真葡萄树

15 耶稣说:“我是真葡萄树,我父是栽培的人。 属于我的枝子如果不结果子,祂就把它剪掉;如果结果子,祂便修剪它,让它结更多的果子。 我对你们所讲的道已经使你们洁净了。 你们要常在我里面,我就常在你们里面。枝子若离开葡萄树,就不能结果子。同样,你们若不常在我里面,也不能结果子。

“我是葡萄树,你们是枝子。常在我里面的,我也常在他里面,他就会多结果子,因为你们离开了我什么都不能做。 不常在我里面的人就像丢在外面枯干的枝子,最后只有被人拾起来丢在火里烧掉。 如果你们常在我里面,我的话也常在你们里面,无论你们求什么,都会得到应允。 你们多结果子,证明自己是我的门徒,就会给我父带来荣耀。 父怎样爱我,我也怎样爱你们。你们要常在我的爱中。 10 你们若遵守我的命令,就必常在我的爱中,正如我遵守了父的命令,常在父的爱中一样。

11 “我把这些事告诉你们,是要叫你们心里有我的喜乐,让你们的喜乐满溢。 12 你们要彼此相爱,像我爱你们一样,这就是我的命令。 13 为朋友舍命可以说是人间最伟大的爱了。 14 你们如果照我的吩咐去做,就是我的朋友。 15 我不再称你们为奴仆,因为奴仆不知道主人的事。我称你们为朋友,因为我把从父那里听见的一切都告诉了你们。 16 不是你们拣选了我,而是我拣选了你们,并且派你们出去结永存的果子。这样,你们奉我的名无论向父求什么,祂都会赐给你们。 17 我把这些事吩咐你们,是要叫你们彼此相爱。

被世人憎恶

18 “如果世人恨你们,要知道,他们恨你们以前已经恨我了。 19 如果你们属于这个世界,世人一定会爱你们。可是你们不属于这世界,我已经把你们拣选出来,因此世人恨你们。 20 你们要记住我说的话,‘奴仆不能大过主人。’他们若迫害我,也必迫害你们;他们若遵行我的话,也必遵行你们的话。 21 世人将因为我的名而这样对待你们,因为他们不认识差我来的那位。 22 我如果没有来教导他们,他们就没有罪了,但现在他们的罪无可推诿。 23 恨我的,也恨我的父。 24 我如果没有在他们当中行过空前的神迹,他们就没有罪了。然而,他们亲眼看见了,竟然还恨我和我的父。 25 这是要应验他们律法书上的话,‘他们无故地恨我。’

26 “我要从父那里为你们差护慰者来,祂就是从父而来的真理之灵。祂来了要为我做见证。 27 你们也要为我做见证,因为你们从开始就与我在一起。

The Community of the Witnesses to Christ[a]

Chapter 15

Union with Jesus[b]

“I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinegrower.
He removes every branch
that does not bear fruit,
and every branch that does
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You have already been cleansed
by the word I have spoken to you.
“Abide in me,
as I abide in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself
unless it abides in the vine,
so you cannot bear fruit
unless you abide in me.
“I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me, and I in him,
will bear much fruit.
Apart from me you can do nothing.
Whoever does not abide in me
will be thrown away like a withered branch.
Such branches are gathered up,
thrown into the fire, and burned.
“If you abide in me
and my words abide in you,
you may ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit
and become my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me,
so have I loved you.
Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments,
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you these things
so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.

Love as Jesus Does[c]

12 “This is my commandment:
love one another
as I have loved you.
13 No one can have greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends
if you do what I command you.
15 “I shall no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know
what his master is doing.
I have called you friends
because I have revealed to you
everything that I have heard from my Father.
16 “You did not choose me.
Rather, I chose you.
And I appointed you
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will remain,
so that the Father may give you
whatever you ask him in my name.
17 The command I give you is this:
love one another.

Witnesses to Jesus in the Face of the World’s Hatred[d]

18 “If the world hates you,
be aware that it hated me
before it hated you.
19 If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own.
But you do not belong to the world
because I have chosen you out of the world,
and therefore the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you:
‘a servant is not greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you.
If they kept my word,
they will keep yours as well.
21 But they will do all these things to you
on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.
22 “If I had not come
and spoken to them,
they would not be guilty of sin,
but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me
hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done works among them
that no one else had ever done,
they would not be guilty of sin.
But now they have seen and hated
both me and my Father.
25 All this was to fulfill the word
that is inscribed in their Law:
‘They hated me without cause.’
26 “When the Advocate comes
whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father,
he will testify on my behalf.
27 And you also are my witnesses
because you have been with me from the beginning.

Footnotes

  1. John 15:1 To the Lord’s testament (farewell discourse) were added new instructions, as though to complete it. No doubt people did not want to lose other words of the Master, often meditated on, to explain the condition of the Christian community.
    It is the life of the community on which these chapters throw light. In this group of texts, chs. 13 to 17, none of our usual words are pronounced; People of God, Body of Christ, Church, congregation. The words preferred are: to abide in, to love, to testify. In ch. 16, an image is used that suggests this mystery: the image of the vine and the branches. In these texts, love is above all a characteristic of the community itself. It is the Spirit who gives these groups the strength to exist as people of love and as witnesses of Christ.
  2. John 15:1 Every reader of the Bible knows that the image of the vine suggests not only the union but also the tragic relationship between God and Israel. The Prophets rebuked the people of the Old Testament for not producing the fruit God expected of them, for being a spouse often unfaithful to her calling to bear witness to God among the nations (see Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Ezek 19:10-14; Hos 10:1). Jesus is the new Israel, the only vine that the Father has planted. This means that the radical, constitutive reality of the Church is her inclusion in Christ through Baptism, grace, and close attachment, and that any fruitfulness the disciple may have depends on this union with Christ.
  3. John 15:12 There are many reasons for people to regroup: affinity, interest, defense. But the Christian community has only one reason: Christ and his choice of us. It also has only one way of life: to love like Christ, who went so far as to give his life. To have Christ’s love is a gift. Then prayer is not a delusion; then the Christian community’s mission can bear fruit. The fruit has already been given: God’s love for us. In Christianity all is a gift.
  4. John 15:18 The trial of Jesus, which the fourth Gospel unveils all through its pages, will not cease until the Father, to whom he is going, will have rendered justice to him in glorifying him. This drama, which people sometimes would like to conceal through reassuring words and sentiments, will not cease until the end of time. Persecution awaits Jesus, not because of some fatal error but because Christianity is different from what we want and claim it to be.
    The early Christians were excluded from the synagogue; hatred and violence were stirred up against them under the guise of religion. Blindness and stubbornness: this is the world in the Johannine sense, the world of the persecutors. The Spirit is the strength and the light that assists the persecuted to hold fast in this affront, which no doubt also comes to pass in the heart of every believer.

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am(A) the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes,(B) and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean(C) because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.(D) I am the vine; (E) you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit,(F) because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside(G) like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire,(H) and they are burned.(I) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.(J) My Father is glorified(K) by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] my disciples.

Christlike Love

“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.(L) 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.(M)

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.(N)

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved(O) you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life(P) for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master[b](Q) is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you.(R) I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask(S) the Father in my name,(T) he will give you.(U)

17 “This is what I command you: Love one another.

Persecutions Predicted

18 “If the world hates(V) you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen(W) you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’(X) If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word,(Y) they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name,(Z) because they don’t know(AA) the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.(AB) Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Father.(AC) 24 If I had not done the works(AD) among them that no one else has done,(AE) they would not be guilty of sin.(AF) Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled:(AG) They hated me for no reason.[c](AH)

The Counselor’s Ministry

26 “When the Counselor(AI) comes, the one I will send to you from the Father(AJ) —the Spirit of truth(AK) who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify,(AL) because you have been with me from the beginning.

Footnotes

  1. 15:8 Or and become
  2. 15:15 Or lord
  3. 15:25 Ps 69:4

耶穌是真葡萄樹

15 “我是真葡萄樹,我父是培植的人。 所有屬我而不結果子的枝子,他就剪去;所有結果子的,他就修剪乾淨,讓它結更多的果子。 現在你們因著我對你們所講的道,已經乾淨了。 你們要住在我裡面,我也就住在你們裡面。枝子若不連在葡萄樹上,自己就不能結果子;你們若不住在我裡面,也是這樣。 我是葡萄樹,你們是枝子。住在我裡面的,我也住在他裡面,他就結出很多果子;因為離開了我,你們就不能作甚麼。 人若不住在我裡面,就像枝子丟在外面枯乾了,人把它們拾起來,丟在火裡燒掉了。 你們若住在我裡面,我的話也留在你們裡面;無論你們想要甚麼,祈求,就給你們成就。 這樣,你們結出很多果子,我父就因此得榮耀,你們也就是我的門徒了。 父怎樣愛我,我也怎樣愛你們;你們要住在我的愛裡。 10 如果你們遵守我的命令,就必定住在我的愛裡,正像我遵守了我父的命令,住在他的愛裡一樣。

11 “我把這些事告訴了你們,好讓我的喜樂存在你們心裡,並且使你們的喜樂滿溢。 12 你們要彼此相愛,像我愛你們一樣,這就是我的命令。 13 人為朋友捨命,人間的愛沒有比這個更大的了。 14 你們若行我所吩咐你們的,就是我的朋友了。 15 我不再稱你們為僕人,因為僕人不知道主人所作的事;我已經稱你們為朋友了,因為我從我父那裡聽見的一切,都已經告訴你們了。 16 不是你們揀選了我,而是我揀選了你們,並且分派你們去結果子,就是結常存的果子,使你們奉我的名,無論向父求甚麼,他必定賜給你們。 17 我把這些事吩咐你們,是要你們彼此相愛。

世人恨主也恨門徒

18 “如果世人恨你們,你們要知道他們在恨你們以先,已經恨我了。 19 你們若屬於這世界,世人必定愛屬自己的;但因為你們不屬於世界,而是我從世界中揀選了你們,所以世人就恨你們。 20 你們要記住我對你們說過的話:‘僕人不能大過主人。’他們若迫害我,也必定迫害你們;他們若遵守我的話,也必定遵守你們的話。 21 但他們因著我的名,要向你們行這一切,因為他們不認識那差我來的。 22 如果我沒有來,也沒有對他們講過甚麼,他們就沒有罪;但現在他們的罪是無可推諉的了。 23 恨我的,也恨我的父。 24 如果我沒有在他們中間作過別人沒有作過的事,他們就沒有罪;但現在我和我的父,他們都看見了,也都恨惡。 25 這就應驗了他們律法上所寫的話:‘他們無故地恨我。’

26 “我從父那裡要差來給你們的保惠師,就是從父那裡出來的真理的靈,他來到的時候,要為我作見證。 27 你們也要作見證,因為從開始你們就是跟我在一起的。”