John 15–16

The Relationship of Believers to Christ

15“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ^2aEvery branch in Me that does not bear fruit He ¹takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear ^bmore fruit. ^3cYou are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ^4dAbide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 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, bears much ^efruit; for without Me you can do ^fnothing. ⁶If anyone does not abide in Me, ^ghe is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷If you abide in Me, and My words ^habide in you, ⁱyou ²will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ^8jBy this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; ^kso you will be My disciples.

⁹“As the Father ^lloved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ^10mIf 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, that My joy may remain in you, and ⁿthat your joy may be full.

The Relationship of Believers to Each Other

^12oThis is My ^pcommandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ^13qGreater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ^14rYou are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, ^sfor all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ^16tYou did not choose Me, but I chose you and ^uappointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father ^vin My name He may give you. ¹⁷These things I command you, that you love one another.

The Relationship of Believers to the World

^18w“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ^19xIf you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet ^ybecause you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, ^z‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. ^aIf they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹But ^ball these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. ^22cIf I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, ^dbut now they have no excuse for their sin. ^23eHe who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴If I had not done among them ^fthe works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have ^gseen and also hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ^h‘They hated Me without a cause.’

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ⁱ“But when the ³Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, ^jHe will testify of Me. ²⁷And ^kyou also will bear witness, because ^lyou have been with Me from the beginning.

16“These things I have spoken to you, that you ^ashould not be made to stumble. ^2bThey will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming ^cthat whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. ³And ^dthese things they will do ¹to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. ⁴But these things I have told you, that when ²the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵“But now I ^ego away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, ^fsorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but ^gif I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸And when He has ^hcome, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ⁱof sin, because they do not believe in Me; ^10jof righteousness, ^kbecause I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ^11lof judgment, because ^mthe ruler of this world is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, ⁿbut you cannot bear them now. ¹³However, when He, ^othe Spirit of truth, has come, ^pHe will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ^14qHe will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ^15rAll things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He ³will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Prediction of Christ’s Death and Resurrection

¹⁶“A ^slittle while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, ^tbecause I go to the Father.”

¹⁷Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not ⁴know what He is saying.”

¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and ^ulament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into ^vjoy. ^21wA woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²²Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and ^xyour heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

²³“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. ^yMost assuredly, 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, ^zthat your joy may be ^afull.

²⁵“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you ^bplainly about the Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ^27cfor the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and ^dhave believed that I came forth from God. ^28eI came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! ³⁰Now we are sure that ^fYou know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this ^gwe believe that You came forth from God.”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ^32hIndeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, ⁱeach to his ⁵own, and will leave Me alone. And ^jyet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³These things I have spoken to you, that ^kin Me you may have peace. ^lIn the world you ⁶will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, ^mI have overcome the world.”