I AM THE TRUE VINE,.... The fruit of which he had been just speaking of at supper with his disciples; and then informs them, that he himself is the vine from whence that fruit must be expected, which should be partook of by them in his Father's kingdom; for though Christ may be compared to a vine fo... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT BEARETH NOT FRUIT,.... There are two sorts of branches in Christ the vine; the one sort are such who have only an historical faith in him, believe but for a time, and are removed; they are such who only profess to believe in him, as Simon Magus did; are in him by profession o... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW YE ARE CLEAN THROUGH THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU.. These words being inserted in the discourse concerning the vine and branches, and the pruning and purging them to make them fruitful, are thought, by the learned Dr. Lightfoot, to be an allusion to the law in Leviticus 19:23; by which... [ Continue Reading ]
ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU,.... The former of these is an exhortation to continue in the exercise of faith and love upon Christ, holding to him the head, cleaving to him with full purpose of heart, and so deriving life, grace, strength, and nourishment from him; the latter is a promise encouraging to... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES,.... Christ here repeats what he said of himself, "the vine", for the sake of the application of "the branches" to his disciples: which expresses their sameness of nature with Christ; their strict and close union to him; and the communication of life and grace, hol... [ Continue Reading ]
IF A MAN ABIDE NOT IN ME,.... Christ does not say, "if ye abide not in me"; he would not suppose this of his true disciples; Judas now being removed, to whom he may have some respect in this verse; though it may be applied to anyone who has made a profession of Christ, and denies the truths of the G... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU,.... Abiding in Christ is here explained by his words or doctrines abiding in his disciples; by which are meant his Gospel, and the truths of it. This abides when it comes in power, and becomes the engrafted word; and may be said to do so, when such, in w... [ Continue Reading ]
HEREIN IS MY FATHER GLORIFIED,.... This does not so much refer to what goes before, concerning the disciples abiding in Christ, and he and his words abiding in them, and doing for them whatever they ask, though by all this God is glorified; as to what follows, the fruitfulness of the disciples: THA... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE FATHER HATH LOVED ME,.... As his own Son, and as Mediator, from everlasting; and in time, in his state of humiliation, throughout the course of his obedience, and under all his sufferings; which he testified more than once by a voice from heaven; which he showed by concealing nothing from him... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS YE SHALL ABIDE IN MY LOVE,.... Not that their continuance in the heart's love and affection of Christ depended upon their observation of his commands; for as the keeping of them is not the cause or reason of the saints having an interest in the love of Christ, so it is not... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU,.... Concerning the vine and branches, his abiding in them, and they in him, their fruitfulness from him, and perseverance in him, his love to them, and theirs to him: THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU; meaning either that joy with which he joyed in and over them,... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT, THAT YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER,.... Christ had been before speaking of his commandments; and he mentions this as the principal one, and to which all the rest may be reduced; for as the precepts of the second table of the moral law may be briefly comprehended in this one duty, love... [ Continue Reading ]
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS,.... By these words our Lord shows, how far love to another should extend, even to the laying down of our lives for the brethren; which is the highest instance of love among men; THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS; and in which believers, should not come... [ Continue Reading ]
YE ARE MY FRIENDS,.... This is an application of the foregoing passage, and more, clearly explains it. The character of "friends", is applied to the disciples of Christ; and belongs, not only to his apostles, but to all that love him, believe in him, and obey him; to whom he has showed himself frien... [ Continue Reading ]
HENCEFORTH I CALL YOU NOT SERVANTS,.... As they and the rest of the people of God had been, under the legal dispensation; for though they were children, yet differed nothing from servants; and were very much influenced and impressed with a servile spirit, a spirit of bondage unto fear, being kept un... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE NOT CHOSEN ME, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU,.... Not but that they had made choice of him as their Lord and Master, Saviour and Redeemer; but not first, he was before hand with them; he chose them, before they chose him; so that his choice of them was entirely free, did not arise from any character... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE THINGS I COMMAND YOU,.... The doctrines which Christ spake, as one having authority, concerning the vine and branches; his love to his disciples, in laying down his life for them, and in accounting and using them as friends, and not servants; in choosing, ordaining, and sending them forth, for... [ Continue Reading ]
IF THE WORLD HATE YOU,.... After our Lord had signified how much he loved his disciples and what great things he had done for them, he faithfully acquaints them with the world's hatred of them, and what they must expect to meet with from that quarter, and says many things to fortify their minds agai... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE WERE OF THE WORLD,.... Belonged to the world, were of the same spirit and principles with it, and pursued the same practices: THE WORLD WOULD LOVE ITS OWN; for every like loves its like; the men of the world love each other's persons, company, and conversation: BUT BECAUSE YE ARE NOT OF THE... [ Continue Reading ]
REMEMBER THE WORD THAT I SAID UNTO YOU,.... For their further consolation under the hatred of the world, he puts them in mind of a saying of his, which he had lately used, John 13:16; to teach them humility, self-denial, and brotherly love, and elsewhere, as in Matthew 10:24; for the same purpose as... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ALL THESE THINGS WILL THEY DO UNTO YOU,.... Christ here signifies, that all the hatred and persecutions raised against his people by the world, would not be on their own account, for any evil actions done by them; they would not suffer as thieves, murderers, and evildoers, but as Christians; or... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I HAD NOT COME AND SPOKEN UNTO THEM,.... The ignorance of the Jews is represented as inexcusable, since Christ was come, and had preached unto them; if he had not come and told them that he was the Messiah, they might have pleaded an excuse for their ignorance of him, and his mission, and of the... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HATETH ME, HATETH MY FATHER ALSO. The hatred the world bears to the followers of Christ, is interpretatively hatred to Christ himself; and hatred to Christ himself, is no other than hatred to his Father; and indeed, all the hatred that is shown by the men of the world to Christ, to his Gospe... [ Continue Reading ]
IF I HAD NOT DONE AMONG THEM THE WORKS,.... This is another, and a new argument, evincing the inexcusableness of their ignorance, and infidelity, and sin, taken from the works that Christ did; such as healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind, causing the dumb to speak, the deaf... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THIS COMETH TO PASS,.... This hatred against Christ, and which is pointed at his people for his sake, and reaches to the Father also on his account, is suffered to be, and therefore should be patiently borne: THAT THE WORD MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THEIR LAW: either in Psalms 35:19... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THE COMFORTER IS COME,.... Or advocate, the Spirit of God; who was to be, and has been an advocate for Christ, against the world, and for his people, against all their enemies; and who as he was to reprove, and did reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, in favour of Christ,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE SHALL ALSO BEAR WITNESS,.... That is, of Christ; of all the things he did in Jerusalem, and in the land of the Jews; being eyewitnesses, and ministers, or servants of the word, who constantly attended upon him; of all the good he did to the bodies and souls of men; of the various miracles he... [ Continue Reading ]