John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
The Name of God is I AM, and Jesus identified with this Name in John 8, when He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." Pharisaical Jews saw themselves as children of Abraham by blood, while Jesus taught them the true children are Abraham's by faith. Like the Good Shepherd passage, this term is the Vine the True in Greek, which gives a greater emphasis, similar to writing "the one and only, the model for all the grape vines growing," as Lenski notes.
John's Gospel begins by revealing that nothing was created apart from Him, the Logos, so in identifying His role as the True Vine, Jesus comforts and challenges everyone.
He also shows how the He and the Father are One in teaching and works while Two Persons in the Godheard. This chapter is explicitly Trinitarian, yet the rationalists cannot find the Trinity until about 500 AD, when the term Trinity was first used to express the Biblical teaching in shorthand - tri-unity - Three Persons, One God.
This great I AM sermon, defines believers and unbelievers alike.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Those who are members in name only, who bear no spiritual fruit, God takes away. For emphasis, the verse begins with unfruitful branches, not with God. Just as we see with grapes, roses, and other plants, the ones that produce are pruned so they can produce even more, be even more fruitful.
The disciples are cleansed through the Word, so we can see in the original text - the fruitful ones are cleansed - but how? - Answered by - You are cleansed through the Word I have solemnly declared to to you. This is clearly a passage about the Word as the Instrument of Grace. No Word - no grace.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The frequent Johannine use of this verb - to abide, remain, dwell - is fully explained here, because abiding in Christ means He abides in us. And this is the only way to be fruitful - no exceptions. Self-esteem is not a factor. Nor is coaching. This verse also destroys the Calvinistic error of the "Sovereign Spirit" dropping by and doing God's work, apart from the Word and Sacraments.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
The false teachers want to slither into the church without being noticed or identified, but Jesus was especially clear about polar opposite of His teaching. Someone who does not abide in His Word is:
- Thrown out as a branch of the Vine,
- Dried up,
- Gathered up,
- Thrown into the fire, and
- Burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Those who abide in Christ will experience His Word abiding in them. The result is that whatever is asked will be done for those faithful. God is glorified when believers bear fruit.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
The Father's love for His Son is also experienced in the Son's love for His disciples. Guarding the commands of Christ mean abiding in His love. These teachings mean the joy of Jesus will abide in His disciples, and His will is that their joy be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
The Father's love for His Son, and the Son's love for His disciples is perfected with the love of His followers for one another. Love is the fruit of faith when the Gospel Word converts someone. As Luther said, love is the fruit, not the cause of conversion. Where people teach against faith, there will be no fruit, as we see in abundance today.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
The teaching of Jesus, in this Gospel and the Synoptics, is the teaching of the Father. The Fourth Gospel emphasizes Jesus as the Face, the Voice, and the Will of God the Father.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Jesus chose the disciples and placed (ordained) them in the role of apostles, so they would be fruitful and be able to pray for anything from the Father in the Name of the Son, that the Father would give it to them.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
With love as the fruit of the Gospel comes hatred in bearing the cross. That hatred is most bitter from the wolves in sheep's clothing. No believer should take it personally, even thought the attacks are most personal, against the minister, his spouse, his children, even pouncing on his friends with murderous delight. Just as the worst opponents of Jesus were the religious without faith, so are the worst opponents today the clergy without faith, teaching forgiveness and salvation without faith.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
This passage above may be easily overlooked because I AM the True Vine is so powerful in its message. However, this is an important part of it. Jesus taught His disciples that they will be persecuted, that His audiences are not excused because they heard His teaching and saw His miracles. There is no cloak for their sin. If they hate Him, they also hate the Father they pretend to worship.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Jesus explicitly taught the Holy Spirit and the Paraclete (Advocate or Comforter) proceding from the Father and the Son. The term I forgot last night is filioque. The seminarians who do not even comprehend the Gospel get their albs in a knot over filioque (and the Son). Seminaries think their job is to teach everything except the Gospel, to promote worship of the synod, and to make plaster saints out of all their false teachers.
ELCA - the Trinity is not in the Bible and Jesus is only a man.
John 15 - Jesus clearly expounds His relationship as the Son of the Father and teaches the Holy Spirit as coming from Him and the Father.
LCMS-ELS-WELS - "Let's see how many programs we can do with ELCA to gain more money from Thrivent. We need money to grow, dontcha know."
