John 15:1-27 • The last day part 3 • Love one another

Steve Schott
31 minutes ago
11 min read

► In section 1 of our study in the Gospel of John we looked at the 7 signs recorded, and referenced in John 20:30-31, where it says

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

• We also explored the 7 "I AM" statements that do not always correspond to the signs, but also add definition to the nature and purposes of Jesus.

• I also posted a composite of all of them together to show how they correlate to one another. And to also show some enhanced context for the essence of Jesus' ministry.

• Links to all of these posts can be found at the end of this posting.

► In section 2, I turned my attention to what I call the "passed-over" passages, Those passages from chapter 1 to chapter 12 which I hadn't previously dealt with.

• Links to all of these posts are also down below.

► In section 3, which we start today, we'll deal with chapters 13 to 19, which I call "the end of it all" and/or "the last day"

• Sections 1 & 2 (chapters 1-12) cover approximately 3 years.

• The chapters in section 3 deal with a single 24-hour period, that starts with the last supper in the upper room, and takes us all the way to the cross and the tomb.

• Links to all of these posts are also down below.

► In section 4, when we get to it, we'll end with chapters 20 and 21 that I call "the new beginning".

► So now, here in part 3 of "The last day", we'll look at chapter 15.

• To set the stage for this chapter, we should remember that at the end of chapter 14, in verse 31, at the end of the verse, we are told that at this point they actually left the upper room and started moving towards Gethsemane.

• In this chapter, Jesus begins talking about vines, and I can almost image that as they are walking, they passed some grape vines which Jesus began to use to aid in His teaching in this moment.

Jesus is the Vine - Followers Are Branches

John 15:1-11 → ¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

► I've previously posted on this section, so I won't add anything new here. Click here to see that post.

• This is the last of Jesus 7 "I Am" statements, this specific one designed to show us that if we are truly "in Him" then we will bear fruit.

• I'll show my concluding comments from that post just to give an idea of my thoughts...

→ The ultimate sign of any believer is that we are bearing fruit. A lot of believers I've met in the 50+ years that I've been a follower of Christ, have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out what their spiritual gifts are. There's quite a bit of discussion in theological circles about whether or not some of the "gifts" are even still in use today. But I think our focus should be more on the "fruit of the Spirit" rather than the gifts of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 says "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

→ Seems to me if we were focusing on producing fruit, our gifts would become obvious. And ALL of the fruit is something that we ALL can produce.

→ Let's make some grapes!

Disciples' Relation to Each Other

John 15:12-17 → ¹² “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

► We see now Jesus setting a very high standard for the type of love He has called His disciples to live out.

• "Just as I have loved you", as stated based on their current understanding of how Jesus has ministered to them up to this point, falls short of what it will mean within 24 hours.

• Up to this point, making this kind of sacrifice would entail the giving of time and energy, perhaps the laying aside of career, or even possibly family commitments, to heal and preach and teach.

• But within this very day they would come to understand that what Jesus meant was to give up their very lives. To sacrifice EVERYTHING to provide the opportunity for the people to be saved.

¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

► Jesus clarifies His statement to make sure they understand the significance.

• There is no "greater love" than to die for your "friends".

¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you.

► The caveat of true friendship with Jesus is obedience.

• If you REALLY love Me; if you REALLY are my friend - you will do what I say!

¹⁵ No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

► Whereas you were once slaves to sin; then converted to slaves to righteousness - now I've elevated you to be my friends, in that in My love for you, I have revealed the Father to you.

¹⁶ You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

► As to the choosing, it was Jesus that "chose" the disciples, not the other way around.

• They may have started out somewhat intrigued by what they saw and heard, but they didn't become His followers, His disciples, until He invited them to do so.

¹⁷ This I command you, that you love one another.

► Then Jesus reminded them again, that His call for them to have concern and compassion for one another was not a suggestion, but rather, a "command".

• Jesus wanted them to understand in no uncertain terms, that they were to be seeking each others best.

Disciples' Relation to the World

John 15:18-25 → ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

► Jesus changes the focus of His dialogue at this point to the disciples relationship with the world. And specifically, He's referring to non-believing people.

• He tells them "if the world hates you", implying that it will, but qualifies this statement by saying that this hatred they are and/or will experience, is first directed at Himself.

• They don't hate us just because of who we are - they hate us because of who we represent.

¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

► Jesus tells them now that they "are not of the world" because they are now "out of the world" because of their relationship with Him, and the work that He has done in their lives.

• And because of this status, one of being an outsider, the "world hates you".

²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

► Jesus comes back to this concept of being a slave; the idea that they are in a position of servitude to Jesus.

• This is not a negative thing - this is just a realization of the idea that Jesus, as the God-Man, is obviously greater than any of His followers.

• We must remember that John started this gospel record by identifying Jesus and both a member of the Godhead, as well as being the agent of creation.

• And several times in the gospels, Jesus made claims that the Jews understood to mean that Jesus was calling Himself God, and Jesus never corrected them in this regard.

• And His point here is that if the world is going to persecute Jesus, His disciples will feel it as well.

• But if the world repents and keeps Jesus word, then the disciples will be able to lead them as well.

²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.

► But Jesus is saying that the persecution will come, because not only do they not know Jesus, they also do not know the Father.

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. ²⁵ But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

► Jesus at this point includes a statement that needs a little clarification.

• "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin,...".

• John MacArthur, in the MacArthur Study Bible, has this to say... "He did not mean that if He had not come, they would have been sinless. But His coming incited the severest and most deadly sin, that of rejecting and rebelling against God and His truth. It was the decisive sin of rejection, the deliberate and fatal choice of darkness over light and death over life of which He spoke. He had done so many miracles and spoken innumerable words to prove He was Messiah and Son of God, but they were belligerent in their love of sin and rejection of the Savior." a

• So we understand that specifically, Jesus is referring to their rejection of Him (and "My Father") as He has revealed Himself to them.

When the Helper Comes

John 15:26-27 → ²⁶ “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, ²⁷ and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

► Jesus ends this chapter with a reminder that the "Helper", whom we know to be the Holy Spirit, will remind them of all that Jesus said and did, and that they also, empowered by the Spirit, will tell the people of Jesus.

So what?

► So Jesus talks a lot in this chapter about love and hate.

• That we should love Him, first and foremost. And that our love for Him is proven by our obedience.

• That we should love each other, in similar fashion as Jesus has, and will, demonstrate His love for us - a sacrificial love that seeks the betterment of others.

• That we should love the world as Jesus' representatives, declaring to the world the love of Christ.

• We will experience hate, directed toward us, by those who reject Jesus, and all those who represent Him.

Section 1 • The Signs and "I Am" Statements

The Signs

► Sign 1, Water to Wine, Jesus is the master of the ELEMENTS → John 2:1-12

► Sign 2, Nobleman's Son, Jesus is the master over DISTANCE → John 4:46-54

► Sign 3, Lame Man at Bethesda, Jesus is the master over TIME → John 5:1-18

► Sign 4, Feeding of 5,000+, Jesus is the master over DIMENSION → John 6:1-15

► Sign 5, Jesus walks on water, Jesus is the master over NATURE → John 6:15-21

► Sign 6, The Man Born Blind, Jesus is the master over HISTORY → John 9:1-41

► Sign 7, The Raising of Lazarus, Jesus is the master over DEATH → John 11:1-46

The "I AM" Statements