John 15

Jesus the True Vine

¹⁵“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes^g to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed^h by the word that I have spoken to you.^{* 4}Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.^{* 5}I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.^{* 8}My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and becomeⁱ my disciples.^{* 9}As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If 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}I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.^*

¹²“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.^{* 13}No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.^{* 14}You are my friends if you do what I command you.^{* 15}I do not call you servants^j any longer, because the servant^k does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.^{* 17}I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

The World’s Hatred

¹⁸“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.^{* 19}If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Slaves are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.^{* 21}But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.^{* 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}Whoever hates me hates my Father also.^{* 24}If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.^{* 25}It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’^*

²⁶“When the Advocate^l comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.^{* 27}You also are to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.^*