Book of John
Week 43 – January 20, 2015
Chapter 15:1-11
Chapter 15
15:1-2 – We now get to one of the most famous of all of Jesus’ passages. It is often preached, and a good
deal of theology has come out of this passage. We have to keep in mind the bigger context of Jesus talking to
his disciples on this particular night: He is comforting and instructing them. It seems that out of nowhere he
goes into this imagery, but there is a lot of Jewish background speaking into this picture. While Jesus would
have seemed to us to be really changing the subject, the bigger ideas in this discussion are his (Jesus’) unity
with his Father, with his disciples and his leaving. This passage is about “presence.” It addresses presence
in the word “remain” or “abide” depending on your translation. This word (meno) is the verbal form of
“dwelling place.” We are dealing with language that will remind the disciples of all of the OT language that
speaks of God’s dwelling place – his “tabernacle,” his physical presence within his people. This is a core
notion – his presence – and Jesus is talking to them about his continued presence with them even after he
leaves to return to his Father. Israel had often been called God’s vineyard (Is. 5:7). It was a common theme
of Jewish literature, and God was seen as their vine grower. There was also a golden vine in the temple, but
its purpose was to point to Israel’s power (Keener). Jesus is shifting the picture: the true vine as opposed to
what false vine? The one that shows Israel as a powerful nation dwelling with God in his temple? I think
maybe so, though this may be one of those things no one could have picked up in the moment when Jesus
was saying it. It’s pretty obscure and complicated. Plus, there is also Psalm 80:8-19 that speaks about the
vine of Israel and the “man at God’s right hand,” his “son of man who has made strong” (these are song
lyrics). They may have come to mind much quicker than the notion of the tabernacle. It’s difficult to say. But
Jesus now says he is the true vine instead of what most thought: Israel. And his Father is the “farmer.” The
Greek is the regular word for farmer, georgos, but English farmers do not tend vines like ancient farmers
did, so the word has to imply care of vines: gardener, husbandman, vine dresser. But it’s a farmer’s normal
job to care for the vines.
I actually read that the first 17 verses of this chapter might be referred to as the magna carta of Christian
love commandments. I have no idea what that really means, but it sounds impressive, and this passage is
just that. It lays out both what we are to be and do plus tells us how we can accomplish these important,
difficult tasks of “remaining in” and “loving.” On the surface, this seems a passage about fruitfulness and its
importance, but beneath that surface we see that fruitfulness is not an action of the disciples; it is a result of
the action of remaining. Ad so we have to figure that out – what does that mean?
Right up front I want to acknowledge one controversy. The most common word for vine is ampelos. Here,
Calvin felt Jesus was saying that he was the vineyard, we are the vines, and it makes sense knowing where
he goes with this. It also changes the root understanding of meno (remain) being something other than a
choice to stay united, since choice has no place in Calvin’s theology. Odd aside, but I see no reason, even
based on some papyri, to alter the essential picture we are working with here, namely, Jesus is the vine, and
we are the branches of that vine. You see, Calvin wanted to speak of our being pruned a bit – not people by
their own choices being pruned away. Also, we know this symbol of the vine was important. It represented
“the people of God.” We know this in some manner because the coins during the Maccabees’ rule contained
this symbol to represent Israel. Jesus and its branches (the disciples) are the true vine, the true people of
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God – in the fullest form of ownership by the genitive form, God. This farmer owns these plants – this vine
and its branches – they are His.
One last pre-text note: Craig Keener has gone to great lengths to lay out just about everything one could
imagine needing to know about all things 1st century viticulture. I did gather a few points from him that are
terribly germane even though they are details of the highest order. (1) The condition of a vineyard was a
direct reflection on its importance to the farmer; plus, the condition of its fruit pointed to the farmer’s level
of care. Nothing in the vine world happened by chance; care (meaning work) determined everything 1st
century. Olives took no care or pruning; vines were labor intensive, but the payoff could be tremendous. (2)
Pruning was done on either small shoots that were not going to bear fruit (usually done with the fingers
like is done on locust trees now a days) or older, thicker branches that had wooded out and usually died.
This wood was cut away with a knife. Pruners didn’t exist. The wood wasn’t good for any other purpose,
not even as a peg. It was fuel. Ancients understood that non-fruit bearing branches sapped the strength
from other parts of the plant, namely the size of the fruit. (3) Vine branches were also cleaned of their
leaves shortly before flowering time to take away any vestige of the plant that might cause the grapes to be
smaller. (4) Since these processes were well-known, they naturally lent themselves to “moral analogies.”
We find many secular notions related to vines and their pruning. (5) “Cleansing” was not a typical
horticultural term, but it was a highly Jewish ritual term that equaled being rid of the things that make one
“unclean” or unable to be used for sacred purposes. There is a lot of scholarly talk about the interplay of the
Greek words for cuts: airo, prunes: kathairo, and cleans: kathoros. These similarities, which some point to
as “puns” or “humorous likenesses,” by Jesus should not be taken as important. Jesus spoke Aramaic. The
similarities do not exist in Aramaic. Either John or his secretary added these words (“used them” might be a
better way to say it) to make this passage easier to remember or to draw attention to the meaning. Some
have argued that the clear handiwork of an editor points us in the direction of the sayings not being
historical. This is silly. Whenever someone translates they are hoping to make the translation say in
essence what was said and make it memorable. The gospel writer has done this through word choice. (6)
The Jewish notions about what happens to the wicked following death are confusing and, yet, still play in to
the theology of this passage – or rather the theology we take from this passage. More on this later.
Recap: Very important passage, much preaching, Christian symbolism, Vineyard Church, etc. Theology – all
important to keep in context. I also find this the most difficult part of the gospel to teach. It is complicated,
repetitive and confusing.
Start with language:
1) Primary word meno – remain, dwell, abide – everything hinges on this concept! This always
relates to presence. Is God present?
2) There is some emphasis on the words “cuts” (wholesale cutting off of dead branches), “prunes”
(careful cutting of unneeded branches) and “cleans” (removal of leaves to aid fruit).
These would not have been Jesus’ concern. He spoke Aramaic, not Greek. The Greek issues come from the
author, not the characters in the story. John’s task is to best represent Jesus in translation. Here is a strong
aspect of faith: Aramaic heard and remembered, translated into Greek, translated into English. We have to
trust the Holy Spirit! This is always at work in the gospels!
So, to get to the passage, Jesus sets up a new paradigm. He is the vine, the true vine, and his Father is the
husbandman. This flies in the face of the Jewish notion of Israel as the true vine. Jesus is changing who
God’s people really are! God is busy doing two things: lifting away the non-fruit bearing branches and
pruning the fruit bearing ones to make them more fruitful. This implies removing branches and cleaning
others. Jesus has not yet said anything about the disciples being the branches, though it is impossible not to
think this way since we already know he will say it. Plus, it’s almost impossible not to think of Paul’s fruit of
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the Spirit when we read about bearing fruit. This wouldn’t have crossed the disciples’ minds. In Jesus’ day
most fruit would have been seen as moral obedience to the law in particular. There is also the great
possibility that Paul’s fruit of the Spirit were well known to John’s community when he wrote this gospel.
John could have been writing in a later-gained understanding of what Jesus was meaning (i.e., Paul’s list of
fruit) even though he’d had no clear notion about this fruit when Jesus said these things (Gal. 5:22 – love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).
15:3-5 – Jesus once again restates something he said early during the foot washing. While it’s been months
since we talked about this moment, the distance between Jesus saying, “You are clean” then
(horticulturally, no extra leaves to zap strength from fruit) and saying it now (though the image has
changed) was actually a matter of maybe an hour. They would have understood he meant spiritually clean
without anything to keep them out of God’s presence or keep them from being used by God for his
purposes. When Jesus says “word” he uses logos. This would mean the full total of Jesus’ teaching. Later
Jesus will use the word rhemata which is a word that will speak to specific statements by Jesus. Here, there
is no difference between Jesus’ word, his teaching and his presence in the disciples. The idea that because
they have been spoken to they are clean (cleaning meaning his words have stripped away all of the things
that had been growing in them that would keep them from being fruitful) is odd at some level, but their
cleanliness derives from having received his word.
His next statement is a command: Remain in me. This is that “dwell” word – dwell in me. And along with his
word, which is dwelling in them and making them ready for holy purposes, Jesus says, “and I in you.” This
statement speaks of unity, oneness and single purposefulness. And he states the obvious. The vine and its
branches cannot separate if the branches are to bear fruit. He’s hinting at filling out the image. They are the
fruit-bearing branches. They can only bear fruit when connected (remaining) in the vine. Now, of course,
connection does not necessitate fruit bearing. Branches can be connected without bearing fruit by simply
taking strength from the vine. But there is no hope for fruit if not connected to the vine, and that connection
has everything to do with Jesus’ word and our response to it. Jesus is not equivocating about his importance
– remain in me. In fact, his next words are Ego eimi. “I am” is a clear statement of position. And now he says
things directly. “I am the vine; you are the branches.” A branch has but one purpose – to be fruit, good fruit
– and Jesus says this directly. Remain in me and I in you (that mystical unexpected two-way street) and
you’ll bear much fruit. What will result from your life will be valuable to the gardener – it will bring him
much joy and wealth. And then in grand rabbinical fashion he says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” His
“nothing” is nothing of value to the gardener. We may be busy every moment, but the fruit of that labor will
be nothing of value in the garden of God.
15:6 – This verse has some strong language. “If anyone does not remain in me….” (Remember, Judas was
just sent away; this had to be on his mind). He then lists three results: (1) “He was/is cast outside like a
branch” – implying a branch pruned away because of its fruitlessness. The confusion of the was/is comes
out of the aorist form – an action that has been completed and continues on into the future. “Was/been” can
sound like Jesus is talking about someone specifically. Some point to Judas having been cast out of the
community. The Greek says “unless anyone remains in me, he has been cast outside as a branch.” Then, the
second result: (2) Was/is dried – left to harden on its own apart from the vine (I see this hardening in
people often!) Next, (3) gathered to be cast (again) on the fire and burned. Now, is this a picture of the end
of the reprobate? Here is where we have to look at 1st century notions of what happens to those who do not
remain in Jesus, and the big issue is “remaining in” Jesus! – not God, not spirituality, not true to one’s self or
whatever – remain, abide, dwell with, make your home within Jesus. We have to start with the fact that a
dried grape branch had no practical value. (This is debated. Some bigger vines were said to have been used
in furniture, utensils, pegs or posts.) Its only value was for keeping a fire going. And there is ample evidence
that the Jews believed that the wicked Gentiles, and those Jews who lived like Gentiles, were destined for a
fire of some sort. Fire itself – being thrown in it – always was a picture of judgment (for the wicked),
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refinement (for the righteous), burning to see what remains! We know in these dried grape branches that
nothing will remain. The place of burning was Gehenna. This was the dump site outside of Jerusalem. A
place that always was burning because fuel was continually being thrown on it!
The Jewish storytellers often mixed up Greek notions of Tartarus, the dungeon of the dead, with their
explanations of the punishment of Gehenna. Tartarus was originally a pit that existed beneath the flat
sphere of the earth. It was so deep that one could drop a year without hitting bottom. The heavens formed a
great sphere over the earth’s flat surface. Tartarus formed an ovoid beneath it. Hades was distinct from
Tarturas. Hades was at the edges of the earth’s sphere and held the spirits of the non-wicked dead. Tartarus
was a prison of punishment encased in bronze and guarded by three 100-handed giants called
Hekatonkheires. They also had 50 heads. These three giants had the destructive power of storms. An anvil
falling would take 18 days to reach Tartarus. Wicked souls were judged and sent to Tartarus for either a
purgatorial period or an unredeemable, eternal damnation.
The punishments there were purposed to be so bad that Virgil warned his readers not to seek out what
these punishments might be. These notions bled over into the place called Gehenna, which was separate
from the dump site where child sacrifice had once taken place. Some said eternal for the worst of sinners.
And it was often described as being a vast place located in the belly of the earth. Most Jews, though,
believed Gehenna’s punishment was temporary. Sinners (read all Gentiles and reprobate Jews like tax
collectors) endured punishment temporarily (the common notion was 12 months) then were either
destroyed (burned up) or released – some to be reborn as people or animals. The Synoptic tradition seems
to settle on language of eternal, unending punishment, the harshest of all choices (Keener). But exactly
what happens isn’t clear – burned up and is destroyed or burns in punishment forever. Is the fire always
burning because fuel is continually thrown on it? There is no question that something terrible happens to
those who refuse to find their dwelling in Jesus and Jesus in them. How much of what the Jews believed is
true, I do not know. Jesus “seems” to be siding with those who held the harshest position, but we can’t be
certain. He never says anything directly, nor is his language certain. When he says something is “ages” we
know that the Jews only spoke of two ages – the age of the present and the coming age of the kingdom of
God. My sense is that these two ages comprise all of time, but I am unsure of whether the Jews were right.
All I know is, we don’t want to be people who are pruned away because we are fruitless, because we’ve
refused to remain in the word of Jesus. Pruning and cleaning to enable greater fruit is painful but necessary
– it shows our value!
15:7 – Here, Jesus uses the more specific word for “words” as in “the various things I have told you that
comprise my word.” This verse cannot be broken up. It has two equal halves. Remaining in Jesus and his
words – prayer is then answered. I think we need to break this down. Remaining in Jesus equals seeing all
of my strength, all of my vitality, my existence being tied to the life found in Jesus. All that I am and can be
grows out of him. Then his words – what he has both instructed and commanded attitude-wise, action-wise
– his word becomes resident in me. We remain in him; his word lives in me. If we are truly living in this
way, both dwelling in and being the dwelling place of (the space where his words find life and vibrancy) his
word, then we will be so attuned to his will that whatever we “ask”…. “Wish” is an okay word. I like “will”
better, but who am I. The concept of wishing hurts us here. Ask whatever you will (desire to see happen) –
just the word connects us to God’s will. And if we are in him and his words, all that he has taught us is living
in us, then we will only will what he would will. We can ask for this, and Jesus says it will be done for us. I
can’t find one commentator who will take on what this looks like. They all skirt around its complete finality.
Do this and this will be done. It isn’t simple, but there seems to be a connection between obedience to the
grand vision of remaining in Jesus in all possible manner and answered prayer. Almost everyone says that
“answered prayer” is a fruit of the vine, that when we seek to dwell in Jesus and his words, answered
prayer signifies our belonging. Of course, we have to pray to have our prayers answered. I do not believe
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unanswered prayer = not dwelling in Jesus. But we have to nuance these things very carefully or we will
lead people into despair.
15:8 – This verse completes the essence of the unity between God the Father, Jesus and us as his disciples.
Our being Jesus’ disciples is proven when we bear much fruit (due to our having remained in him and his
word). And the end result is that God is given glory. This is all good – glory in the aspect of high praise. His
glory is his physical presence. We might struggle some here with the tense “by this was the Father of me
glorified.” I am not sure this tense matters. It is always true. No matter who does that which the Father
commands – his Son or his (the Son’s) disciples – in the end, the glory goes to God the Father. This is the
essence of our obedience – to bring glory to the Father!
15:9 – We begin with a powerful statement – even the Greek word order says something profound to me.
“As loved me the Father I also you loved.” These verbs are aorist indicatives, meaning they have a past
aspect to them but also can be seen as present and even somewhat future. The Father loved, loves, will love
in the same depth and manner past-present-future, Jesus. And Jesus says that this same love for him by the
Father he has for his disciples – past, present, future. He says, “I have loved you.” There is great action in
this. This isn’t an emotional state, rather an active showing through his words and deeds. He wants the
disciples to think back on all that they have seen of his love toward them and then to remain, dwell, take
root in his love. This on its own is somewhat difficult to understand, at least to know how to “dwell” in his
love. We don’t naturally have the tools to grasp this kind of “remaining.” It surely isn’t passive – just sitting
or staying near. Fortunately, Jesus goes right to explaining what this means in verse 10. He says exactly
what remaining looks like: keeping Jesus’ commandments. Earlier Jesus said, “The one who keeps my
commandments loves me” (John 14:21). Now he states that the one who keeps (meaning obeys) his
commandments remains (he literally says “will remain” though no scholar I can find outside of uberArmenians see this as a conditional statement) in his love. Of course, there is a great preponderance of
discussion about “the commandments” of Jesus. Until Chapter 14, all commandment language had been in
the singular about loving one another. And even here Jesus will only talk about one particular command.
And yet, he speaks in the plural. Jesus does say that he kept the commandments of his Father and that his
obedience should look like ours. And his remaining in his Father’s love will look like our remaining in his
love. And that it is all connected to keeping his commandments. This has to be a different “keeping” than
the religious establishment practiced. There had to be more of a heart aspect rather than a legalistic aspect
to this keeping, in Jesus’ expectation. This is obedience out of love, out of relationship (which Jesus will talk
about soon). There is a mystical connection, if you will, to obeying, or rather living in the commandments of
Jesus that result in our dwelling in all that his love means. I am unsure just how to put it all into words, yet,
there is something about our hearts as we love one another that roots us into Jesus’ love. This isn’t Jesus
saying, I will love you if…; it is Jesus saying, your life will live in my love if…., and those are two very different
things. We understand the first naturally. We get quid pro-quo relationships. We don’t naturally get what
Jesus is saying, but it is true and more real than we can imagine.
15:10 – One note about this verse: The language is not in any way mystical, even though the notion of us
dwelling is Jesus’ love is in some way. What Jesus says is a clear if/then statement. “If you keep my
commandments, then you remain in my love.” I believe this is a position of the heart, an unending desire to
do what Jesus has commanded. The heart’s desire shows a “remaining.” If we are remaining, we will get
pruned and cleaned to a greater end, but we are still remaining. Jesus says he kept the Father’s
commandments. Whether these were given to him in the time before his coming or if he realized what they
were as he communed with his Father while on earth, we do not know, but Jesus’ language “have kept”
shows a finality – it will be final later this very evening. But to this point, he has remained in his Father’s
love by his “keeping his Father’s commands.” Entole is an important word. This is a demand or an
injunction that receives its authority based on the position of the one who gives it. What we show through
obedience is our love for the one above us who is making a demand. We stay within the love of Jesus by
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willingly obeying his command. We show our heart toward him by the tone of our hearts in obedience. This
can seem non-relational, not a way to live. But the next verse tells us why this is important, and what Jesus’
ultimate desire for our lives is – joy!
15:11 – “These things I have spoken to you.” This is a temporal statement – these last few things – not
everything I have ever said to you. I have told you about the vine/branch remaining things “so that my joy
may be in you.” This notion of joy is not what I would have expected. Confidence… yes.
Righteousness…maybe. Joy isn’t the first thing I think of with regard to obedience and “remaining.” But
Jesus says he wants “our joy to be filled, made full, complete…however you translate it, it is surprising. But
first we have to deal with the Greek issue that creates problems. Is Jesus saying, “I told you these things so
that my joy (Jesus’ joy) may be in us – he will have joy as we obey? His heart will be joyful because we are
remaining? His joy is because of us or he has told us these things so that his joy – the joy he has in his heart
– will also be in our hearts? These are very different ideas. Scholars disagree. Is this about Jesus rejoicing
because of us or us rejoicing like Jesus? I suppose it could be both. Still, the meaning of joy is important. It is
not pleasure. Chara (joy) is a new term in this gospel. It is primarily a word connected to the deep
satisfaction of a difficult task completed – the joy of an artist upon the completion of a work. “It is a creative
joy” (Morris), the heart condition of exhaustion from the labor, the satisfaction of the completed product,
the excitement of new creation (Morris). This is not a simple word. It is what Jesus felt at the end of his long
road of obedience. Joy was not a concept in this gospel until now because the task was not complete. It is
now. Jesus is joyful in his obedience to his Father and in the results he sees in his disciples. He is joyful and
he wants his disciples to know that joy that comes from the completed task of obeying his commands.
Weekly Class Study:
30. Sept. 16 – John 10:22-33
31. Sept. 23 – John 10:34-11:16
32. Sept. 30 – John 11:17-43
33. Oct. 7 – John 11:44-54
34. Oct. 14 – John 11:55-12:15
35. Oct. 21 – John 12:16-33
36. Oct. 28 – John 12:34-50
37. Nov. 11 – John 13:1-11
38. Nov. 25 – John 13:12-30
39. Dec. 2 – John 13:31-14:7a
40. Dec. 9 – John 14:7b-18
41. Dec. 16 – John 14:19-27
42. Jan. 13 – John 14:28-31
43. Jan. 20 – John 15:1-11
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