John 15:1-11 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

1). Jesus Is The New Israel, Which is To Act As The New Witness for God In The World. If We Would Enjoy His Blessing We Must Do So By Living Continually In Him In Trust and Obedience As Branches Remain In The Vine (15:1-11).

Jesus now wishes to encourage His disciples further before finally leaving the Upper Room and therefore emphasises their oneness with Him, something which can be illustrated by His Oneness with the Father. He likens Himself to the True Vine of which they were the fruitful branches. The Vine was no new portrayal. Jesus regularly likened Israel to a vine (see Matthew 20:1-16; Matthew 21:23-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6-9; Luke 20:9-16), whilst the vine as a symbol of Israel appeared on coins in the time of the Maccabees. In the same way Israel was also regularly portrayed in the Old Testament in terms of the vine, but in their case it was often as a false vine in contrast to a true vine (e.g. Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5:1-7; Isaiah 27:2-6; Jeremiah 2:21; Jeremiah 12:10; Ezekiel 17:6; Hosea 10:1). Thus His reference to Himself as ‘the true vine' is clearly in deliberate contrast to Israel as the false vine. He is depicting Himself as the source and basis of the new Israel.

Related Commentaries of John 15:1

John 15:1-11

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.