John 15–16

The Vine and the Branches

15“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ²Every branch that does not bear fruit in me, he removes it, and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it in order that it may bear more fruit. ³You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear fruit from itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as 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, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples.

⁹“Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹I have spoken these things to you in order that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be made complete. ¹²This is my commandment: that you love one another just as I have loved you. ¹³No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain, in order that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. ¹⁷These things I command you: that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred for the Disciples

¹⁸If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated^* you. ¹⁹If 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, for this reason the world hates you. ²⁰Remember 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. ²¹But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. But now they do not have a valid excuse for their sin. ²³The one who hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵But this happened^* so that the word that is written in their law would be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without a reason.’

²⁶“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father—that one will testify about me. ²⁷And you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Persecution of Disciples Predicted

16“I have said these things to you so that you will not fall away. ²They will expel you from the synagogue,^a but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think they are offering service to God. ³And they will do these things because they do not know the Father or me. ⁴But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you about them.

Jesus’ Departure and the Coming of the Holy Spirit

“And I have not said these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you is asking me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸And when he^* comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: ⁹concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, ¹⁰and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, ¹¹and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

¹²I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them^* now. ¹³But when he—the Spirit of truth—comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak from himself, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will proclaim to you the things to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and will proclaim it^* to you. ¹⁵Everything that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he takes from what is mine and will proclaim it^* to you.

Jesus Predicts His Return to the Disciples

¹⁶“A little while and you will see me no more, and again a little while and you will see me. ¹⁷So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going away to the Father’?” ¹⁸So they kept on saying, “What is this that he is saying, ‘A little while’? We do not understand what he is speaking about!”

¹⁹Jesus knew that they were wanting to ask him, and he said to them, “Are you deliberating with one another about this—that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? ²⁰Truly, truly I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will change to joy. ²¹A woman, when she gives birth, experiences pain because her hour has come. But when her^* child is born, she no longer remembers the affliction, on account of the joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²So you also are experiencing sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you. ²³And on that day you will ask me nothing. Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. ²⁴Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Jesus’ Victory Over the World

²⁵“I have said these things to you in figurative sayings. An hour is coming when I will speak to you in figurative sayings no longer, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸I have gone out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said, “Behold, now you are speaking plainly^b and are telling us^* no figurative saying! ³⁰Now we know that you know everything and do not need for^c anyone to ask you questions.^* By this we believe that you have come from God.”

³¹Jesus replied to them, “Now do you believe? ³²Behold, an hour is coming—and has come—that you will be scattered each one to his own home,^d and you will leave me alone. And I am not alone, because the Father is with me. ³³I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world.”