JOHN 15-16

“Nowhere does the Master lay bare his very soul more completely than here in chapters 15 and 16, with the Allegory of the Vine and the teaching concerning the Holy Spirit.” (Robertson, Harmony of the Gospels)

Literary Setting

1. Christ will be physically gone but not absent (ch. 14)

        2. Mutual love between Christ and the disciples (15:1-17)

        2'. World’s hatred of the apostles (15:18-27)

1'. Christ will be physically gone but not absent (16:1-33)

Key words/phrases in Chapter 15 are: bear fruit (7x) = vv. 2-16, abide (11x) = vv. 4-10,

command(ments) (5x) = vv. 12-17, love (8x) = vv. 9-19, hate (8x) = vv. 18-25. There is sort of a stair-

step usage of these key words in conjunction with “Father” appearing in 15:1-26 (10x).

John 15:1-11

Note the difference in style between Jesus' words in John's gospel and other gospels. It is much more 

repetitive. Why? One possible reason is that most of the teachings in John are addressed to the Twelve 

only, compared to Jesus' public ministry stressed in the other gospels. It is similar to his use of 

parables; obscure to outsiders but explained to the Apostles in more detail to make sure they get it.

There are similarities in structure between this section and the farewell discourses of major Old 

Testament figures, as noted by several commentators. Many are listed in Beale, Commentary on the 

NT Use of the OT.

 

Eleven OT passages use the metaphor of a vine or vineyard to refer to Israel. Israel's purpose was to 

bear fruit for the owner (God). By contrast, Jesus is the true vine that brings forth the fruit that Israel 

failed to produce. He fulfills Israel's destiny.

 

15:1 “I am” is emphatic. This is the last of the seven metaphorical “I am” statements of Jesus. 

 

15:2 “Takes away, cuts off” (compare translations) is literally “lifts up.” In Joseph's interpretation of 

the prisoners' dreams, he told the cupbearer that Pharaoh would lift up his head and restore him to his 

office, but the baker would have his head lifted up — off of him. Others take it literally as “prop up.” 

The action is either one of judgment or discipline depending on whom you choose to believe. 

 Branches, or tendrils, represent the followers.

 

15:3 There is a pun here since the same Greek root word is used for prune and cleanse.

 

15:6 Does this verse imply that unproductive Christians are going to Hell? That would be a form of 

salvation by works. Much depends on one's definition of bearing fruit. If it means the fruit of the spirit, 

then it is not the same as one's works at all.

The vines being burned resemble those in Ezekiel 15:1-8. God compares the people to a vine which has 

been chopped off. He says that the wood from a grape vine is useless for making furniture and is only 

 of use as fuel for a fire. Fire is a common symbol of judgment in OT and NT.

There is an even closer relationship between Jesus and his followers pictured here than in the sheep-

shepherd picture.

 

15:11 The final goal of obedience is actually joy: part of the fruit of the Spirit.

 

John 15:12-17

15:12 This is very similar to the three evidences of the Christian life mentioned in I John: (1) abiding 

in Christ (which includes the correct concept of who he is, i.e., proper doctrine), (2) keeping the 

commandments of God, and (3) loving one another. How can you command someone to love?

 

15:13 This is an important rejoinder to those who say that putting oneself in physical danger is the 

always the same as committing suicide. If so, then the apostles and Jesus could be accused of it. 

 

15:14 In the OT, only Abraham and Moses were called “friends of God.”

 

15:16 Disciples usually chose which rabbi to follow; Jesus reverses this idea.

 

John 15:18-27

15:18-24 Jesus now goes from the idea of love to that of hate with five references to the world's hatred,

 culminating in an OT citation. 

 

15:18-9 What does he mean by world? All the people on earth? The Greek word here is kosmos, which 

always carries a heavy theological significance – the world system that is at odds with God. 

 

15:25 “'Their law' ironically highlights the discrepancy between the law and the actions of the Jews.” 

The citation is from Psalm 35:19 (“Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me; or those who 

hate me without cause to wink the eye.”) or Psalm 69:4 (“More in number than the hairs of my head 

are those who hate me without cause; many are those who would destroy me, my enemies who accuse 

me falsely.”) using David as a type of Jesus. Psalm 69 was widely considered to be messianic. 

Similarities in situations: large number of powerful enemies; they bring false charges; but the sufferer 

trusts in God.

 

15:26-27 Chapter 15 is bracketed by references to the giving of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26 and 

these verses). It introduces the next section about the Holy Spirit, and commissions the Apostles as 

witnesses in words similar to those in Acts 1:21-22. Peter says, “So one of the men who have 

accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the 

baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with 

us to his resurrection.”

 

Here are seven helpful principles from a University of Florida graduate in Agriculture regarding the 

pruning process (“New Wine,” May, 1980), along with my comments.

1. Pruning is inevitable Pruning takes place twice a year, but for different reasons. In February-March 

the branches that can't bear fruit are removed. Then in August after the leaves have come out, the 

shoots are pinched off so that nourishment will go to the main branches. This illustrates the difference 

between punishment and chastisement.

2. You can't explain pruning. Consider the example of Job. We always want to know why something 

is happening to us. Read Proverbs 25:2.

3. It reveals God's sovereignty. Look at verse 1. In the OT we learn that God makes different vessels 

for different purposes. Again, it is not our job to question why.

4. Pruning is often unrecognizable. When we are going through the process, we tend to concentrate 

on the negative aspects and blame the direct agents: Satan, our enemies on earth, etc. Look at verses 

18-27. That shows that even persecution (the pruning we take most personally) is (a) directed toward 

Christ and (b) can be turned to His glory.

5. Pruning has purpose. We bear fruit (verse 5). The early church father and disciple of John, 

Polycarp, may have taken his name from this challenge (karpos polys). Other scriptures relating trials 

to fruit-bearing are Romans 8:18-23; James 1:2-4; and I Peter 1:6-7.

6. Pruning is a paradox just like “He who would be greatest must be servant of all” and “You must be 

born again.” It seems like the wrong direction in which to go – nipping fruit in the bud in order that 

more can grow. “The fruit of Christian service is never the result of allowing the natural energies and 

inclinations to run riot.”

7. Pruning is painful. It is not for our own pleasure, goals or wants but for God's. In some cases it may 

not even be for our own personal spiritual growth but to accomplish God's overall will, perhaps in 

someone else's life. Barriers to get over: (a) the idea that something negative could possibly lead to 

something positive and (b) the thought that it could just be a form of enlightened self-interest.

 

John 16:1-33 Let's look again at how John 13-17 is organized:

    1. Betrayal and denial among the apostles (ch. 13)

        2. Christ will be physically gone but not absent (ch. 14)

            3. Mutual love between Christ and the disciples (15:1-17)

            3'. World’s hatred of the apostles (15:18-27)

        2'. Christ will be physically gone but not absent (16:1-33)

    1'. The apostles are preserved by the Father (ch. 17)

 

Common Themes and Language in Units 2 and 2'

Jesus going to the Father (14:1-11; 16:4b-7,28-30)

“Where are you going?” (14:5; 16:5)

Unity of Jesus with the Father (14:7-11; 16:15)

Asking anything in Jesus’ name (14:12-14; 16:23-27)

Disciples see (14:15-31) or don’t see (16:16-22) Jesus

The sending of the Counselor (14:16-17,25-26; 16:7-15)

“The Spirit of truth” (14:17; 16:13)

“A little while” (14:19; 7x in 16:16-19)

“I have said this/these to you” (14:25; 16:6,25,33)

“The ruler of the world” (14:30; 16:11)

 

This chapter is permeated by two verbal devices: (1) eight occurrences of the phrase “I have said these 

things to you” (or equivalents) and (2) 5x repetition of the announcement “The hour is coming” at the start, middle and end of the chapter.

 

Predictions: vv. 1-6 persecution, vv. 7-15 Holy Spirit, vv. 16-24 resurrection or Jesus' Second Coming, 

vv. 25-33 God's continuing love. You can see the Trinity in the last three elements.

There are also verbal echoes of the Lord's Prayer in this chapter: “Father” (vv.11,25), “hallowed” 

(sanctified) (vv. 17,19), and “evil (one)” (v.15).

 

John 16: 1-4

vv. 1-2 go back to theme in previous chapter of hatred by the world, especially by the Jews.

2a. John 9:29 described how “the Jews had agreed that if anyone confessed Jesus as the Christ or 

messiah they were to be excluded from the synagogue.” The verse implies that then those who 

confessed Jesus would find themselves excluded from membership of, or participation in the life of the 

synagogue – and that it was the Jewish authorities who orchestrated this, thus, some would say, 

creating the decisive split between Judaism and Christianity. It is felt that the Jewish Council of Jamnia 

around 90 AD may have excluded the Christian scriptures and Jewish Christians by changing their 

liturgy to add a curse on heretics such as Christians: “For the apostates may there be no hope unless 

they return to Your Torah. As for the no§rim and the minim, may they perish immediately. Speedily 

may they be erased from the Book of Life, and may they not be registered among the righteous. Blessed 

are You, O Lord, Who subdues the wicked.”

The no§rim, (usually translated “Christians”) and minim (apostates and heretics) are included in the best texts of this benediction. Some may wish to debate whether the no§rim and minim here mentioned are to be taken as one group or two. Yet the fact remains that the no§rim were included with apostates and heretics.

v. 2b. Paul was a prime example.

 

John 16:5-11

v. 7. another translation for Advocate = helper. It is the legal term today for lawyer.

v. 8. “Whatever conscience the world might display is the Spirit's work.” (New Bible Commentary)

vv. 8-11. Three things governed by one verb “prove the world wrong” (reprove - other translations?). 

That can mean bring to light, expose, convict, correct or punish. Two basic views: the verb must have 

the same definition for all three cases (Raymond Brown), or the verb has different meanings in each 

case (Leon Morris).

The first view is that “bring to light” is the best meaning, such as in the New English Bible: “show 

where wrong and right and judgment lie.” “Right” is sometimes translated as righteousness or truth. 

Jesus' resurrection showed the world that God had judged Him as innocent.

The second view is that the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sins, shows Christ's righteousness to 

the world, and judges Satan. 

 

John 16:12-24

v. 13. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth in this verse. Note that it is “he” instead of “it.” Also 

the picture of a guide points to a person, not a thing. I once taught a home Bible study where the 

participants said, in agreement with the basic view of the Jehovah Witnesses, “We always thought it 

just referred to energy from God.” This points out some of the different emphases present in different 

denominations: The Reformed tradition centers in on God the Father, the Wesleyan and Restoration 

traditions on the person of Jesus, and the Pentacostals on the Holy Spirit.

 

vv. 13-14. Look at the progression – Jesus declares all things from the Father (John 12:49: “I have not 

spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to 

say and what to speak.”); the Holy Spirit declares all things from Jesus (these verses); and then we 

through the Holy Spirit are to declare the truth to the world.

 

vv. 16-19. The phrase “a little while” appears seven times here.

 

v. 22. “You will see me again” refers to either the resurrection appearances or, according to some, the Second Coming.

 

vv. 23-24. “Truly, truly” (Amen, amen) generally is used at the start of a very solemn and important 

teaching. “Asking God” and “joy being made complete” are a repetition of 15:7,11.

There is a different view of these verses depending on whether they are connected to the verses that 

precede or follow them. If it is a reference to the previous verses, it refers to asking questions of Jesus 

that betray their ignorance. If it is a reference to the following verses, it refers to asking favors of Jesus. 

In the first case, the Holy Spirit will give them the answers directly; in the second case, they can pray 

to God directly.

 

John 16:25-33

v. 25. “Figures of speech” – look at other translations. Most of Jesus' teachings were in metaphors, 

parables, etc. “The hour is coming” probably refers to the Day of Pentacost.

 

vv. 26-27. It is interesting that we can pray directly to God, not even needing to go through Jesus as an 

intermediary. This is not exactly the Catholic practice of going through a priest or praying to Mary or 

the saints to intercede for us. “Prayer in Jesus' name” is a repeat of 15:16. What does it really mean?

 

v. 32a. Isn't Jesus contradicting himself?

 

v. 32b. What about, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

v. 33 re-caps the theme in verses 1-3 of persecution in the world, and also the judgment on Satan in 

 

verse 11. “The whole book of Revelation is a commentary on this verse (David C. George).