John 15:14-17

October 26, 2014

One of the dangers weve got to avoid when studying the Bible is taking individual
verses by themselves without seeing the whole context. I think most of us are aware of
this and well typically read four or five verses before and after any verse in question,
but sometimes weve got to go back even further and look at a whole chapter or even
several chapters to get the right idea. This is the case in the fifteenth chapter of John as
everything in chapters 13-17 happens during the course of just one meal.

John otherwise moves very quickly through his gospel: he doesnt spend any time on
Jesus genealogy or childhood, and his three years of ministry are recounted in the first
twelve of twenty-one chapters. Nearly half of Johns book is spent on the night before the
crucifixion and the events that followed, and half of that is spent right here in this one
conversation.

Therefore, weve got to keep this whole section in mind at once when we study through
it. We cant read chapter fifteen separately from chapters thirteen and fourteen. Jesus
takes his disciples into the upper room to prepare them for his death and give them
confidence after his departure. To do this he washes their feet and then teaches that this
is an example they should follow.

Have you ever wondered why he does that? What purpose does it serve as an
illustration? Think of it like this: the world wont see him after he leaves but the
disciples will. How will they see him? Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it
that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23
Jesus answered and said
unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him (Jn. 14:22-23).

The disciples will see him when no one else can because he lives inside them. This is
what leads to the vine and branches imagery, and its the source of their comfort. Jesus is
the true vine and the source of all spiritual life, and the disciples will be comforted when
they see his life coming through them. How does this life look? I have given you an
example, that ye should do as I have done to you (Jn. 13:15) and He that loveth his brother
abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him (1 Jn. 2:10).

Branches produce the fruit of the vine, and love was the basis for the footwashing, and it
climaxed at the cross: Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles
exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
43
But so shall
it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44
And
whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45
For even the Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mk.
10:42-45).

When Christs disciples bear fruit (especially the fruit of love), we prove that he is alive
and inside of us, which confirms our hope that the didnt fail and he will return!

Now we come to 15:14:

14
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I commanded you.

Again, we cant take this passage alone. We can automatically rule out any interpretation
thats geared towards guilt and fear, because we know hes not threatening to end his
friendship if they dont do what he says. The world doesnt obey him, and it doesnt care.
The nations rage and the peoples plot, but God causes us to walk differently, and thats
where the joy is. Think of it this way: If you love the brothers, then youre obeying my
commands, and if you obey my commands, then its proof that youre my friends. You are
my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can
faith save him?
15
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16
And one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not
those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17
Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone.
18
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me
thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19
Thou believest that
there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20
But wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works,
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22
Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the
Friend of God.
24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26
For as the body without the spirit is dead,
so faith without works is dead also (Jas. 2:14-26).

Its by grace were saved through faith and not of works (Eph. 2:8-9), but James finds
some people who say, Ok. If its by faith and not works, then I guess it doesnt matter
what I do or dont do. James says, No! Youve got it wrong! Abraham was justified by
faith, but that faith was useless unless it was followed by works. The vine necessarily
pushes its nutrients on to the branches, and its nature is shown by the fruit the branches
bear. Has Christ left any of us hungry or naked or without shelter? I have been young,
and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread (Ps.
37:25). God provides us with the things we need, and if were in him, our belief will
prove itself through action.

Well do whatsoever he commanded us. We might skip over that word without much
thought, but it literally means as great as. In other words, were his friends if we obey
1
1
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=osa&la=greek#lexicon
as great as he commands. His commandment right here is that well love our brothers
the same way hes loved us. The branches bear what theyve received.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him.
5
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know
we that we are in him.
6
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as
he walked (1 Jn. 2:4-6).

Hereby we know we are in him. The nature of the vine shows itself through the
branches so that we walk as he walked if we abide in him.

Abrahams faith and works went together so that he was shown to be Gods friend, and we
too have joy in his friendship when the vine bears fruit through us.

15
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:
but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made
known unto you.

Earlier Jesus washed the feet of his servants, and there in John 13 he says, You call me
Master and Lord: and rightly so; for so I am (v. 13). They are his slaves, and he
commands them to follow his example, but then not long after he says, From now on I
dont call you slaves but friends because the servant doesnt know what his lord does,
2
but we are his friends if we do whatever he commands. In other words, If you do as
3
great as Ive commanded, its because you know the Master and you know his great
works. You see, it ties his works to ours and makes it personal between us. We dont do
good works on our own; we do them because we know him and were connected to him.

In Matthew seven he talks about some people who do great works, but he sends them
away because he never knew them (v. 23). The world can have morality and religion, but
it can never produce Gods fruit apart from Christ. Likewise, Christs disciples are his
friends, and they know him and his works. They are intimately acquainted with him
because he loved them and laid down his life for them.

16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Now, we tend to think of this as a doctrines of grace proof text, but keep in mind that
Jesus wasnt arguing about Gods sovereignty here. His aim was to comfort the disciples
and show them the sureness of his victory despite the perception that he failed. If he
does the choosing, then we see that this required fruit and obedience to his commands
isnt initiated by the disciples, and he who began a good work in you will perform it until
2
http://biblehub.com/text/john/1515.htm
3
http://biblehub.com/text/john/1514.htm
the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). What confidence we have in the vine to give us
everything necessary!

He also says that the fruit will remain. Think on that! The fruit doesnt just come and go
according to how well were doing that week; the fruit is the work of Christ according to
his choosing! What he begins he also ends, and this is our confidence in asking anything
of the Father. If he gave us Christ, and if hes pleased with Christ, then we trust hes
pleased with us too, and hell give us whatever we need to walk like him and glorify his
name.

17
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
.

If youll look back up to verse 11 youll see another these things. He says, Abide in me
and in my love; ask what you will and youll receive it; if my Father loves you, then youll
keep my commandments: Im telling you these for your joy.

Then he says, Love each other like Ive loved you. The Father loves you, so youll keep
my commandments, and that means youll love each other just as Ive loved you. Im
telling you about myself as the vine and about yourselves as the branches and about all
my work inside of you so that youll love each other. The result of life in the vine is
brotherly love because of the love weve been shown.

Praise God for sending his only begotten Son!

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