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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。”

The branches must stay in the vine

15 Jesus said, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.[a] Some branches that are part of me may have no fruit on them. My Father completely removes all those branches. But other branches do have fruit. My Father cuts all those branches to make them better. Then they will be good and make more fruit. The words that I have spoken to you have made you good already. Continue to live in me, and I will continue to live in you. A branch cannot make fruit by itself. It can make fruit only if it continues to be part of the vine. You are like that. You cannot make fruit unless you continue to live in me.[b]

I am the vine, and you are the branches. You must continue to live in me and I must continue to live in you. Only if you do that will you make plenty of fruit. That is because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, that person is like a dead branch. The gardener will throw that branch away and it will die. People throw all those dead branches into the fire so that they burn. You must remain in me, and my teaching must remain in you. Then you may ask for anything that you want. God will do it for you. If you make plenty of fruit, that will give honour to my Father. You will show that you are truly my disciples.

I have loved you in the same way that the Father has loved me. Continue to live in a way that shows my love. 10 If you obey what I have told you, you will be living in my love. In the same way, I have obeyed what my Father has told me to do. In that way, I live in his love. 11 I want you to be completely happy, in the same way that I myself am happy. That is why I have told you these things.

12 This is the rule that I give to you: You must love each other, in the same way that I have loved you. 13 A person really loves his friends if he dies so that they can live. Nobody could love anyone more than that. 14 And you are my friends, if you obey my message. 15 A servant does not know what his master is doing. So I do not call you servants any more. No, I call you my friends. This is because I have told you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I chose you to go and to make plenty of fruit. That kind of fruit will continue always. For that reason, the Father will help you with anything that you ask him. If you ask him in my name, he will do it for you.[c] 17 This is what I tell you to do: You must love each other.’

People will hate the disciples

18 ‘The people who belong to this world may hate you. But remember this: They hated me before they hated you. 19 If you belonged to this world, this world's people would love you. They would love you because you would belong with them. But I chose you so that you would be separate from this world's people. You do not belong with them, so they hate you. 20 Remember what I told you: “No servant is more important than his master is.” If they have caused trouble for me, they will also cause trouble for you. But if they have obeyed my message, they will also obey your message. 21 They will do all these things to you because you belong to me. They will do them because they do not know the one who sent me.

22 I have come and I have spoken my message to them. If I had not done that, they would not have been guilty of their sin. But now they cannot say, “We have not done anything wrong.” 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 When I was with them, I did many great things. Nobody else ever did things like that. If I had not done those great things among them, they would not have known what is wrong. But they have seen what I did. As a result, they have hated me, and they have hated my Father too. 25 Their book of God's Law says, “They hated me without any good reason.”[d] What that book already said long ago had to happen.

26 When I return to my Father, I will send the Helper to you. The Helper is God's Spirit who speaks only true things. He comes to you from the Father. I will send him to you and he will speak true things about me. 27 You also must speak to people about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.’

Footnotes

  1. 15:1 A vine is a plant that has many small, sweet fruits called grapes. People make wine from grapes.
  2. 15:4 Jesus speaks about fruit as a picture of the good things that will happen if we keep near to him, like a branch that belongs to a vine.
  3. 15:16 Jesus says that his disciples should ask for things ‘in his name’. This means ‘because they belong to him’. So they will ask only for things that God is happy to give to them.
  4. 15:25 See Psalms 35:19; 69:4.

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am(A) the true vine,(B) and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,(C) while every branch that does bear fruit(D) he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.(E) Remain in me, as I also remain in you.(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;(G) apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.(H) If you remain in me(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(J) This is to my Father’s glory,(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.(L)

“As the Father has loved me,(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands,(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.(O) 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.(P) 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.(Q) 14 You are my friends(R) if you do what I command.(S) 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.(T) 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you(U) so that you might go and bear fruit(V)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.(W) 17 This is my command: Love each other.(X)

The World Hates the Disciples

18 “If the world hates you,(Y) keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you(Z) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.(AA) 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b](AB) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.(AC) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name,(AD) for they do not know the one who sent me.(AE) 22 If I had not come and spoken to them,(AF) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.(AG) 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did,(AH) they would not be guilty of sin.(AI) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:(AJ) ‘They hated me without reason.’[c](AK)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

26 “When the Advocate(AL) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father(AM)—the Spirit of truth(AN) who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.(AO) 27 And you also must testify,(AP) for you have been with me from the beginning.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans.
  2. John 15:20 John 13:16
  3. John 15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:4