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15
Jesus Is Like a Vine
1 Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch* branch The “branches” are Jesus’ followers. See verse 5. of mine that does not produce fruit.† produce fruit Meaning the way Jesus’ followers must live to show they belong to him. See verses 7-10. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. 3 You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. 4 Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me.
5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. 6 If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor‡ honor Or “glory.” See “glory” in the Word List. to my Father.
9 “I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love. 10 I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and he continues to love me. In the same way, if you obey my commands, I will continue to love you. 11 I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy. 12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. 15 I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me.
16 “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus Warns His Followers
18 “If the world hates you, remember that they hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as it loves its own people. But I have chosen you to be different from those in the world. So you don’t belong to the world, and that is why the world hates you.
20 “Remember the lesson I told you: Servants are not greater than their master. If people treated me badly, they will treat you badly too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too. 21 They will do to you whatever they did to me, because you belong to me. They don’t know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to the people of the world, they would not be guilty of sin. But now I have spoken to them. So they have no excuse for their sin.
23 “Whoever hates me also hates my Father. 24 I did things among the people of the world that no one else has ever done. If I had not done those things, they would not be guilty of sin. But they have seen what I did, and still they hate me and my Father. 25 But this happened to make clear the full meaning of what is written in their law: ‘They hated me for no reason.’§ ‘They hated me for no reason’ These words could be from Psalm 35:19 or Psalm 69:4.
26 “I will send you the Helper* Helper Or “Comforter.” Also in 16:7, 8. from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth† Spirit of truth The Holy Spirit (see “Holy Spirit” in the Word List). It was his work to help Jesus’ followers understand God’s truth. See John 16:13. who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. 27 And you will tell people about me too, because you have been with me from the beginning.

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*15:2 branch The “branches” are Jesus’ followers. See verse 5.

†15:2 produce fruit Meaning the way Jesus’ followers must live to show they belong to him. See verses 7-10.

‡15:8 honor Or “glory.” See “glory” in the Word List.

§15:25 ‘They hated me for no reason’ These words could be from Psalm 35:19 or Psalm 69:4.

*15:26 Helper Or “Comforter.” Also in 16:7, 8.

†15:26 Spirit of truth The Holy Spirit (see “Holy Spirit” in the Word List). It was his work to help Jesus’ followers understand God’s truth. See John 16:13.

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