mutually performed work.

15:8 “In this way my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (ἐν τούτῳ ἐδοξάσθη ὁ πατήρ μου, ἵνα καρπὸν πολὺν φέρητε καὶ γένησθε ἐμοὶ μαθηταί). The first section of the pericope (vv. 1–8) concludes with Jesus explaining how an appropriate understanding of the identity (vv. 1–3) and purpose or function (vv. 4–7) of the disciples brings glory to God. Jesus said nearly the same thing already in 14:13, with one noticeable difference. In 14:13 the Father was glorified in the Son, whereas here the Father is glorified in the disciples by means of their production of fruit as well as by their establishment as Jesus’s disciples. It is not only the Son who glorifies the Father, for so do the children of God. In fact, the mutuality between Jesus and the disciples probably demands that to glorify the Father by our lives is to do so “in the Son” (14:13), for the branch can do nothing by itself apart from the vine (vv. 4–5). This section of the pericope has made clear that fruitlessness is threatened by fire (v. 6) but also robs God of the glory that rightly belongs to him.15

15:9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have loved you; remain in my love” (καθὼς ἠγάπησέν με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ ὑμᾶς ἠγάπησα· μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ). In the second section of the pericope (vv. 9–11) Jesus offers insights into the life prepared for his disciples (v. 8) and the fellowship for those who “remain” in him. The illustration Jesus used in vv. 1–8 is never explicitly mentioned again, but its subject matter and themes are still at work in the remainder of the pericope.

According to Jesus, the Christian is the recipient of the love of God. As Jesus explains, the very love of the Father for the Son has been distributed to the disciples through Christ. It is for this reason that Jesus commands the disciples to “remain in my love” (μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ), using the same aorist imperative used earlier (see comments on v. 4). The noticeable difference from v. 4 is that the command is not to remain “in me” but “in my love.” While these should be understood as generally synonymous, this command highlights not just participation in the person of Jesus but participation in the nature of God—to “dwell,” “stay,” even “live” in the love of God. In a remarkable and unexplainable way, the relationship between the Father and the Son is the type and origin of the relationship between the Son and his disciples.16 While access to God is confined to the mediation provided by Jesus, the love of God does not begin with Jesus but finds its source and energy in the love with which God loved the Son for the salvation of the world (3:16).17 The disciples are the recipients of this Trinitarian love. As much as God is the cause of this relationship (cf. vv. 4, 6, 7), the command to “remain” encourages the disciple to understand their need to respond to this love, a response Jesus is about to explain.

15:10 “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” (ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσητε, μενεῖτε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ μου, καθὼς ἐγὼ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ πατρός μου τετήρηκα καὶ μένω αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ). Jesus now answers the obvious question raised from the previous command: How does a disciple remain in Jesus’s love? The answer is that a disciple remains “if you keep my commandments” (ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσητε). Remaining in the love of God is not some mystical experience; it is an active response of obedience. Jesus said almost the same thing earlier, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (14:15), though there obedience was the manner in which the disciples showed love for Jesus. Yet even then Jesus suggested such obedience would facilitate the reception of the love of both the Father and the Son (see comments on 14:21). The intersection of love and obedience has been an important theme in the farewell discourse (see 14:15, 21, 23, 31), and it continues to be the two pillars of the Christian life and experience.

Two aspects of these pillars need to be further explained. First, we must be careful not to reverse the order of love and obedience. That is, obedience springs from love and is a response to love, not the reverse. This pericope has been intentional to make God the cause and the disciple the effect (cf. vv. 4, 6, 7); God is the source and the disciples are passive recipients but also active respondents. Reversing the order makes the disciple the active agent, the one to whom God responds, but this is not so. For God demonstrated and initiated his love for us “while we were still sinners” (Rom 5:8). It is never that we obey in order to receive God’s love but rather that we obey because we have received God’s love. We obey because God is love, and our obedience returns to him what is rightfully his and shared with us through Christ, who exemplified love and obedience to the Father on our behalf (see 14:31).

Second, just as “love” is not defined in abstraction but by the person and work of God through Jesus, so also is “obedience.” Our obedience is enabled by our participation in God (by the Spirit) and is guided by his person (the example of Christ). For our obedience is rooted in and springs not from a natural law but from the holiness and perfection of God (1 Pet 1:16) that has been imputed to us through the work of Christ, which has now become the standard, the example, the law of Christ to which we submit (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2). In this way the gospel message rebukes a works-based righteousness and offers a salvation that frees us to be slaves of righteous works (Rom 6:18–19) as those “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Eph 2:10). Christian obedience, therefore, as an expression of who God is (King, Lord, Savior, and Father) and who we are (disciples, brothers and sisters, slaves of Christ, and children of God), becomes the posture of the Christian.

15:11 “I have spoken these things to you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be fulfilled” (Ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ ἐν ὑμῖν ᾖ καὶ ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν πληρωθῇ). The second section of the pericope (vv. 9–11) concludes by giving the twofold reason for speaking about these things: so that “my joy may be in you” (ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ ἐν ὑμῖν ᾖ) and “your joy may be complete” (ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν πληρωθῇ).18 The disciples’ participation in God involves not only love but “joy.” Coming after the expectation of obedience, this statement stresses that the Christian life is not burdensome but blessing. “Joy” was mentioned before in the Gospel (see comments on 3:29) and is rightly defined by Scripture as a whole as, coincidentally, the “fruit” of God’s presence by the Spirit (Gal 5:22) and a sign of God’s present reign (Rom 14:17).19 In the Gospel the fulfillment of joy is a common theme (cf. 3:29; 16:24; 17:13) and is always the result of a life that is participating in God through Christ. Just as God’s love for us finds its source in the love between the Father and the Son, so also the fulfillment of joy bestowed upon the disciples is according to Jesus, “my joy,” which will “be in you.” The joy found in the perfection of the Trinitarian God is deposited into the Christian and, as the next section will explain, is matured and perfected in mutual love between Christians (vv. 12–17).20

15:12 “This is my commandment: love one another just as I have loved you” (αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμή, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς). The third section of the pericope (vv. 12–17) begins (and ends) with a command from Jesus. This is not a summation of the obedience mentioned above that is required to “remain in my love,” but it is one of its primary expressions. The commandments (plural) expected to “remain” in Christ’s love in v. 10 are here narrowed to one: “Love one another.” An identical commandment was given in the discourse’s prologue (see comments on 13:34–35). The love of God for Christians becomes the love of God between Christians. The twofold love for God and one another matches the twofold nature of the greatest commandment explained elsewhere by Jesus (Matt 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34; Luke 10:25–28). Love for both God and humanity, especially (according to this text) for brothers and sisters in Christ, is the life of the church. This is not a normal love but one which stems from the love of Christ: “Just as I have loved you.”21

15:13 No one has a greater love than this: that a person lay down his life for his friends” (μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ). Speaking to both his own love for his disciples and the disciples’ love for others, Jesus declares that the greatest expression of love is when a person “lay down his life for his friends” (τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ). The preposition “for” or “on behalf of” (ὑπὲρ) has already been used in the Gospel to designate the death of Christ on behalf of the disciples (cf. 6:51); its reference here is expanded to include also a parallel (but certainly not an identical) death of the disciple on behalf of another. In many ways this greatest love is also the greatest test of love, one which Jesus was about to take.22 The recipient of this greatest love is “his friends” (τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ). There may be a play on the Greek words at work here between “friend” (φίλος) and “love” (φιλέω), since a “friend” is literally “one who is loved.” The term “friend” is not intended to evoke too many possibilities or alternatives (e.g., what about “enemies?”) but simply to show the giving of one’s life for another.23 In a sense, the one for whom a person would give his life is, by definition, his friend. Christian love therefore proceeds from the recognition of the love of God in the life-giving death of the Son.

“Friendship” was an important category in the ancient world. It could imply a relationship of dependence or equality, or impersonal alliances or of personal bonds of affection, though the lines between these varieties were not rigid. Friendship did not always imply social equality, which might be significant for the friendship between Jesus and his disciples, between whom commands are given in one direction. Yet in spite of this distinction, friendship reflected a kind of equality that facilitated affection and good will.24

15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν). Jesus now defines further the friendship about which he is speaking. According to Jesus, friendship is evidenced and defined by obedience. Again the combination of love and obedience is used to define proper relationship between God and the children of God (see 14:15, 21, 23, 31). This verse does not suggest that we can merit Christ’s friendship by our obedience. Rather, as v. 13 suggested, such friendship requires first and foremost that Christ focus his greatest love upon us, the gift of his life for ours. And as the recipient of such an extension of friendship, what is reciprocated is the giving of ourselves back to God by means of the appropriate response of love and obedience.

15:15 “I no longer speak to you as slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from my Father I have made known to you” (οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν). Jesus continues to explain the nature of the unique friendship between God and his children. As much as obedience looks like a trait of slaves, it is not. For slaves do not know what their master (Lord) is doing. Friends, on the contrary, are fully aware. It is knowledge that distinguishes a friend from a slave, and this knowledge is reflective of relationship. As Jesus has already declared, the disciples are not slaves but “sons” who have been set free by “the Son” (see comments on 8:35–36). This sonship, that is, the “right” to become the children of God (1:12), depicts the inaugurated relationship that exists in “my Father’s house” (14:2). Just as Abraham was the first to be called the “friend of God” (Isa 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; Jas 2:23), the one to whom the covenant of God was announced and initiated (Gen 12:1–3), so also we, the children of Abraham (Gal 3:7), are also those to whom the new covenant is announced and initiated. None of this removes the hierarchy between God and his children or removes the need for appropriate responses to God; rather, it actually facilitates such responses as positive, finding their source not merely in law but in love and not merely because of judgment but also because of joy (v. 11).

15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—and the fruit should last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give to you” (οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ, ἵνα ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δῷ ὑμῖν). Again Jesus reiterates what was suggested in v. 13, that he “chose” the disciples, offering his friendship to them, and has “appointed”25 them to his purposes. The emphatic first-person pronoun and twice-repeated accusative pronouns, “I chose you and appointed you” (ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς), gives authority to the statement. The relationship between the Father and the disciples (through Christ and by the Spirit) is for good “works,” works that will bear lasting “fruit” under the authority of the Father in the name of the Son, the one who is sending his disciples (cf. 14:12). The authoritative prayers of the disciples as part of the mission of God has been addressed before (see comments on 14:13–14; see also v. 7).26

15:17 “I am commanding these things to you so that you might love one another” (ταῦτα ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους). The third section of the pericope (vv. 12–17) concludes just as it began, with the love commandment forming an inclusio that frames its explanation. The statement could be understood as nearly synonymous with or as slightly stronger than its counterpart in v. 12, with the dependent clause (ἵνα plus the subjunctive) focusing more on the intended result. The latter is to be preferred, even if only because of the cumulative force of the argument.

The pericope ultimately ends exhorting an intraecclesial unity that stems from and parallels the intra-Trinitarian unity, inviting the reader through faith in Christ to be taken up into the love of the Father and the Son (by the Spirit).27 But it is more than an invitation; it is also a command. For this pericope presents the church with the essential criterion for its belonging to and participating in the Vine.28

Theology in Application

In the fourth of eight sections of the farewell discourse, Jesus makes the third of six statements that explain, encourage, and exhort the disciples as they transition to the era of the new covenant, from life with Jesus to life “in Christ” and in the Spirit. Through this pericope the reader is exhorted to situate themselves in the person and work of Christ, through whom they become participants in the work of God and the very expression of God’s love in the world.

Jesus is True Israel

This pericope magnifies the incarnational ministry of Jesus, moving him from his “tabernacling” presence as a human like us to his role as the embodiment of Israel (v. 1). Just as he bore our “flesh” and entered into the sinful condition of humanity, so also did he bear the embarrassing condition and record of Israel—a vine that had been uprooted, thrown to the ground, stripped of its fruit, and consumed by fire—and enter into the sinful and failed state of Israel. But in distinction from our individual existence and Israel’s corporate existence, Jesus fulfilled to perfection the role of Israel. Jesus restored Israel, becoming the mediator that Israel was always intended to be in him. Thus, Jesus is true Israel. All the old covenant places and people have been fulfilled and replaced by one person, Jesus Christ. Every other vine, including the rich (and biblical!) heritage of Israel, is declared bankrupt and counterfeit in contrast to the true vine of God. In fact, Jesus had always been the intended and true vine, just as the farmer who had been planting and tending his vineyard had always been the Father.

“Remain”

As much as the call to the church is to “go” (the Great Commission of Matt 28:18–20 or even John 20:21), there is just as much a call to the Christian to “stay,” “abide,” and “remain” in Christ. To “remain” is to find one’s existence and meaning by means of the provision of Christ. It is to be aware of our dependence and insufficiency, which is a state that the world tries to reverse and deny. This command to “remain” is not a burden but a gift, an opportunity to really live and, ironically, to truly be free. It is to have life as it was designed, in harmony with the Creator. It is in a real sense to dwell in the house of God, to “tabernacle” with God through Christ and by the Spirit, even if a more perfect dwelling is still to come (cf. 14:2). And this command is matched by a promise that if we remain in Christ, he pledges to “remain” with us. To remain, then, is to exist in the grace and love of God.

Christian Fruit

The bearing of fruit is the natural and foundational work of a branch. A fruitless branch is, quite simply, a dead branch. In the same way, the Christian life is branch-like in that it not only needs to be attached to the Vine to survive, but it also is expected to bear fruit. Its purpose is not simply to exist. The Christian’s purpose is not simply to exist, to find enjoyment in their private spiritual quest or moral program, but to participate in the fruit-bearing task required throughout God’s vineyard. The “fruit” of the Christian is participation in the mission of God through the church and to the world. It need not be limited to one or two Christian works, for God is the one who defines fruit and grows branches in the places he sees fit. All this has been God’s plan from the beginning. As the apostle Paul explains, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10). Thus, there is an obligation placed upon us to bear fruit. This is in no way a work that merits salvation (cf. Eph 2:8–9) but actually the reverse. It is a natural response of those who have already received it.

Trust and Obey . . . to Be Joyful in Jesus

God wants us happy, but not with the definition or means by which our cultures often define it. Rather, Jesus exhorts us to “remain” in the Trinitarian love into which we have been invited and placed by obeying his commandments (vv. 9–10). This is hardly unfair, for Christ himself did the same thing in response to his Father. Biblical “law” has always been about participating in God and finding true joy in life. That is, obedience is not intended to limit freedom but to provide and facilitate it. The sin that is innate to humanity has distorted that premise since its beginning. The Christian, however, begins to see the unseen, that our freedom is found in a radical commitment to obey the “law of Christ” (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2).

There is a need in our churches today to redefine how we speak about obedience. We obey the commandments of God not to earn or keep our salvation but to experience salvation. Obedience is the response of the person who is saved—not perfect obedience (1 John 1:8) but a knowledge of what sin really is and an (imperfect) desire to live as life truly is in God through Christ and by the Spirit. That is, obedience is to live life in humble submission to our Father as his children. Exhorting obedience is not legalism but grace. It is giving true life to people who truly need it. This focus on obedience should not eclipse grace but magnify it, for our (imperfect) obedience will not only need to be surrounded and supported by grace but in fact finds its source in grace—the obedience of Christ on our behalf. This, therefore, is true joy.

Christian Love and Friendship

The love of God for Christians becomes the love of God between Christians. This participation in the love of God creates a Christian relationship, a Christian friendship. Such “friends” are not casual acquaintances but are in a life-sharing and life-giving relationship that finds expression in a cumulative life together. In a Christian friendship one life might even be exchanged for another, promoting this cumulative “life” by means of a cumulative love—life and love that begin and end with God and therefore give unity and meaning to everything in between.

This is the biblical vision of the life of the church. Unfortunately, compared to most of our local churches, it is more of a dream than a reality. Can the church recover this kind of community life, where friendship is defined not by one’s Facebook status but by our corporate status as sons and daughters who are friends of God—in communion with the Father through the Son and by the Spirit? We must pray to that end! For this vision is the extension of God’s love that began in the sending of his Son (3:16). It is to find its embodiment and expression within the church and is to enable the church’s mission to the world. God’s love is not an option; it is a necessity, a foundation to the very existence of the church and also therefore to its life together.