John 15

Jesus Is the Vine--Followers Are Branches

1“1I am the true vine, and My Father is the 2vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He 3prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 34You are already 5clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 46Remain in Me, 7and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit 8of itself 9but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him 1011bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is 12thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, 13ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My 14Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so 1516prove to be My disciples. 9Just as 17the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 1018If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as 19I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 1120These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your 21joy may be made full.

Disciples’ Relation to Each Other

12“This is 22My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 1323Greater love has no one than this, that a person will 24lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My 25friends if 26you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because 27all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 1628You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and 29bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that 30whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17This 31I command you, that you love one another.

Disciples’ Relation to the World

18“32If the world hates you, 33you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but 34I chose you out of the world, 35because of this the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you, ‘36A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, 37they will persecute you as well; if they 38followed My word, they will follow yours also. 21But all these things they will do to you 39on account of My name, 40because they do not know the One who sent Me. 2241If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have 42sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23The one who hates Me hates My Father also. 2443If I had not done among them 44the works which no one else did, they would not have 45sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25But this has happened so that the word that is written in their 46Law will be fulfilled: ‘47They hated Me for no reason.’

26“When the 4849Helper comes, 50whom I will send to you from the Father, namely, 51the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, 52He will testify about Me, 27and 5354you are testifying as well, because you have been with Me 55from the beginning.