Teaching Notes on John 15:1-17

Jesus talked a lot about gardens and farming and plants. Vineyards, olive vines, trees growing from tiny seeds, fig trees all are a part of his Kingdom teaching.

v. 1 Jewish hearers would recognize this visual from the OT. God took Israel like a vine and planted it in the promised land, and it filled up the land. But because God’s gracious protection was removed through their disobedience, this vine lost its vitality and invaders had destroyed. Jesus is the true and perfect vine that we can become a part of. Jesus may have just instituted the first Wine and Loaf supper; the vine would be appropriate to follow this.

The tender or farmer is also the owner. This is really important. The gardener is not a paid worker but the one who owns the land and planted the vine. It’s his full interest that the vine bears much fruit.

Answered Prayer is connected to fruitfulness

v. 2 The branches of the vine grafted into the True Vine will be pruned and cut off. He snaps off what will not produce fruit – could be referring to Judas?

v. 3 Cleansing by the logos, the message, the Gospel of the Kingdom. But the pruning and trimming will be painful.

v. 4 Remain in Christ, remain in relationship with Jesus and it follows that Christ will remain in us. The assumed is that we can reject or remove ourselves from that vital relationship. We can choose a “by ourselves” lifestyle, or we can choose to remain in Him.  Fruitfulness requires connection to the Real Vine.

v.5 We are the branches. We don’t bear fruit if we aren’t remaining connected. In fact, our spiritual lives depend on the connection to Jesus. Eph. 2:12 reminds us what we were when we were separated from his life. We were dead in sin.

v. 6 Jesus is speaking during the early Spring. This is the time of pruning, much leaves, no fruit, and the farmer is preparing the vines for a great harvest.

Illustration: Italy and the vines.

Choice is ours to remain in Christ, believe He is Lord, submit to Him as leader; or unplug and be destroyed.

v. 7 Ask whatsoever (you will is understood but not in the original). It should glorify God. It should have Jesus stamped over it. It flows from remaining in the Vine. And it leads to much more fruitfulness. 14:13, 16:23 Jesus repeats this promise. It is a promise that is conditional to our choices. We might choose to ask for something, but if we have not chosen to remain in Him in an intimate life-giving connection, if we aren’t asking that God be glorified, etc., then we might ask amiss.

v. 8 The much fruit here is tied into the ask, the granted answers, God getting glory, and becoming more and more His followers.

v. 9 The Father has loved the Son (aorist, completely, perfectly), the Son has loved me the same way (completely, perfectly) – it goes without saying I will continue, abide, steadily walk in the Son. Our love is grounded in Jesus’ practical act of love for us, but also deeply rooted in the bottom of the father’s heart of love for the world.

v. 10-11 Connects joy as a fruit in our lives to the consistency of our humility and obedience. When we love unconditionally, we are living the value of the Kingdom and the verb is future, we will continue to live in these values (imagine what life would be like without light, love, mercy, truth, peace, etc. – all these are removed when the Kingdom is ignored.) His joy in us; not the joy we can muster up or activate by “feeling good.” It is his joy inside – Spiritual fruit – and it is both full and eternal.

v. 12 When we love we lived like Jesus. The verb here is “keep on loving one another” – endure in love, persist in love. When we humbly trust and follow God, we are showing Him love. Just the day before, Mt. 22 Love God. Love people.

Illustration: Serve your wife to love her. Listen to your wife to love her. Respect your husband to love him. Stand in his corner and cheer for him to love him.

v. 13 -17 Expands on and defines “Love others as I have loved you.” This is obedience. This is real love. And this is the process of bearing much more fruit – that lasts. 10:11 the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. If you keep on obeying what Jesus says…

v. 15 When Jesus says the word friends, he thinks of you and me – His friends. Friend and servant aren’t mutually exclusive. He is unveiling truth and Himself more and more. As Jesus unveils who he is experientially to us as we “keep on remaining”, we discover that the two are entwined. I am Jesus’ friend and servant.

v. 16-17 He chose me, you. He chose me to be one of the Redeemed, the Restored. He appointed me, you. He gave me a purpose, a calling, an adventure, something to accomplish – and that leads to going, moving, stepping into that purpose and bearing fruit that lasts. That’s the fruit that springs out of our relationships into other’s lives to God’s glory. And it flows out of living a life of love and purpose.

It’s “keep on going” “keep on bearing fruit” along with “keep on remaining.