John 15:11

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. THESE THINGS HAVE I SPOKEN UNTO YOU, THAT MY JOY MIGHT REMAIN ('ABIDE') IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL, [ pleeroothee (G4137)] - or 'be fulfilled.' We take "these things which Christ had spoken unto them" to mean, not all that Christ uttered on this occasion-as interpreters generally do-but more definitely, the things He had just before said about the true secret of His abiding in His Father's love and of their abiding in His love. In that case, the sense will be this: 'As it is My joy to have My Father's love resting on Me in the keeping of His commandments, so have I told how ye yourselves may have that very joy of Mine abiding in you and filling you full.'...

11._These things I have spoken to you. _He adds, that his love is far from being unknown to the godly, but that it is perceived by faith, so that they enjoy blessed peace of conscience; for the _joy _which he mentions springs from that peace with God which is possessed by all that have been justified by free grace. As often, then, as God’s fatherly love towards us is preached, let us know that there is given to us ground for true _joy_, that, with peaceable consciences, we may be certain of our salvation. _My joy and your joy. _It is called _Christ _’_s joy _and _our joy _in various respects. It is _Christ _’_s_, because it is given to us by him; for he is both the Author and the Cause of it. I say that he is the _Cause _of it, because we were freed from guilt, when the chastisement of our peace was laid on him, (Isaiah 53:5.)

9-17 Those whom God loves as a Father, may despise the hatred of all the world. As the Father loved Christ, who was most worthy, so he loved his disciples, who were unworthy. All that love the Saviour should continue in their love to him, and take all occasions to show it. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment, but the joy of those who abide in Christ's love is a continual feast. They are to show their love to him by keeping his commandments. If the same power that first shed abroad the love of Christ's in our hearts, did not keep us in that love, we should not long abide in it. Christ's love to us should direct us to love each other. He speaks as about to give many things in charge, yet names this only; it includes many duties....

Verse John 15:11. _THAT MY JOY MAY REMAIN IN YOU_] That the joy which I now feel, on account of your steady, affectionate attachment to me, may be lasting, I give you both warnings and directions, that ye may abide in the faith. _THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL._] Or, _complete _- πληρωθη, _filled_ _up_: a metaphor taken from a vessel, into which water or any other thing is poured, till it is full to the brim. The religion of Christ expels _all misery_ from the hearts of those who receive it in its fulness. It was to drive wretchedness out of the world that Jesus came into it. Bishop Pearce, by joining εν εμοι to χαρα, and not to μεινη, translates the verse thus: _These things have I spoken, that my joy_ _in you may remain_-which is according to the meaning given to the first clause....

THESE THINGS - The discourse in this and the previous chapter. This discourse was designed to comfort them by the promise of the Holy Spirit and of eternal life, and to direct them in the discharge of their duty. MY JOY - This expression probably denotes the happiness which Jesus had, and would continue to have, by their obedience, love, and fidelity. Their obedience was to him a source of joy. It was that which he sought and for which he had labored. He now clearly taught them the path of duty, and encouraged them to persevere, notwithstanding he was about to leave them. If they obeyed him, it would continue to him to be a source of joy. Christ rejoices in the obedience of all his friends; and, though his happiness is not dependent on them, yet their fidelity is an object which he desires and in which he finds delight. The same sentiment is expressed in...

EXPOSITION JOHN 15:1 (7) _The parable of the vine and its branches_._ Incorporation of the disciples into one personality with himself_._ _The image of the vine may have been suggested by some visible object. Either of the hypotheses of place would furnish a reminder of the nature and culture of the vine. Thus around the windows of the guest-chamber the vine may have thrown its tendrils, or on the slopes of Olivet the vineyards may have been prominent objects, or the burning heaps of vine-prunings may have suggested the idea. Again, if they were pausing in some apartments of the temple-court, the golden vine, the image of Israel, upon the gates may have supplied the point of departure. But our Lord needed no such help to his imagination, and it is by no means necessary to find an occasion for his imagery. The fact that

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, as united to him, and which is of the same nature as the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, and which will always remain and continue the same; or rather that joy which he is the author, object, ground, and matter of, for there is always reason to rejoice in him, even in the most afflictive circumstances of life: AND THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL; that grace of joy which is implanted in the soul, by the Spirit of God in regeneration, and arises from, and is increased by discoveries of the person, grace, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ; and is "full of glory",...

John 15:1. _I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman._ If you want to know where the true Church is, Christ here tells you: «I am the true vine.» All who are in Christ are in the true Church. If you want to know who is the Father of the Church, its Keeper and Guardian, Christ here tells you: «My Father is the husbandman.» Hence, I feel persuaded that the true vine, the Church, will never die, for it is Christ; and I am also persuaded that it will never be uprooted, for Jesus says, «My Father is the husbandman;» and that fact is a guarantee that he will take care of it. John 15:2. _Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:_ In some sense, men and women may be in Christ by a mete outward profession; but if they have no evidence of a real union to Christ,

CHAPTER 15 1. The Vine and the Branch. (John 15:1 .) 2. Communion with Him and its Conditions.(John 15:9 .) 3. Love One Another! and the Hatred of the World. (John 15:17 .) Israel is called a vine in the Old Testament (Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5:1; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1) and Christ here in this parable takes the place of Israel and is the true vine. His disciples are the branches. Is

JOHN 15. THE VINE. The relation of the following Chapter s to 14 has been discussed. The Parœ mia, or parable-like discourse, reminds us of the parable or metaphor of the Good Shepherd in ch. 10. Two thoughts are prominent here, the pruning needed to get rid of useless branches and to ensure the fruitfulness of the rest, and the intimate union between Christ and His disciples, symbolised by the relation of the branches to the vine. We must compare the OT teaching which represents Israel as the Vine. Christ is in the spiritual sphere what the vine stands for in nature, in respect of human necessity. He is the source of spiritual strength which satisfies men's needs. As always, He is subordinate to the Father. The vinedresser cuts out useless branches, pruning the rest to make them bear more fruit. So the Father has glorified the Son by cutting out the traitor. Christ's teaching, which is...