Soar Like Eagles Series - Lesson 31
Relationships and Responsibilities - John 15:1-24

A pair of scissors consists of two single blades. Yet the blades,
regardless of how sharp or shiny, are useless without one essential
element -- the small metal screw that holds them together.
Can you imagine trying to cut some paper or fabric without that tiny
screw? Of course, you could put a blade in each hand. But think of the
effort and difficulty involved in trying to make an even, precise cut
that way. But when that tiny screw brings both blades together, suddenly
the cutting becomes effortless.
In our relationship with God, abiding in Jesus is the screw that holds
everything together and makes us useful to Him.
In these opening verses, our Lord uses a similar homespun illustration
-- that of a vine and its branches -- to teach His disciples the
importance of fellowship with Him.
In these verses, Jesus will also use the seventh and last "I Am"
statement recorded by John. These two pictures reveal both our privileges
and our responsibilities.
As branches, we have the the privilege of sharing His life, and the
responsibility of abiding. As friends, we have the privilege of knowing
His will, and the responsibility of obeying.
This chapter contains one of the many rhetorical masterpieces of Jesus
found in the gospels. Speakers strive for a lifetime to attain the pround
simplicity, beauty, and practicalness expressed in the allegory of the
Vine and the branches.
The first and most important relationship which the disciples should
maintain was with Jesus. The relationship between Christ and the
Christian is not organizational but organic and living.
In order to enforce its meaning, Jesus used the allegory of the vine,
for the culture of the vine was one of the common occupations of that day
in Palestine. Vineyards were everywhere, and it may be that they passed
several on the road from Jerusalem to Gethsemane.
The vine was also known as an emblem of their own nation, just as the
eagle is the emblem of the United States.
The key term in this text is abide; used 10 times in 11 verses, it
emphasizes unity. The key word is love, used four times in six verses, to
emphasize communion.

* Five points of resemblance between the vine and the gardener are
given:
- The right stock: "I am the true vine."
The first essential in planting a vineyard is to have the right stock.
Every nurseryman guarantees that the plants he sells will run true to
type.

- The right expert: "My Father is the husbandman (gardener):"
Every vineyard must be pruned by an expert. The vinedresser had to
know how and when to prune and fertilize the vine, so that it would
produce the maximum stock.

- The right culture:
Those branches which did not bear fruit had to be taken away, while
those which bore fruit were cleaned so they could bear more fruit.


- The right contact: "Abide in me, and I in you:"
The process of pruning must never sever the fruit-bearing branch from
the main vine. Cuttings will often bear leaves independently through the
vitality resident in them, but they will never bear fruit.

- The right fruitage: "The same bears much fruit:"
In scripture, fruit, more fruit, and more fruit is the divine order!
Growth brings increase in fruitfulness, and the more mature a Christian
becomes, the more is expected of him.

Let’s look at the text in detail: ""I am the true vine, and my Father
is the gardener. {2} He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[1] so that it will be
even more fruitful. {3} You are already clean because of the word I have
spoken to you. {4} Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can
bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear
fruit unless you remain in me."
There are four elements in this allegory that we must understand if we
are to benefit from His teaching:

1. THE VINE.
Jesus identifies Himself as the genuine vine—the only source of
spiritual life. He is the one responsible for the fruit which we, the
Christians, bear. Many view the fruit of John 15 as the result of
evangelism, but in all probability it also refers to character qualities
of Christlikeness, namely, the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

2. THE BRANCHES.
""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. {6} If
anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and
withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
{7} If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you
wish, and it will be given you. {8} This is to my Father's glory, that
you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
Jesus uses the figure of the branch to depict the Christian. Those "in
Christ" must "abide in me." If we abide in Christ, we bear fruit. If not,
we become barren.

3. THE VINEDRESSER.
God the Father is pictured here as a busy, active, faithful gardener,
working in His vineyard—an image already well-established in the Old
Testament.
"I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved
one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. {2} He dug it up and cleared it
of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower
in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good
grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. {3} "Now you dwellers in Jerusalem
and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. {4} What more could
have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for
good grapes, why did it yield only bad?"
Jesus probably had this passage in mind when He talked of his Father
being the vinedresser. In verse 2, He reveals two actions of the
vinedresser:
- He does something with the branch that isn’t bearing any fruit at all:
He "takes away"
- He does something with the branch that isn’t bearing enough fuit: "He
prunes"
Vines occasionally yield an unproductive, fruitless branch. When that
happens, the gardener immediately goes to work, as suggested in one
paragraph: "Viticulture...consists mainly of pruning. In pruning a vine,
two principles are generally observed: first, all dead wood must be
ruthlessly removed; and second, the live wood must be cut back
drastically. Dead wood harbors insects and disease and may cause the vine
to rot, to say nothing of being unproductive and unsightly.
"Live wood must be trimmed back in order to prevent such heavy growth
that the life of the vine goes into the wood rather than into the fruit.
The vineyards in the early spring took like a collection of barren,
bleeding stumps; but in the fall they are filled with luxuriant purple
grapes.
"As the farmer wields the pruning knife on his vines, so God cuts dead
wood out from among His saints, and often cuts back the living wood so
far that His method seems cruel. Nevertheless, from those who have
suffered the most there often comes the greatest fruitfulness." (Merrill
C. Tenney's John: The Gospel of Belief")
The greatest judgment God could bring to a Christian would be to let
Him alone, let him have his own way. Because God loves us, He prunes us
and encourages us to bear more fruit for His glory.
Most of our lives are mixtures of wood, hay, and straw, along with
old, silver, and precious stones. God blesses those who abide in Him:

- The first blessing is that prayer is answered.
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you
wish, and it will be given you." (vs. 7)

- The second is that God is glorified
"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples." (vs. 8)

"- The third is that our life will be motivated by love.
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have
obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." (vs. 9-10)

- The fourth is that joy will be ours in abundance.
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may
be complete." (vs. 11).

* THE RELALTION OF CHRISTIANS TO EACH OTHER (15:12-17)
Having explained the essential relationship of Christians to Himself,
Jesus proceeded to show His disciples what their relationship to each
other should be.
When death nears, it is remarkable how important the shade of our
sheltering friends becomes. Not even the Son of God wanted to be alone
when the shadow of the cross darkened His last days.
The differences of temperament among them and the jealousies that had
arisen over the positions which they expected to holdin the coming
kingdom made their group unstable.
Jesus knew that if they were to maintain an adequate testimony for Him
they could do so only as a unit. Disunity would mar their work, if
indeed it did not vitate that work altogether. For this reason He gave
them the 11th commandment: "My command is this: Love each other as I have
loved you."
The comparative clause in verse 12 gave the standard by which all real
love can be measured and understood. Christ did not ask from His
disciples more than He himself gave, and He set the norm by His own life.
The first element of this lofty love was sacrifice: "Greater love has
no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." This marked
the highest achievement of human love.
Divine love went beyond this, for Jesus laid down His life for His
enemies. By emphasizing the word man, the full meaning of the text may
be brought into plain view. Men give their lives for their friends;
Jesus gave His life for His enemies.
A second aspect of love was intimacy, illustrated by Jesus' contrast
of the words "friends" and "slaves." The bondservant might be loved by
the master,, and might be treated kindly; but he never would be regarded
as an equal nor given an insight into his master's mind.
"You are my friends if you do what I command. {15} I no longer call
you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my
Father I have made known to you."
The third qauality of divine love was initiative. Jesus had not waited
for men to appreciate Him and to invite Him into their lives, but He had
first chosen them.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and
bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever
you ask in my name. {17} This is my command: Love each other."
The fourth aspect of love was productiveness. Jesus' love for the
disciples was to be the secret of their effectiveness. Out of the timid
band who fled from His enemies in the garden and who cowered in the upper
room after the resurrection, Jesus made convincing witnesses.

* THE RELATION OF CHRISTIANS TO THE WORLD (15:18-27)
A German preacher named Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: "When Christ calls a
man, He bids him come and die."
As we turn the pages of the New Testament, the blood of martyrs stains
our fingertips. Paul's life is a good example. Acts 9:15-16 predicts the
suffering he would endure for Christ, the fulfillment of which can be
found in 1 Cor. 4:11-13 and 2 Cor. 4:8-9.
Jesus never intended that the Christian should live in pious
isolation, but in active contact with the problems of men.
Nevertheless, He drew a sharp line between the Christian and the
"world" which comprises the mass of men who live without God.
Jesus, in stating the attitude of the world, carefully forewarned the
disciples of its hatred because He did not want them disillusionned when
they met it. "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me
first."
The type of grammatical condition which John used implied the
actuality of the hatred; it was not hypothetical.
Jesus recognized it as a chilling reality; but He comforted the
disciples by reassuring them that He shared with them all the ostracism
and contempt which the world could heap on them.
Throughout all nature, whether in the animal or human world, there is
a tendency to dislike any individual that differs from the average type.
Birds will drive from the flock one of their number that differs
radically from them in plumage.
The very fact that He has chosen men out of the world places them in a
different category from others. They have a new nature, a new aim in
life, a new productiveness. The world does not understand their motives
nor feel comfortable in their company.

Jesus gave three reasons why persecution will occur:
1. "Because you are not of the world
2. Because they do not know the One who sent Me
3. That the word may be fulfilled
"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is,
you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
That is why the world hates you. {20} Remember the words I spoke to you:
'No servant is greater than his master[1].' If they persecuted me, they
will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours
also. {21} They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do
not know the One who sent me."
The chief reason, lastly, for the hatred of the world was Jesus'
exposure of its sin. Verses 22 and 24 describe the effect of Jesus on
the world.
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of
sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. {23} He who hates
me hates my Father as well. {24} If I had not done among them what no one
else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these
miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. {25} But this is
to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'"
The words and deeds of Christ showed by contrast how evil men can
become. Ignorance could no longer palliate their guilt.
Two antidotes to the attitude of the world are proposed in the
concluding verses: the witness of the Spirit and the witness of
Christians.
Our reaction to persecution should be one of acceptance, as stated in
1 Peter 4:12: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you
are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you."
Jesus gives us four suggestions on how to react when the persecution
starts to bewilder us:
1. We should rely on the Holy Spirit
2. We should stand firm and boldly testify our faith in Christ
3. We shouldn't stumble
4. We shouldn't forget we'd been forewarned
""When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about
me. {27} And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the
beginning."

* SOME FINAL WORDS OF APPLICATION
Jesus warned His disciples that they were headed for difficult times.
Jesus prepared them for this painful experience in a number of ways.
First, He told them that when the world hated them, they should
remember that the world hated Him first (15:18). Because they were His
disciples, they could expect the same treatment which He had received
(15:20). If the world had listened to Him, then it would listen to them.
However, since the world had generally persecuted Him, they could expect
the world to do the same to them as well.
Persecution by the world, Jesus told them, would not be "personal,"
but would come to them because they were His followers (15:21).
He wanted His disciples to know that those who hated Him and them also
hated the Father (15:23).
Jesus knew that what would be most distressing about the approaching
persecution was that it would make no sense! He foresaw that it would be
"without a cause" (15:25).
He hoped that knowing this ahead of time would somehow make it more
tolerable for the disciples.
The disciples could also expect to be thrown out of synagogues. (Being
thrown out of a synagogue was more than a temporary eviction from a house
of worship.
The synagogue was the social and religious center of a community. To
be separated from one's own family and people would be a painful price to
pay for following Jesus.)
Of all that Jesus warned them about, the most painful may have been
this statement: "An hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think
that he is offering service to God" (16:2). Why did Jesus give them such
distressing news on the eve of His crucifixion? His purpose was to
prepare them so that they would not stumble when the hard times arrived
(16:1). If they would remember that Jesus had warned them about such
troubles, then they would not be disheartened (16:4).
With Jesus present to encourage and instruct them, they had needed no
such warnings. As He prepared to leave them, these teachings were
essential for their spiritual survival.
Although our situations as followers of Jesus are somewhat different
today, we likewise need to hear His words about the trouble that we will
face. In some places in the world today, the opposition which confronts
Christians is severe. They are beaten and imprisoned. Their homes are
burned, or their church meetings are forbidden.
These Christians can understand Jesus' words in this passage. They
know they should not be surprised by their suffering, because Jesus
Himself suffered first!
Other Christians may not face physical persecution as much as they
face social persecution. While not physically beaten, they may be
ridiculed for their beliefs and laughed at for their convictions.
In 1992, movie critic Michael Medved published a book called Hollywood
vs. America, in which he demonstrated how the movie-making industry takes
every opportunity to belittle religion and religious values. Later he
produced a video called Hollywood vs. Religion. In both the book and the
video he stated that even though it often costs them great amounts of
money in lost revenues, Hollywood movie-makers seem intent on attacking
those who believe in God.
Persecution is sometimes most intense within a Christian's own home. A
husband or a wife may criticize and belittle the faith of a believing
spouse. This form of persecution may be the most difficult to endure.
This is surely the reason that although first-century Christians were
instructed to remain with their non-Christian mates, the idea of a
Christian's marrying a nonChristian was unthinkable (1 Corinthians
7:1216, 39).
Paul--no stranger to persecution himself-wrote to the church in Rome,
"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men"
(Romans 12:18).
The first nine words of this verse indicate that it is not always
within our power to live at peace. Sometimes our spiritual opponents will
not let matters rest, and we will have to face persecution.
We should not be surprised at this, remembering Jesus' suffering and
His warning that we will also suffer for following Him. His words are our
protection to keep us from stumbling!

- There is a great difference between picking a fight and enduring a
persecution.
- There is a great difference between loving the world and living in the
world.
- There is a great difference between running scared and running
informed.
————————————————————
Jesus has warned us that persecution is to be expected by those who
dare to follow Him. In some way or another, all Christians face hardship
because of our faith.
When that happens, what are we to do? The answers Jesus gives us are
"Remain in the vine" and "Love each other." The day after He gave these
instructions, Jesus went to the cross as the greatest demonstration of
love that the world has ever seen. However, He was not loved in return.
Instead, He was cursed, spit upon, beaten, humiliated, and killed. It was
a terrible scene of the most irrational hatred the world has ever
witnessed.
Even in this madness, Jesus demonstrated faithfulness and love. He
faced persecution and showed us the way to overcome it.
Where I live, we have an expression that we use when we have had an
unusually bad day. We say, "My mother always said there would be days
like this." When we are called to pay a difficult price for the privilege
of wearing the name of Christ, we can, in the same way, say, "My Lord
said there would be days like this." Not only did He say that suffering
would come, but He also told us what to do when it does come: Cling to
the vine, and love one another!

JOHN 15 IN REVIEW
John 14 closes with, "Arise, let us go hence!" which suggests that the
next two chapters may have been spoken on the way to the Garden. It is
probable that Christ and His disciples were passing some vineyards, or
perhaps the temple with its golden vine decorations, when He gave the
analogy of the vine and branches.

This chapter divides into three sections: a parable (vv. 1-11), a
commandment (vv. 12-17), and a warning (vv. 18-27).
I. A Parable (15:1-11)
It is important to remember that not everything in a parable must mean
something. A parable teaches one main truth, and to try to make a parable
"stand on all four legs" is often the first step toward
misinterpretation.

The main truth Christ is teaching in this parable is the importance of
abiding in Him in order to bear fruit. The word "fruit" is used six
times, and "abide" at least fifteen times (but it is not always
translated "abide"). The main point of the teaching here is fellowship,
not sonship.

To be a branch in the Vine means we are united to Christ and share His
life. As we abide in Him, His life flows through us and produces fruit.
It is possible for the carnal Christian to produce "works," but only the
spiritual Christian can bear lasting fruit. Note that the fruitful
branches are "purged" ( v. 2—same word as "clean" in v. 3) so that they
will bear more fruit.

God cleanses us through the Word, chastening us to make us more fruitful,
which helps to explain why a dedicated Christian often has to go through
suffering. As believers move from producing "fruit" to "more fruit" (v.
2) to "much fruit" (v. 8), they glorify the Father. The evidences of the
"abiding life" are: a sense of the Savior’s love (v. 9), obedience to His
Word (v. 10), answered prayer (v. 7), and joy (v. 11).

II. A Commandment (15:12-17)
This is the "eleventh commandment," that we love one another. Certainly
the Christian who abides in Christ ought to get along with other
believers! Love for the brethren is a mark of a disciple. Now Jesus calls
His disciples "friends." His own death on the cross proved His love for
them; now they must prove their love for Him by loving His children.

Friends love each other and help each other. The obedience that Christ
asks from us is not that of the slave, but of the friend. Because we are
His friends and abide in Him, we know His will and share His secrets. We
are reminded that Abraham was God’s friend, and God told him His plans
for Sodom.

III. A Warning (15:18-27)
>From the love of the brethren, Christ turns to the hatred of the world.
Why does the world hate Christians? (1) Because it first hated Christ,
and we belong to Him (1 John 3:13); (2) because we no longer belong to
the world (1 John 4:5 and John 17:14); (3) because the world has rejected
His Word (v. 20); (4) because the world does not know the Father (see
16:1-3); and (5) because the world’s sin has been exposed by Christ.

Of course, by "the world" Jesus means the whole system of society that is
opposed to Christ and the Father. It is made up of people and
organizations, philosophies and purposes that are anti-Christian. "The
world" has a prince in Satan (John 14:30), the archenemy of Christ.

While Christians are in the world physically, they are not of the world
spiritually. The old illustration of the ship and the water still
applies: there is nothing wrong with the ship being in the water; but
when the water gets into the ship, watch out!

Christians can become worldly, and they do so (like Lot) by degrees.
First there is friendship with the world (James 4:4); then love for the
world (1 John 2:15-17); and finally conformity to the world (Rom. 12:2).
Anything in our lives that keeps us from enjoying God’s love and doing
God’s will is worldly and should be put away. To live for the world is to
deny the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14). The world hates Christ; how can the
Christian love the world?

In vv. 22-24, Christ lays down the basic principle that revelation brings
responsibility. His words and His works revealed the will of God and the
sinfulness of men. Mankind has no excuse. The fact that Jews and Gentiles
alike joined together in hating and crucifying Christ is proof that all
people are sinners and guilty before God.

To encourage the disciples, Christ quoted Ps. 69:4 (v. 25). It is the
Word that strengthens and encourages us. He also promises them the
ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s work is to testify of Christ
and point to Him. He does this through the Word and through the good
works the Christian performs in the Spirit’s power (Matt. 5:16). The
Spirit testifies to the Christian, who then witnesses to others (vv.
26-27). See Acts 1:8.

In summary, you will note that in the first section of this chapter (vv.
1-11) the Lord deals with the believer’s relationship to Christ. In vv.
12-17, the focus is the believer’s relationship to other Christians;
while vv. 18-27 talk of the Christian’s relationship to the world. Note
too that our relationship to the Savior is presented first; for if we are
abiding in Christ, we will love the brethren and get victory over the
hatred of the world.

Last modified: April 18, 2006