Bible Commentary Forever คำอธิบายความเข้าใจในพระคัมภีร์ไทยสำหรับชีวิต

John 15

For Greek interlinear links click the [verse numbers] below
Summary. In this chapter, the Lord Jesus teaches about the true vine of knowledge, His true love for humans, and His Oneness with the Father. John 15:1-8. The Lord Jesus is the true vine, and the Father is the vinedresser. The true vine represents the vine of knowledge for the salvation of human souls, which is the Word the Lord Jesus has spoken. The beloved Son of God is the true knowledge of the Holy Word, and the Father becomes the One who will grow that vine of knowledge and have many fruits. If you listen and obey all the Lord Jesus’ teachings and meditate on the Holy Bible, you will become a vine branch that has received the knowledge to spread it out; the vine branch will bring more fruit for glorifying the Father in heaven. John 15:9-17. The Lord Jesus commands: “Love one another as I have loved you.” As the Father has loved the Son, the beloved Son of God will love all who follow Him. Therefore, if you listen and obey His teachings, love each other because you cannot do anything worthy of His love only when you obey His commands, and His love has shown to you by Him accepting to be crucified on the cross; no love is greater than this. John 15:18-25. The persecution and the hatred of the world. When you believe in the beloved Son of God and follow His teachings, the world will hate and persecute you because His holy teachings condemn the actions of the world. Every believer must stay firm with the Holy Bible’s teaching and not cultivate doubt in the heart; the doubt creates a path for the world to enter and pollute one’s faith. The Father and the Son are One; therefore, whoever hates the Son hates the Father also. John 15:26-27. The Lord Jesus sends the Intercessor into the world from the Father. The Father and the Son are One and share the Holy Spirit together. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father, will be the One who bears witness related to the duty and authority of the beloved Son of God on earth. The Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus’ apostles are the eyewitnesses of His deity, His teachings, His miracles, His betrayal and trial, His crucifixion, His death, His burial, His bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the Father.
[1] I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Comments John 15:1 “I am the true vine.” When the beloved Son of God mentions the vine, we, as humans in our minds, already picture the plant itself. But this true vine is the vine of knowledge that all humans, male and female, can capture. When the true heart of a true believer meditates on the word, the beloved Son of God will give the true knowledge to lead on to understand and think of the teaching that has been written in the Holy Bible. The beloved Son of God will give all true believers the true knowledge of the living word, which can nurture the soul itself. The understanding of humans has levels, the top part of the understanding is from the Holy Spirit, but on the deeper part, the beloved Son of God will help. “the beloved Son of God will give the true knowledge”; When we have studied the word of the beloved Son of God, the word He has spoken is the true knowledge. The word He has spoken refers to the whole Bible (not only the words that are recorded in the Bible as spoken by the Lord Jesus) because He has spoken through the Holy Spirit and writing down as a Holy Bible; between the Holy Spirit and the beloved Son of God, both have received the Word from the Father to put down in the Bible (Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the Word: see Comments John 1:1).
“and My Father is the vinedresser.” The beloved Son of God is the true knowledge about the Holy Word, and the Father becomes the One that will make that vine grow and have many, many fruits on; the Father Himself also has His Own duty in growing the faith of true believers. The purpose of the beloved Son of God to give the true knowledge to all true believers is to feed and nurture their souls in glorifying the Father. The fruit the beloved Son will make: all will glorify the Father Himself.
[2] Every vine branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He removes it; and every one that bears fruit, He cleanses it, that it might bear more fruit.
Comments John 15:2 “Every vine branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He removes it”; Anyone that has acknowledged the beloved Son of God and after that ignores Him in their heart, that heart has not become fertile to make any benefit for themselves and the Lord. The Father knows every heart; if that heart does not truly bear fruit, He will cut off that knowledge, and the person will become dull of learning. When the person has received knowledge and did not use it in glorifying the Father but kept it to themselves alone, that way becomes that the branch has not born fruit and will be cut off. When the branch doesn’t bear fruit: it does not glorify the Father with the whole heart; then, it is better not to have it further.
“and every one that bears fruit, He cleanses it”; When any true believer who has acknowledged the beloved Son of God and their heart is willing to do what it takes to glorify the Father, the Father Himself will help that heart to benefit the knowledge that they have received and make their spiritual growth increase. The Father Himself will be happy and multiply the knowledge for that person, the garden of faith for the soul will be multiplied, and the branch of knowledge for that soul will grow more; not just the physical earth could notice, but the heavenly realm could notice as well. When more souls have been announced in heaven to be saved, through that knowledge of that soul, the heavenly hosts also will celebrate, and the sound of celebration in glorifying the Father will be heard everywhere in heaven as well. Remember as well, on this earth, cleansing the branches also multiplies the branches. When the Father Himself has cleansed any branch, it will grow more. That soul will go and do more work for the Father, multiplying the knowledge for other souls, and the other souls will benefit and glorify the Father as well. The heavenly realm themselves will acknowledge all those souls, and the voice will keep louder and louder. The Father is the vinedresser; He will go and cleanse all the branches and make all the knowledge multiply more and more; each time that soul glorifies the Father, the heavenly realm hosts will also be joyful because the Father Himself is happy. That happiness of the Father makes the entire heaven happy as well.
“that it may bear more fruit.” When the verse has told “bear more fruit,” that also has already told every believer that the word of God on earth will have benefit for every soul, and every soul that has received a benefit from that fruit will also go out and bear more fruit furthermore; because all who have been called must have a chance to receive all this knowledge to make themselves grow as well.
[3] Already you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.
Comments John 15:3 The word that the beloved Son of God has spoken out to all, who have opened their hearts to accept and meditate, will clean the person from the inside out. Unlike just going to take a shower, the word of the beloved Son of God cleanses the deepest soul of anyone who meditates on the word.
[4] Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as the vine branch is not able to bear fruit from itself, if it does not abide in the vine, so neither you, if you do not abide in Me.
Comments John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you.” When the beloved Son of God has said, "abide in Me," He did not mean only with the mind you think of Him, but with your heart also, and all of your actions also must be following according to His teachings; you cannot abide in Him and do not follow the teachings.
“Just as the vine branch is not able to bear fruit from itself”; As the verse has said to the true believers clearly, you alone, without the help from the Lord, what you are doing on this earth has no meaning for your soul; when you meditate in His teaching that will make fruit for the soul itself; the meditation on the Holy Word will bring fruit to the world to come, and that fruit will follow you when you go there.
“if it does not abide in the vine”; Remember as well, the vine is the true knowledge that is the beloved Son of God Himself; trust in His mercy and abide in His teachings and the knowledge of the Holy Word will help you to sustain your mind and soul and think about the Holy Word; the knowledge of the Holy Bible will help you to keep your mind in the right place.
“so neither you, if you do not abide in Me.” As the beloved Son of God has told all true believers, by yourself alone, the fruit you will make will not produce any good for the other souls. The only fruit that will produce further is the fruit that has received the knowledge from the true believer, and that fruit also abides in the teaching of the Holy Bible and glorifies the beloved Son of God as true God for their soul; those words which glorify the beloved Son of God from your soul, those words will go up until the Father Himself as well; when you have glorified the beloved Son of God, you have glorified the Father who sent Him to save you.
[5] I am the vine; you are the vine branches. The one that abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for separate from Me, you can do nothing.
Comments John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches.” The beloved Son of God has told all humans that He is the true knowledge; in Him alone, you can gain knowledge if you listen and obey all His teachings; meditate on the Holy Bible, then you will become a vine branch that has received the knowledge to spread it out; the branch will bring more fruit for glorifying the Father in heaven.
“The one that abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit.” If you listen and obey the beloved Son of God’s teachings, He also will be in you; when you keep His teachings in you, the soul benefits; you receive the mercy and love from the beloved Son of God, and He Himself will be in you as well.
“for separate from Me, you can do nothing.” The verse has clear meaning; if you do not listen and obey the teachings of the beloved Son of God, you and your soul will not receive any benefit of the word, and all will go to nothing if you lack meditation; when you meditate, you have received the beloved Son of God into your soul, and He will not abandon the one that has accepted Him into their soul.
[6] If anyone abides not in Me, he is thrown out as the branch, and is wasted away; and they gather them, and cast into the fire, and burned.
Comments John 15:6 “If anyone abides not in Me, he is thrown out as the branch”; As the verse tells to all true believers, when any soul that does not listen and obey the teachings of the beloved Son of God and has not meditated in the Holy Word to feed the soul, that soul itself has rejected the Father in the same time, and it will be cut off from the kingdom of God. The nonbelievers have already been judged; their souls have no place to be considered, for those souls, it will become as if they never existed before; they are not counted anymore at this time; as the verse has told, now the Lord talks about the believers only. The Father has created many souls, but the souls that do not consider and appreciate the Father, the Father has cut them off from His consideration to be thought of or judging them further; they have already vanished from His side. So, many have called themselves believers; they acknowledge the Father but do not meditate in His teaching, so these are the branches that are cast out and waiting for judgment, but the true believers that have stand firm in the knowledge they receive, also are in a waiting place but not in the same place as the withered branches waiting; that place, where the true believers wait, has everything that the soul needs, opposite to the place of fire.
“and is wasted away”; Imagine the branch of this earth that withers; it withers because it lacks nutrition in itself. You have plants, and when the plants wither, you cut off the branches as well; they are not alive and not worthy of giving them more food further; the soul that lacks meditation in the Holy Word will become withered and dried up in the same way as well, and it is not worthy for anything afterward.
“and they gather them.” Imagine that the Father has His own soldiers that will gather those withered souls and put them in one place together. His soldiers will go to every part of the earth; no place for those withered souls to be hidden; they all will be gathered and bundled together. The souls that have already passed away from this earth have already been separated and waiting in a place; every soul has its own waiting place, the place of darkness or of light; all will wait for judgment at the same time.
“and cast into the fire.” This fire is the fire of the anger of the Father, the place of waiting in the fire; those souls are suffering; they are reaping the reward that they deserve from not believing in the mercy of the Father and not coming to meditate on His word. These souls that wait in this fire had rejected the Father when they had a chance to recognize Him and denied having Him in their life, and in this time, they will be waiting in His fire of anger until the judgment day of all will come; a single second of those time is very long for a human time that is still alive. Therefore, everyone should think about what they are doing when they are still alive on earth; what they do will point to them the place they will be afterward.
“and burned.” When talking about the burn here, it is the feeling of being tortured and suffering and wishing to be dead again; but they still have their feelings that have not vanished yet. To dwell in those feelings, a human would consider that as suffering beyond words can tell, but this suffering is not yet the biggest suffering they will receive; the hell itself will be more suffering than that. A human cannot imagine yet what it is like to suffer in the fire. Yet, the fire of anger from the Father is not as bad as the suffering of hell itself because, in hell, the Father also has put His hate in it; those in hell will wish to have vanished, but they will not vanish but will only receive suffering.
[7] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, if you wish whatever, you shall ask, and it will be done to you.
Comments John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you.” As the verse has told all true believers, if you believe in the Trinity of God, you must study the Holy Bible with all your heart and soul. . How to say that you abide but do not read? When you read, the word will stir your soul, and you will feel that you need to do more than read. At that time, you will want to meditate, to understand what the word has spoken to your heart; but to meditate on those words, your heart must be clean from all negative thoughts; your feeling will be cut off from the world and your heart, the inner part, is free and wants to stay put with the word only.
“if you wish whatever, you shall ask …”; As the verse has told, ask what you wish, but consider as well that you may not receive it at that moment right away; everything has its own time. Therefore, you ask from your wish, and it will be given to you when the time comes, and at that time, you will use it completely and benefit not just yourself but your soul as well, and people around you will also notice that. To whomsoever the wish has come true, that person will stay and glorify the Father more and more; that will be the common reaction of the heart. “If you wish whatever,” it is general as long as it is not against the Holy Bible; whatever you have wished, if it is not against the Holy Word, all will be given in due time.
[8] By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and you shall be to Me disciples.
Comments John 15:8 “By this My Father is glorified …”; When anyone has listened to the teaching in the Holy Bible, to what the beloved Son of God has told, and glorifies the Father, and when that soul meditates on the Holy Bible in that time itself, the soul has sung praises to the Father. The sound of meditation is like music in the ear of the Father, but not all believers do that; the majority still lack meditation. The way and the Word have been given to all souls, but not all have come to use them yet. When you meditate on the Holy Bible, the fruit you produce becomes the song of worship, and the Father hears that song of meditation, which is the true fruit you bear.
“and you shall be to Me disciples.” The beloved Son of God has told the way to all how to be a disciple: listen and obey, meditate and follow the Holy Bible; that is what the true disciples of Him should do.
[9] Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love.
Comments John 15:9 “Just as the Father has loved Me.” Many places in the Bible tell that the Father loves the beloved Son because the beloved Son listens and obeys the Father; what the Father has commanded, the beloved Son will do; and the beloved Son of God has taught all true Christians the same way, listen and obey as well.
“I also have loved you.” When anyone listens to the teaching of the beloved Son of God and follows His example, the beloved Son of God Himself will also love that one. As the Father has loved the Son, the beloved Son of God will love all who follow Him.
“Abide in My love.” Follow the teaching in the Holy Bible until the last breath on earth you have; that is abiding in His love. If you follow all the teaching, you become the obedient follower, and you have abided in His love. [abide meaning: to endure without yielding; to remain stable or fixed in a state]
[10] If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; according as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.
Comments John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments …”; The beloved Son of God has told all true believers how to be in His love at all times. Therefore, if you truly love Him, follow His teaching, and meditate on His word, only the true believers will abide in His love forever; to abide in the love of God, you must follow His commandments as well, and His commandments are in the Holy Bible, the living word of God. “My love” means the love of the beloved Son of God, which is to the obedient heart and soul; the obedient also will follow His teaching; when you have followed, you have abided in His love as well.
“according as I have kept My Father’s commandments …”; Every believer can notice that the beloved Son of God always follows the commandments of the Father; the beloved Son of God follows the commandments of the Father to the point of coming down to be as a human in the form of a servant. The beloved Son of God has left His heavenly body and taken down the form of the servant to save all mankind which is the will of the Father, which also has become the will of the beloved Son of God; because of the love the beloved Son of God has for the Father, He has done all that the Father commanded Him, and because of the obedience He has shown to the Father, the beloved Son has abided in His love and orders (commandments) at all costs. With the Father's plan for humans, the beloved Son accepted the duty by coming down and taking human form to do the work and abide in the Father’s love by being willing to do everything in order to save the humans, even by death on the cross.
[11] These I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.
Comments John 15:11 “My joy …”; The joy of the beloved Son of God when He has seen that humans have been saved through His teachings; the heart of the beloved Son of God is full of joy when He has seen that His obedience to the Father has saved the souls of many humans, and when those souls glorify the Father; the most joyful moment for the beloved Son of God is to see that the Father has been glorified through His sacrifice on earth; His sacrifice has brought many souls to glorify the Father.
“your joy may be complete”; When you have followed and meditated on the Holy Bible, your soul also will be full of love from the Father, and that is the joyful soul at the end when that soul has been filled up with love from the Father, which for that soul itself brings joy. So, when you have acted and followed the Holy Bible, inside of you, you can feel the deep peace from the soul; this you will feel when you have followed the teachings of the Holy Bible; when you feel the peace, the soul itself has received the joy as well, and that joy will keep filling up in the soul until it is complete, if you do not back off before the end of life, you will keep filling up the joy for your soul.
Q: Why did the Lord speak a lot about keeping the commandments, abiding in the love of God, meditating on the Holy Word, and loving one another? A: Humans themselves have limitations; nothing humans can offer to the Father in repayment, and the beloved Son of God has come to tell humans that the only one-way humans can repay the Father is by listening and obeying all the teachings of the Holy Bible and always giving thanks and appreciating the love of the Father; the humble heart that glorifies the Father through the beloved Son reaches to the ear of the Father, nothing more humans can offer in repay for His love; the Father Himself wants the humble heart of humans, that seek to glorify Him with the deep feeling of their souls; the Father does not need anything of human but the humble soul, that is the only gift for Him.
[12] This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Comments John 15:12 The verse tells all readers that the beloved Son of God has given this love commandment to all humans. Therefore, if you listen and obey His teaching, love each other because you cannot do anything worthy of His love only when you obey His orders by loving each other as He has loved you, and His love has shown to you by Him accepting to be crucified on the cross; no love is greater than this; if you truly obey His teaching, love one another.
[13] Greater love than this no one has, that anyone should lay down his life for his friends.
Comments John 15:13 As the verse has told, there is no greater love than what the beloved Son of God has done, to give His life for mankind; but make sure you all remember, the Father has loved humans so much as well until He has sent the only begotten Son to come down on earth for all mankind to have a way to glorify and thank the Father; the beloved Son of God has become the bridge for all mankind to succeed in glorifying the Father.
[14] You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
Comments John 15:14 The beloved Son of God has told to all humans to be His friends and follow His commandments; to be the friend of God it also has included to follow the commandments and glorify the Father.
[15] No longer I call you servants because the servant does not know what his master is doing; however, I have called you friends because all things that I heard from My Father, I have made known to you.
Comments John 15:15 The beloved Son of God has given the definition of being a friend with Him; He did not call you a servant for just receiving the order, but He calls you a friend because you have kept His commandments, with your own will, you have listened and obeyed His commandments; the servant is forced to do what the master orders, but a friend is willing to do what the friend has told. It is a difference between the two in worshiping and glorifying the Lord of Lords. We are friends because we read the Holy Bible, and we do, but the servants need the master to order to do what they are not willing to do by themselves.
“however, I have called you friends …”; The beloved Son of God has called you friend because whatever He heard from the Father, He has expressed in your heart what needs to be done. And those things you do for your own good, and at the same time, you glorify the Father as well. The servant will not glorify the master, just have fear only; the Lord of life does not need fear but joyful obedience in receiving guidelines and advice; His advice is not an order, but it is a guideline for your soul to come closer and have a relationship with the God Almighty. Everybody can read the Holy Bible, but the voice in the heart will lead to understanding; it is a difference between just reading or reading and understanding what you are reading. The beloved Son wants to make sure His true believers not only read but understand as well.
[16] You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and should bring fruit; and your fruit should remain; so that because you might ask of the Father in My name, He may give you.
Comments John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you.” This verse applies to everyone that has chosen to follow the commandments; if with your own heart you follow the commandments, you have put yourself to be with the beloved Son of God, and He has chosen you because of your own heart that wants to follow. The Lord Jesus does not reject anyone that wants to follow Him.
“that you should go and should bring fruit.” Because of your heart, you have been chosen and have also received the duty to spread the word. Still, this does not mean you must leave everything and go far, it is not for all to go far and be a missionary in far lands, but everyone can be a local missionary. By the Lord’s mercy, He will bring the lost sheep to you; use the gift you have received in guiding that sheep back to the Lord; all lost sheep will need to hear the message of the beloved Son of God, which has been told in the Holy Bible.
“and your fruit should remain.” When you have told the lost sheep the good news, the good news itself will stay in the lost sheep’s hearts and lead them to find peace in the message itself. That message will remain in their soul forever, but you have the duty to open the path for that sheep, so use all the tools the Lord has provided to you. All the tools the Lord has given you will help you link and guide the sheep back because those tools are the true message of God to all lost souls. These tools also include the understanding of the Word; the Lord has given understanding inside your heart, then use that understanding to guide the lost sheep. In our comment, when we say tools, we do not mean technology-related tools.
“so that because you might ask of the Father in My name, He may give you.” As the verse has told you: if you ask in the beloved Son of God’s name, and by the beloved Son of God’s will, He will present that request to the Father, and the Father will give it all to you. The word “so” in this verse is linked to “your fruit should remain”; the fruit that you have sown to that soul will remain on them and you until that soul has completely given themselves to the Lord, and that soul itself will ask from the Lord to keep that faith in their heart until the end; as the tree will bear the fruit furthermore that soul as well will go and bear more fruit, and that one will make your fruit remain further and further. Because when you have gone out and spread the good news, you also have asked the Father to spread out the knowledge, so that knowledge will go further and further.
[There is only one truth, Jesus; when any soul receives that knowledge, there is no other truth that any soul can find to satisfy their hunger].
[17] These things I command you, that you love one another.
Comments John 15:17 “These things I command you ...”; Let all true believers pay attention to this verse carefully; the most important thing for every believer is to love everyone that the Lord has brought to you to interact with; regardless of the differences, with the Lord’s help, you could make that soul have the same belief and understanding as you do. Just make sure that each time you link that soul to the Holy Bible, so you must tell the truth to that soul; the truth is the way to be saved, and that is why you do need to lead that soul to the Holy Bible, you always need to lead that soul to meditate on the Holy Bible as well.
“... that you love one another”; The word love has more than one meaning, but in this place, we talk about the meaning of pure love, which is not the physical love attachment to have: pure love wants to share the Holy Word. Remember that all are created in God’s image, which is why the verse has told clearly to love one another; every human is created after God’s own heart; the Father loves all humans, and He Himself wants all to love each other as well.
[18] If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before you.
Comments John 15:18 When you have believed in the beloved Son of God and follow His teachings the world will hate you; because of His holy teaching, does not fit with the actions of the world, that why the verse has told they will hate the beloved Son of God before you, because you have abided in His teaching which the world cannot accept.
[19] If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Comments John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own”; If you do not stay firm with the teaching and cultivate doubt in your heart, you have given yourself also to the world. The doubt in your heart will be the path for the world to enter. Therefore, you must always praise and glorify the God Most High; if you cannot remember any words, just say thank you for everything your eyes have seen, and those words of thanks to the God Most High will be the shield for your soul and will block the world to enter into your heart. Always remember who created all things, and keep giving thanks to the Creator of all things. If you give yourself to the world, the world will use you not only to destroy your own but to destroy others as well; the world is full of negativity and lust and greed, greed not only for the stomach but also for doing bad to others as well. When the world controls you, you will be a slave to the world and an enemy to all purity of God; it is like you let your soul live in the darkness of evil. The light of glory will not touch you if you yourself are the one that surrenders your soul to the dark. In this place, the light of glory means the teaching of the beloved Son of God, which all humans should learn from the Holy Bible; if the light of glory dwells in you, your soul will be free from world attachments.
“but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world”; When the verse says that you are not of the world, also it tells that you are meditating and following the holy commandments according to how the Holy Bible has told you; you have been chosen out of the world because you have abided in the Holy teaching of the God Most High. When the world cannot touch your soul, they will hate you, and they will turn and fight with the God Most High Himself; when you shut down the doubt in your heart towards the Holy Bible, you have also shut off the world from your soul, that is why the world will hate you because they cannot have an impact on you furthermore.
“therefore, the world hates you.” When the world hates you, they will also link others of their followers to go against you as well, and those that come to fight against you will come with the power of the darkness itself; the only one thing in their mind they want, is to try to find the way to separate you out from the Holy Word, by showing you what more you can enjoy outside of the Holy Word. The joy in the Holy Word and the world are different, but humans prefer the joy of this world; the work of the world itself is only to take your attention away from glorifying the God Most High, and for that, for a moment they will plant the seed of doubt in you. Every time some trouble comes, the first thing is linked to doubt regarding faith, and that doubt itself will keep growing and take you away from glorifying the God Most High. Because the Lord has chosen you out of the world, this war inside of you will always happen if you are not aware of the intentions of the world; when you look out to the world, enjoy the creation of God, but do not let yourself enjoy the things that the created things have made; the things which the Creator created and the created (humans) have made will lead your soul in a different direction.
This comment is just a guideline, but if you do not keep yourself with the Holy Word, as the Holy Word has taught you, the things of the world itself will have power over you; the fight is to take your soul. The Father Himself has given humans free choice; you want the joy of this world or the joy of the eternal world; for the true believer, the heart always has questions as well, what the joy of heaven could be? Any joy of this world itself is nothing; the joy of heaven will be deep in your soul and will make the soul have the radiance of joy shining out; the joy in this world will be as a dim light that will capture the eyes of the soul to blur and not see the pure light.
[20] Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, also they will persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Comments John 15:20 “A servant is not greater than his master.” As the verse has told, remember as well, the beloved Son of God has been born in human form and takes the position of a servant to the Father; when anyone has glorified the beloved Son of God, that glorifying will go to the Father because the beloved Son is a servant of the Father; all glorifying and worshiping He will lead them to the Father because when you glorify the Father, the Trinity of God also has been glorified in the same time, and that is why the verse has told the servant is not greater than the master.
“If they persecuted Me, also they will persecute you”; Also, you, as a believer, must do your duty as well; the believer’s duty is to share the belief that they have and tell their belief to everyone they meet; however, when the time is right, the Lord will speak into your heart when it is time to give out your belief as well, and that soul will hear what you said; it may not sink down deep in their soul yet, but in time what they heard will make root, and it will be spreading everywhere into their soul. It will be a time they cannot escape the truth, their ear of the soul will also open, and they will feel in their hearts that there is no place else to go but only to come at the foot of the cross and glorify the Trinity of God with all their soul and mind. However, when you do your duty, persecution can come as well.
“if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” When those that hear the Word and do nothing, that is also disobedience to the Lord Himself; when disobedience has occurred and sank down into their heart, they had persecuted their own soul which the Lord has given them. The Word they hear will also be used to judge them at the judgment time; if you have told the Holy Word to them and they have ignored that, that is like crucifying the heart of the Lord. When disobedience comes, they have persecuted their own soul. In that time, when they have persecuted the beloved Son of God, whomever He has sent, they didn’t listen to that one, and they would turn back and persecute that person who has told them the truth about the things that had happened; when you have told them what had happened to the beloved Son of God, you also act as a witness and messenger at the same time, and for that reason, they will persecute you.
When the Lord talked about the persecution of Him, He also said they did not believe Him. Therefore, when they did not listen to Him, they did not listen to the Father Himself; so, when you go and tell the Holy Word to them if they reject the word you have told, they reject the Trinity of God.
[21] But all these they will do to you because of My name, because they do not know the One having sent Me.
Comments John 15:21 When they do not accept the beloved Son of God, they will not accept you as well, and whatever negative they thought about the beloved Son of God, all that they will also put on you because you have brought His teaching to their ears. However, if anyone has heard about the beloved Son of God, whether or not they have meditated on the message, the message has been given to their soul already.
This verse is not only about the physical beating of the persecution; the persecution of the soul and the beating of the spirit, the hurt of it is greater than the physical torture. So the rejection here is not about the physical you, but the feeling of your soul has been rejected because of the Holy Word you try to give to them, and that will give you no peace of this earth, and you will try to find a different way to give out more the message, but you always must stick to what the Bible has told you; what human ideas have come, leave them on the side, instead use what the deep inside of you is telling you. This feeling of torture is not visible in this world, but you have no peace because they rejected what you have said to them; you don’t find peace because they did not receive the message, and your heart worries about how to make them listen to the message, and that will not give you peace until you can positively see the result. However, they did not reject you, but they rejected the Holy Word itself, and that is the first step of persecution; you will feel later more, when the deep soul has no peace as a human, and you cannot sleep and eat, and those feelings of fulfillment will never satisfy your soul later on; this refers to disappointment because you don’t see yourself doing the right work in leading people to come and glorify the Lord.
[22] If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; however, now they have no excuse for their sin.
Comments John 15:22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin.” When the beloved Son of God came down as a human, He also taught many things to His people, but so few have opened their hearts and received His message. Their sin will remain on them because they had already known the truth about who the beloved Son of God is. At the end time, the Father will reveal to them that He has shown mercy to them by sending His Son and giving them the way out from punishment. Still, with their own dark mind, they have rejected the beloved Son of God.
“however, now they have no excuse for their sin.” As the verse itself has told, the beloved Son of God has performed many miracles, His own people have seen the miracles that He has done on earth, but those work did not convince their hearts to open and walk away from the dark path that they were on; the true light has come for them, but they have rejected it. Therefore, on the judgment day, they cannot say they did not have a chance to repent; the beloved Son of God has come down and given them that chance already.
[23] The one that hates Me, hates My Father also.
Comments John 15:23 The verse tells all believers the truth because there is no difference between the Father and the Son: they are One. If you have listened to the Son, you have listened to the Father as well; when you do not believe in the Son, you also have not believed in the Father who sent Him. In this verse, most people concentrate on the word hate; but hate here is not the feeling of dislike or detest but refers to not accepting; His people did not accept His teaching when He told them where He was coming from.
Think this way as well, what reasons do people have to hate God? Humans have no reason to hate God, but they do have reason to hate the beloved Son of God because He has come down and taken the form of a human; the weakness of human God has tasted, and because of that, humans cannot accept that now God knows all weakness of humans because the Father has sent the beloved Son to be human, and use that human nature in condemning the human mistakes; however, this is not the true purpose that the beloved Son of God has come down to be human, He came down in order to save humans. The beloved Son of God in human form knows how much humans can take the suffering and when He has returned to the Father, that knowledge as human will save the human souls in the end. Therefore, when they have reason to hate the Son, they also hate the Father at the same time, and for that same reason, they hate both the Father and the Son. Humans put the meaning on the word hate, but does anyone think what hate means for the Lord? Hate for the Lord is nothing like humans understand hate; by not accepting the authority of God, that is hate as well; if you do not accept His authority, you have hated your Master.
[24] If I had not done among them the works which none other has done, they would have had not sin; now, however, also they have seen and have hated Me and My Father.
Comments John 15:24 “If I had not done among them …”; In this place, the beloved Son of God talks about His own people. He is walking among them and making miracles; their eyes have seen all things, but their hearts have gone against Him because, in them, they can only think that a human cannot be God. Even though miracles have been performed in front of their eyes, the hearts of their souls have wholly shut off from accepting Him. The sin that they have committed will not be forgiven until they open their hearts and recognize the beloved Son of God; until then, they will be in distress and have no joy of their soul as they should have, even if they are a people of God, if their hearts are not open, the Father will not open their hearts for them as well; this is the part which they have to do it themselves because the beloved Son of God is among them in this time already.
“now, however, also they have seen and have hated Me and My Father.” The beloved Son of God has told them that He and the Father are One, and He is doing the Father’s will in bringing them back to glorify the Father; they have seen the miracles that He performed in the name of the Father, but they still did not accept that is the work of God in taking them back to Him. If they did not accept the beloved Son and refused Him, for the Father Himself, that comes close to being a hateful nation to Him; however, in which nation did the Father send His Son to be born? The Father sent His Son among His people, and they did not accept His mercy for themselves. Therefore, respect and obedience flew from them when they did not accept the work the beloved Son of God has performed and the Word He has taught them.
[25] However, that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated Me without a cause.
Comments John 15:25 It has also been written by their own prophet that they will not accept the work of God among themselves, and that which is written in their law, it has been fulfilled because by themselves they have rejected the mercy of the Father for their souls: the nation that the Father has chosen for Himself has rejected Him and His Son. But, all things must be fulfilled according to what the prophet has told them, and it has been written in their own law as well, and they have studied the law, but they never accepted what they are studying.
“They hated Me without a cause.” Because during the beloved Son of God on earth, He did not condemn anyone, but all the time, He has shown love and mercy to them; even when they have rejected to listen to Him, they have no basic ground to reject Him, but in their own hearts they have built up the wall of rejection towards the beloved Son of God. And because of their own unbelief, they will bring judgment to all their nation, even if they are called to be God’s children.
Other nations accept Jesus more than His own people, but His own people, because of their own hearts, have turned against God and blame it as God’s fault for making the Holy Bible and claiming them as His nation; for them, the Bible itself makes people against them. But they want to be accepted among people, and for them, that is more important than being accepted by God; the darkness of mind has covered their hearts from being open to accepting the love of God for their nation.
[26] When the Intercessor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness concerning Me.
Comments John 15:26 “When the Intercessor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father.” Here in this verse, it is the proof to all readers as well, the beloved Son of God and the Father are One; remember the Holy Spirit as well is the Spirit of the Father, but this verse clearly tells that the beloved Son of God will send the Holy Spirit; so, here it has clearly shown that the Father and the Son are One and also share one Holy Spirit together. Whatever the Father wants, the beloved Son of God will do. As we know, remember the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father; so, if the Father does not want the Holy Spirit to come down, the beloved Son of God will not be able to send the Spirit of the Father to earth. Still, it is the Father’s will Himself for the Holy Spirit to come down on earth.
“the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father.” The Holy Spirit, as the verse has told, is sent from the Father; the Spirit of truth from the Father has come down for humans; the beloved Son of God has sent the Holy Spirit to humans, and the Holy Spirit has come forth from the Father Himself. Let all believers take note here as well: the Father always will listen to the Son, and also, the Father will do as the Son asks. The most important here is: the Father has sent His own Spirit, but the person who delivers the Spirit of the Father is the beloved Son of God who can handle the Most High Spirit because the beloved Son of God is One with the Father.
“He will bear witness concerning Me.” The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father, will be the One who bears witness related to the duty and authority of the beloved Son of God on earth. The Holy Spirit will remind all true believers that whatsoever the beloved Son of God has said, all things come from the Father, not only from Himself alone, and the Holy Spirit will testify to all concerning the authority of the beloved Son of God. Therefore, let all true believers listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance, and when you glorify God, do so in the Trinity of God; do not try to separate the worship in three, but always glorify the Trinity of God together, and all your needs will be heard. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father, is a continual witness on earth of the deity of the Son of God.
[27] Now you also bear witness, because you are with Me from the beginning.
Comments John 15:27 This verse is the concluding part of the theme itself; the beloved Son of God has talked to His disciples and given them the duty of spreading all the good news without holding any part secret. Whatever has been told to them, they must tell further, and they themselves become true witnesses of the beloved Son of God when they have gone out and spread the message to the people. This verse refers to the eyewitness of humans; during the beloved Son of God's living on earth, He was teaching the disciples, which is why they are His witnesses. It is important that Jesus has the Holy Spirit as His witness from the Father and the apostles as human witnesses. They are the eyewitnesses of His deity, His teachings, His miracles, His betrayal and trial, His crucifixion, His death, His burial, His bodily resurrection, and His ascension to the Father.
Life and Faith Application. 1) Trust in the mercy of the Lord Jesus and abide in His teachings, and the knowledge of the Holy Word will help you to sustain your mind and soul and think about the Holy Word; by constantly abiding in the Lord Jesus, your knowledge in the Holy Word can produce more fruit. 2) The Lord Jesus commands us to love one another as He loved us; therefore, pure love toward others wants to share the Holy Word with them. So, be ready to share the Word with those that the Lord brings in your way. 3) True believers in the Lord Jesus must share their beliefs and tell others about the Lord; however, we must listen to the Lord Jesus speaking into our hearts when to share. But, when we stand for the Lord Jesus, remember as well that as they persecuted the Lord Jesus, our master, they will persecute us as well. 4) The Bible and the Holy Spirit bear witness about the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit dictated the Holy Bible to the writers word by word; therefore, pray, read, and meditate on the Word of God.