On a relational and spiritual level, Jesus told them the Father is the gardener. He tends the vine and cuts away vines that aren't producing fruit. A vine that is attached to the vine and doesn't produce fruit merely takes nourishment from the other vines. He also prunes the vines that do produce fruit so they become stronger and healthier. Of course, Jesus is teaching them He is the vine and the disciples are the branches which the Father tends. The fruit that the vine and branches produce are the disciples doing the work of the Father as Jesus had taught them. Jesus explained that they (the disciples) have been pruned and purified by His message and teaching. Their old beliefs, world, and religious views had been pruned from them by the message of Christ.
Jesus again uses the vine to give them a promise. If they were to remain connected to Him and seek their nourishment and strength from Him, He would remain in them. As a branch becomes disconnected from a vine, it will no longer produce fruit and will eventually fall away. Likewise, if they don't remain in Jesus, continue to study and believe in Him they too will not produce fruit and could eventually fall away and wither. However, if they remain in Him and He in them, together, they will produce much fruit. Together they will do great things and His message will draw many to faith in Jesus.
Should any of them fall away and not produce fruit they will be cut off and be thrown into a pile just as is done with a non producing branch of a vine. There would be a time when the pile of non producing branches would be gathered up and burned. This teaches us that a branch who was connected to Jesus but was not truthfully a follower would fall away. Such a person is spiritually dead and like all who are not saved by faith in Christ, they too would be put into the eternal fire. On the other hand, Jesus promises if they remain in Him and continue to do His work and produce much fruit, they could ask Him for what they need and it will be given to them. True disciples of Christ do His work and produce much fruit. This kind of disciple will bring great glory to the Father by the fruit they produce.
Next, Jesus describes His love for them by teaching them He has loved them in the same way the Father has loved Him. He encourages them to stay in that loving relationship with Him. They remain in His love by obeying the Father just as Jesus has. Jesus told them He was teaching them these things so they would be filled with joy to the point of overflowing. Jesus' joy was in following the will of the Father. Knowing the joy He got from that, He could promise the disciples they would find the same joy in pleasing Jesus and the Father by following their commands.
Jesus taught more about loving...
This is my favorite part of the Bible and what Grounds for Love is based on. To teach and encourage others to follow this teaching is what God has put on me as a mission. I try to teach it but even more so I try to live it. While not always easy and while I am not perfect at it, there is great joy in living with the constant thought of loving others in this way. The nearer I come to living filled with love for others, the more satisfying life becomes. I hang onto the teaching that when Jesus was asked what the greatest command was, He responded (Luke 10:27 NIV) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself." This is also found in Mark 12:30. To me, love is what motivated the Father to offer Christ to save us, whom He loves so much. Jesus did all He did in life and in death out of His love for the Father and for us. How can we not strive to love them the same way they love us? How can we not strive to love others with all we have knowing the Father and Christ find all mankind to be worthy of their love?
His teaching to them was "Love each other in the same way I have loved you. (Jesus loved them with all He had even unto death.) There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." The greatest love is a love that will move a person to die for another person. I also believe that physical dying is one aspect of this but I also believe that dying to self (not actual physical death) so that you live giving your time, heart, and resources for others is also a type of dying for another. Setting aside all one's dreams and ambitions in order to help others is another form of dying to self.
Jesus' teaching clearly explained that He would die for His friends. Now, He defines what a friend of His is. "You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me." Two things made them friends of Jesus; first, if they followed His commands- something they did. Second, because He told them all the Father had given Him. A slave does what he is told but really doesn't know why. A person confides in a friend so the friend will know all the whats and whys and hows - something He did.
Jesus taught them that even their relationship was not one the disciples created. Jesus made it clear that He chose them, they did not choose Him. Jesus specifically appointed each of them for a reason so they would go and bear lasting fruit. He chose them to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. Doing as He commands, the Father will help them however they need and ask in the things they do in Jesus' name. Jesus once again commanded them to love each other.
In the last part of chapter 15, Jesus told them what to expect and how they will be looked upon by the world. He told them the world would hate them because of their belief in Him. In reality, that was a good thing because the only way the world would love and embrace them would be if they were part of the world by loving the world and all it's evil. If the world hated them, they would know they were doing the right things. They should then expect to be hated for they were not longer of the world but of Christ. Actually, Jesus "chose" them to come out of the world so they could be used by Him. That is why the world hated them.
He taught them that they shouldn't feel bad about what would be happening to them. They were not alone in their suffering because Jesus was hated the same way and suffered in the same way. Jesus did not ask them to live a life being hated alone as He had lived the same way. They should not expect to be treated better or differently. The world would hate them, persecute them, not listen to them, reject them, and eventually kill most of them just as they had done to Jesus. They should expect nothing better than what Jesus had received from the world. Jesus and the disciples were one in their suffering and death. The world rejected the disciples, they rejected Jesus, and in doing so they have rejected the Father because the Father sent them and because this was His plan.
Had the Father not sent Jesus and had Jesus not taught them, they would not be guilty of rejecting the Father. However, they had heard the truth and good news and did indeed reject it, therefore they were guilty and have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates Jesus also hates the Father. Jesus did miraculous signs in their midst (verse24), had he not done such things, they would not be guilty - but they had seen these things and were guilty. Jesus reached out to them, He taught them, He did miraculous things beyond what any magician could ever do yet they hated Him and the Father without cause. Consider how Jesus was hated right from day one. He was hated when He was born as Herod sought Him out so that He could kill Him. Jesus' life was a life of being hated and persecuted always with the threat of being killed. All of that is the fulfilling of the Scripture that reads, "They hated me without cause." In their hatred and persecution of Jesus, the people thought they were fighting Satan and serving God, when in reality, they were fighting God and serving Satan.
Jesus closed this chapter by reminding them He would send them the Advocate, the Spirit of truth. He is coming from the Father and will testify about Jesus. Jesus told them they too must testify about Him because they had been with Him the entire time and had seen, heard and been taught the truth.
I am now caught up with commenting on what you read last. My next writings and thoughts will be in early July after a week of chapters 16, 17 and 18.
REMEMBER, WE WILL BE READING AND STUDYING JOHN 16,17 AND 18 FOR JULY. READ ALL THREE CHAPTERS EACH DAY FOR 30 DAYS.