The Gospel of John Made Easy
Chapter 15
Verse 1
Jesus said, “I am the Vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”
In Israel, grapevines—vineyards—-were everywhere. There were grape farms—vineyards—-just like today. The people understood about vines and how they grew.
Jesus often told stories or used examples from things the people used everyday.
A “husbandman” is a word that means “one who takes care of” a farm or growing things. A “husband” is one who takes care of a wife and family.
So God the Father is the one who takes care of the Vine–Jesus is the Vine.
Verse 2
Jesus said:
“Every branch in me that does not grow fruit He (the Father) takes it away—cuts it off. Every branch that grows fruit he prunes it to make it grow more fruit.
When you “prune” a rose bush, or a fruit bush or tree, you cut out any dead wood, and you may trim back some of the other branches so that they grow more flowers or fruit. A bush or tree that is never pruned has little fruit or flowers.
If we are the branch that God prunes “cuts” then that means something
painful will happen in our life. We do not like pain. But painful things often teach us important lessons. Painful things help us have sympathy for others. Painful things help us be more understanding of others.
Painful things may turn our heart to seek God. We see how much we need His help.
There are reasons why God may allow painful things come into our life. It could be a “pruning” for us. So God can make our lives grow more spiritual “fruit”.
Verse 3
Jesus said: “You are clean because of the words I have said to you.” In others words, they became clean in their hearts because they believed the words that Jesus taught them about Himself.
God’s word makes us clean when we believe it and obey it.
Think of the many things in God’s word that tells us how to live. If we believe them and obey them our lives will be free of sin bad habits and fear and our lives will have the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit in them.
Verse 4
Jesus said: “Abide (stay, live) in Me. And I in you.
A branch can not have life/fruit in itself—-it must be connected to the vine.
So you can not live and have “fruit” in your life—-unless you stay in Me.
There have been many people who have prayed a prayer to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness but then they went back to living their life the way they did before.
You can only have spiritual life if you stay in Jesus. If you dis-connect yourself
from Jesus and go your own way you will not have Jesus’ life in you.
The Bible says We are dead in trespasses and sins. Our life without Jesus is a “dead” life. Ephesians 2: 1 And eternal death in hell is in the future.
Jesus is the only way to have “life“. Jesus makes our life better now, and in the future.
Verse 5
Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. The person who stays in Me, and I in him—-he will grow much fruit. Without Me—you can do nothing.”
We need God’s power in us to live the Christian life. We need God’s power in us to minister to other people.
Our own strength is not enough to live the Christian life in victory. We need the Holy Spirit. Our own strength is not enough to help others in the Christian way. We need the Holy Spirit to work through us helping us to have the right words and knowing the right thing to do.
When we try to live for Jesus in our own strength or minister to others in our own strength we often make mistakes. The Holy Spirit is our guide and teacher.
In our minds we need to pray always: “ Holy Spirit show me what to do.”
Verse 6
“If a man will not abide (stay, live) in Me, he is cut off as a branch, and dries up and dies. Men will pick up the dead branches and burn them.”
People who will not obey and stay “in Jesus” they will not stay “connected” to Jesus will find that they are “cut off” from God. It is the choice of disobeying that cuts you off. Disobeying breaks the flow of “life” from Jesus to you.
We all sin even after we have decided to follow Jesus. But you can not continue in the sin and disobedience and have life in Jesus.
When the Holy Spirit speaks to you about your sin and disobedience you need to stop. If you keep ignoring the Holy Spirit He will go away and leave you alone. That is when you are “cut off” from the “life flow” of the Holy Sprit into your life.
Verse 7
Jesus said: “If you abide (stay, live) in me, and my words stay in you, you will ask whatever you will, and it will be done unto you.”
Verse 8
“Glory comes to my Father when you grow fruit. In this way, you will be my followers/disciples.”
The “fruit” that Jesus wants in our lives is for us to bring other people to Jesus.
We grow fruit—increase—-by telling others about Jesus. When they believe and follow Jesus , too, that is our “fruit”.
Another way we grow fruit, is the spiritual fruit that is talked about in
Galatians 5:22,23 “love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness (being humble), and temperance (keeping things in balance, self-control)
As we grow in the Lord, we should be growing these things in our lives.
Verse 9
Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.
“Continue (stay) in this love. “
Think how much the Father loves Jesus. Jesus said he loves us just as much.!
Jesus tells us to stay in that love.
Satan will try every day to get you to leave that love. Satan will try to make you believe that Jesus does not love you.
Who will you believe? Satan or Jesus?
Satan uses our own failings and mistakes to get us to remember them over and over in our minds so that we doubt Jesus’ love so we become discouraged.
Be wise to Satan’s tricks!
Stay your mind and your heart in Jesus’ love!
Verse 10
Jesus said: “If you keep my commandments (what I say), you will abide (stay, live) in my love;
Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”
How do we show that we love God? Do what He says. Obey.
Verse 11
“These things I have told you, so that my joy will be in you.
And so your joy will be full.”
We will find full joy when we obey Jesus. There is no rest when we do wrong.
Verse 12
“This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.”
This is hard for us to love others like Jesus loves them. By ourselves—we can not do that—–we need Jesus to help us have love for people. Some people can be very hard to love.
Verse 13
Jesus said: “The greatest love is for a man to give his life for his friends”
Verse 14
“You are my friends if you do what I have told you to do.”
Verse 15
“From now on I will not call you “servants” for a servant does not know what his lord/master does. I call you “friends” because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”
Verse 16
“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”
“I have ordained you (given you the authority to be ministers) that you should go forth/ out and bring “fruit”. And that your “fruit” would continue (stay true and believe)”
“Whatever you ask of the Father in my name he will give it to you.“
Verse 17
“These things I command you that you love one another.”
Verse 18
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first.”
Verse 19
“If you were of the world (like them, non-believers) they would love you.
Because they love their own. But you are not of this world. I have chosen you to come out of the world. So the world will hate you.”
Non-believers want us to do as they do. If they drink—they want us to drink. If they sleep around and have sex—-they want us to do the same. If they swear and tell dirty jokes—-they want us to do the same.
The “world” does not like to be around people who are “so good” or “holy”.
It makes them feel guilty about what they are doing. They do not like someone showing them that what they are doing is wrong or bad. So they will not like a person who trying to follow Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus said, Do not feel bad about that. That is the way it will be. Remember, they hated me for the same thing. And Jesus ended up on the cross.
Verse 20
“Remember the word that I said to you the servant is not greater or better than the lord/master. If the world hated me and were mean/hurtful to me, they will do the same to you. If any of those people follow what I have taught, they will follow what you say, too.”
Verse 21
They will do to you just as they have done to me for my name’s sake
(because you go in my name) They do it because they the Father in heaven that sent me (Jesus).
Verse 22
“If I had not come and talked to them, they would have not known they were sinning. But now they know they are sinning, and they have no cover for their sin.”
Verse 23
The person that hates me hates my Father, too.
Verse 24
“If I had not done miracles among them such as no one else had done they would not have understood they were sinners. But now they have seen me and they hate me and they hate my Father.”
Verse 25
“But all this has come to happen so that the words of prophecy (from the Old Testament) would come true That they hated me for no reason.” (Psalm 35:19 and Psalm 69:4)
Verse 26
“But when the Comforter (Holy Spirit) comes, whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of Truth which flows out of the Father He (Holy Spirit) will testify (tell) of me.”
Verse 27
“And you too will bear witness (be my witness—tell what you have seen and heard) because you have been with me from the beginning.”