---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  John 15"
description: "CHAPTER 15   :-. DISCOURSE AT THE
SUPPER TABLE
CONTINUED. 1-8. The spiritual oneness of
Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of a"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15"
---

CHAPTER 15

. DISCOURSE AT THE
SUPPER TABLE
CONTINUED.

**1-8.** *The spiritual oneness of
Christ and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of all
their spiritual life and fruitfulness,* are here beautifully set
forth by a figure familiar to Jewish ears (, &c.).
**I am the true vine**—of
whom the vine of *nature* is but a shadow.
**my Father is the
husbandman**—the great Proprietor of the vineyard, the Lord of
the spiritual kingdom. (It is surely unnecessary to point out the
claim to *supreme divinity* involved in this).

**2. Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit . . . every branch that beareth fruit**—As in a fruit
tree, some branches may be *fruitful,* others quite *barren,*
according as there is a *vital connection* between the branch
and the stock, or *no vital connection;* so the disciples of
Christ may be spiritually fruitful or the reverse, according as they
are *vitally* and *spiritually connected* with Christ, or
but *externally* and *mechanically attached* to Him. The
fruitless He "taketh away" (see on ); the fruitful He "purgeth" (cleanseth,
pruneth)—*stripping it,* as the husbandman does, *of what is
rank* ([Mark 4:19](../../../kjv/mark/4/19)), "that
it may bring forth more fruit"; a process often painful, but no
less needful and beneficial than in the natural husbandry.

**3. Now**—rather, "Already."
**ye are clean through**—by
reason of.
**the word I have spoken to
you**—already in a purified, fruitful condition, in consequence
of the long action upon them of that searching "word" which
was "as a refiner's fire" ([Malachi 3:2](../../../kjv/malachi/3/2);
[Malachi 3:3](../../../kjv/malachi/3/3)).

**4. Abide in me, and I in you; as the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine,**
&c.—As all spiritual fruitfulness had been ascribed to the
mutual *inhabitation,* and living, active *interpenetration*
(so to speak) of Christ and His disciples, so here the keeping up of
this vital connection is made essential to continued fruitfulness.

**5. without me**—apart, or
vitally disconnected from Me.
**ye can do
nothing**—spiritually, acceptably.

**6. If a man abide not in me, he is
cast forth as a branch . . . withered . . . cast into the fire . . .
burned**—The one proper use of the vine is to *bear fruit;*
failing this, it is good for one other thing—*fuel.* (See ). How awfully striking the figure, in this view of it!

**7. If ye abide in me, and my words .
. . in you**—Mark the change from the inhabitation of *Himself*
to that of His *words,* paving the way for the subsequent
exhortations ([John 15:9](../../../kjv/john/15/9); [John 15:10](../../../kjv/john/15/10)).
**ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you**—because this indwelling of His words in
them would secure the harmony of their askings with the divine will.

**8. glorified that ye bear much
fruit**—not only from His delight in it for its own sake, but as
from "the juices of the Living Vine."
**so shall ye be my
disciples**—*evidence* your discipleship.

**9-11. continue ye in my love**—not,
"Continue to love Me," but, "Continue in the
possession and enjoyment of My love to you"; as is evident from
the next words.

**10. If ye keep my commandments, ye
shall abide in my love**—the obedient spirit of true discipleship
cherishing and attracting the continuance and increase of Christ's
love; and this, He adds, was the secret even of His own abiding in
His Father's love!

**9-11. continue ye in my love**—not,
"Continue to love Me," but, "Continue in the
possession and enjoyment of My love to you"; as is evident from
the next words.

**12-16. That ye love one another,**
&c.—(See on [John 15:1](../../../kjv/john/15/1)).

**13. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends**—The emphasis
lies not on "friends," but on "*laying down his
life*" for them; that is, "One can show no greater
regard for those dear to him than to give his life for them, and this
is the love ye shall find in Me."

**14. Ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you**—hold yourselves in absolute subjection
to Me.

**15. Henceforth I call you not
servants**—that is, *in the sense explained* in the next
words; for servants He still calls them (), and they delight to call themselves so, in the sense of
being "under law to Christ" ().
**the servant knoweth not what
his lord doeth**—knows nothing of his master's *plans* and
*reasons,* but simply receives and executes his orders.
**but . . . friends, for all
things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto
you**—admitted you to free, unrestrained fellowship, keeping back
nothing from you which I have received to communicate. (Compare
[Genesis 18:17](../../../kjv/genesis/18/17); [Psalms 25:14](../../../kjv/psalms/25/14);
[Isaiah 50:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/50/4)).

**16. Ye have not chosen me, but I . .
. you**—a wholesale memento after the lofty things He had just
said about their mutual indwelling, and the unreservedness of the
friendship they had been admitted to.
**ordained**—appointed.
**you, that ye should go and
bring forth fruit**—that is, give yourselves to it.
**and that your fruit should
remain**—showing itself to be an imperishable and ever growing
principle. (Compare [Proverbs 4:18](../../../kjv/proverbs/4/18);
[2 John 1:8](../../../kjv/2-john/1/8)).
**that whatsoever ye shall ask,**
&c.—(See on [John 15:1](../../../kjv/john/15/1)).

**17-21.** The substance of these
important verses has occurred more than once before. (See on ; , &c.).

**22-25.** (See on ).
**If I had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not had sin**—*comparatively* none; all
other sins being light compared with the rejection of the Son of God.
**now they have no cloak for
their sin**—rather, "pretext."

**24. If I had not done . . . the
works which none other . . . did**—(See on ).

**25. that the word might be fulfilled
. . . They hated me without a cause**—quoted from the Messianic
[Psalms 69:4](../../../kjv/psalms/69/4), applied also in the
same sense in [John 2:17](../../../kjv/john/2/17); [Acts 1:20](../../../kjv/acts/1/20);
[Romans 11:9](../../../kjv/romans/11/9); [Romans 11:10](../../../kjv/romans/11/10);
[Romans 15:3](../../../kjv/romans/15/3).

**26, 27.** (See on ; [John 15:1](../../../kjv/john/15/1)).

**27. ye also shall bear
witness**—rather, "are witnesses"; with reference
indeed to their *future* witness-bearing, but putting the
emphasis upon their *present* ample opportunities for acquiring
their qualifications for that great office, inasmuch as they had been
"with Him from the beginning." (See on ).

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  John 15"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  John 15","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"CHAPTER 15   :-. DISCOURSE AT THE\nSUPPER TABLE\nCONTINUED. 1-8. The spiritual oneness of\nChrist and His people, and His relation to them as the Source of a","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john","name":"John"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/john/15","name":"15"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```