XV. [(2) THE LAST WORDS OF DEEPEST MEANING TO THE FAITHFUL FEW (_continued_). (_e_) _Relation of Jesus and His disciples to each other; and to the world_ (John 15:1). (_α_) Their union with Him. The True Vine: union from within (John 15:1) — comp. the Good Shepherd (John 10); union from without... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE TRUE VINE. — For the word “true,” comp. Note on John 1:9. The ideal truth, of which the natural vine is a figure, is fulfilled in Him. The thought is introduced suddenly, and with nothing in the context to lead up to it. The natural explanation of this is, that here, as in other instances,... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT BEARETH NOT FRUIT HE TAKETH AWAY. — The two chief duties of the vine-dresser, cutting off all fruitless tendrils, and cleansing those that bear fruit, supply illustrations of the training of human souls by the Divine Husbandman. We are not to interpret these words, as they fr... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW YE ARE CLEAN. — Better, _Already are ye clean._ The pronoun is emphatic. “Already are ye, as distinct from others who will become clean in the future.” (Comp. Note on John 13:10.) THROUGH THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU. — Better, _on account of the word which I have spoken unto you._ The... [ Continue Reading ]
ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. — The clauses are here connected as cause and effect. The second is the promise, which will not fail if the command of the first be observed. The union then, and all that follows from it, is placed within the power of the human will. All is contained in the words, “Abide i... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES. — The first clause is repeated to bring out the contrast with the second. It has been implied, but not directly stated, that they are the branches. It may be that there was a pause after the end of the fourth verse, accompanied by a look at the disciples, or at th... [ Continue Reading ]
IF A MAN ABIDE NOT IN ME, HE IS CAST FORTH AS A BRANCH... — The thought passes from the fruitful to the sterile branch, from the man who abideth to the man who will not abide in Christ. In the natural vineyard such a branch was cast forth, and then withered, and was gathered with others into bundles... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU... — He is now passing from the figure, which recurs again only in John 15:8; John 15:16. We should have expected here, “and I abide in you” (John 15:4); but His abiding in them necessarily accompanies their abiding in Him. The abiding of His words in the... [ Continue Reading ]
HEREIN IS MY FATHER GLORIFIED. — This clause is generally understood of the words which follow as it is taken in our English version, but the rendering is liable to the objection that it gives a forced meaning to the word “that” (Ἱυα), which is properly used to express purpose. We may here (as in Jo... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE FATHER HATH LOVED ME, SO HAVE I LOVED YOU. — Better, _As the Father hath loved Me, I have also loved you._ He had passed from the thought of their discipleship to the foundation of their union with Him and with God. It was in the eternal love of the Father, ever going forth to the Son, and fr... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, YE SHALL ABIDE IN MY LOVE. — Comp. John 14:21; John 14:24. keeping of His commandments is the outward proof of love towards Him; so that the love of the human heart towards Christ, which itself flows from Christ’s love to us (see Note on previous verse), becomes the condi... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU, THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU. — The better reading is,.. _that My joy may be in you._ The joy thought of is that which Christ Himself possessed in the consciousness of His love towards the Father, and of the Father’s love towards Him. The brightness of that jo... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT. — Comp. Note on John 13:34. In John 15:10 keeping of His commandments was laid down as the means of abiding in His love. He now reminds them that that which was specially the commandment to them was love to one another. Love to God is proved by love to mankind. The two great... [ Continue Reading ]
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS. — Better,... _hath no one than this._ (Comp. Note on John 10:18; John 10:29.) Nothing greater is conceivable in the thought of love. He has spoken of His own love for them as the measure of their love for each other. The thought of this verse dwells upon what His... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ARE MY FRIENDS... — Stress is to be laid upon the pronoun, “_Ye_ are My friends...” “Ye are those of whom I have just spoken, and for whom I am about to give the greatest proof of love.” IF YE DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU. — Better, _the things which I am commanding you,_ (Comp. John 14:21; John... [ Continue Reading ]
HENCEFORTH I CALL YOU NOT SERVANTS. — Better, _I call you no longer,_ or, _I do not still call you, servants._ (Comp. John 14:30.) For the word “servant,” as applied to them, comp. John 12:26; John 13:13. It is used again in this discourse (John 15:20), but with reference to an earlier saying. In Jo... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU. — Comp. Luke 6:12 _et seq.,_ and in this Gospel John 6:70; John 13:18. The thought of His love for them, which had exalted them from the position of slaves to friends, from fishermen to Apostles, is made to remind them again (John 15:17) of the duty of l... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE THINGS I COMMAND YOU — _i.e.,_ the things of which He has spoken from John 15:1 onwards, and especially from John 15:12. After speaking them He comes back to the purpose from which this section started, “that ye love one another.” We must beware of the not unfrequent mistake of interpreting “... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THE WORLD HATE YOU. — He has spoken of their close union with Himself, and of their love to each other. He proceeds in the remainder of the chapter to speak of their relation to the world. There is a striking contrast between the “love” in the last verse, and the “hatred” in this. There was the m... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE WERE OF THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD LOVE HIS OWN. — The force of the expression indicates the utter selfishness of the world’s love. It would love not them, but that in them which was its own. (Comp. Note on John 7:7.) I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD. — Comp. John 15:16, and Note on John 7:... [ Continue Reading ]
REMEMBER THE WORD THAT I SAID UNTO YOU. — Comp. John 13:16, where the saying is used in a different sense; and Matthew 10:24, where it is used in the same connection in which we find it here. IF THEY HAVE PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU; IF THEY HAVE KEPT MY SAYING... — The meaning is e... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ALL THESE THINGS WILL THEY DO UNTO YOU. — These words are themselves an interpretation of the previous verse. They suppose the persecution and hatred to take place, and find the true consolation in the fact that this would be done to them as representing their Lord. The Acts of the Apostles and... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I HAD NOT COME AND SPOKEN UNTO THEM, THEY HAD NOT HAD SIN. — In this and the following verses (John 15:22) our Lord shows the sinfulness of the world’s hatred, because it was in the face of His revelation to them by both word (John 15:22) and work (John 15:24). Apart from this revelation, their s... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HATETH ME HATETH MY FATHER ALSO. — Comp. Note on John 5:23, and John 15:18 in this context. Again the darkness of the world’s hatred is drawn in the successive degrees of sin. Hatred against the disciples is hatred against the Master whom they represent. Hatred against the Son is hatred agai... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I HAD NOT DONE AMONG THEM THE WORKS. — Comp. Note on John 15:22, and for the evidence of our Lord’s works, see John 5:36; John 9:3; John 9:24; John 10:21; John 10:37; John 14:10. They met the evidence of works by the assertion that He was a sinner, and possessed a devil. Their hatred led them to... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THIS COMETH TO PASS, THAT THE WORD MIGHT BE FULFILLED... — The words in italics are not found in the original, but they rightly complete the sense. For the phrase, “might be fulfilled,” comp. Notes on John 12:38; John 13:18. THAT IS WRITTEN IN THEIR LAW. — Comp. Note on John 10:34. THEY HATED M... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THE COMFORTER IS COME. — Better, _But when the Advocate is come._ (Comp. _Excursus G._) WHOM I WILL SEND UNTO YOU FROM THE FATHER. — Comp. John 14:16, and Note on John 15:26. The pronoun is here emphatic. “Whom _I_ will send...” The mission by the Father in answer to the Son’s prayer, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE ALSO SHALL BEAR WITNESS. — The tense is present, _and ye also bear witness;_ or, _and ye also are witnesses._ (Comp. Notes on Luke 24:48.) The Apostles themselves distinguished between their own witness of things which had come within their own experience and the witness borne by the power of... [ Continue Reading ]