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。

Chapter 15

The Vine and the Branches. [a]“I am the true vine,[b] and my Father is the vine grower.(A) He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes[c] so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.(B) Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. [d](C)Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.(D) By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.(E) As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.(F) 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.(G)

11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.(H) 12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.(I) 13 [e]No one has greater love than this,(J) to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,[f] because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.(K) 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.(L) 17 This I command you: love one another.(M)

The World’s Hatred.[g] 18 “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.(N) 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.(O) 20 Remember the word I spoke to you,[h] ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.(P) 21 And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,[i] because they do not know the one who sent me.(Q) 22 If I had not come and spoken[j] to them, they would have no sin; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin.(R) 23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father.(S) 24 If I had not done works among them that no one else ever did, they would not have sin; but as it is, they have seen and hated both me and my Father.(T) 25 But in order that the word written in their law[k] might be fulfilled, ‘They hated me without cause.’(U)

26 “When the Advocate comes whom I will send[l] you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.(V) 27 And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 15:1–16:4 Discourse on the union of Jesus with his disciples. His words become a monologue and go beyond the immediate crisis of the departure of Jesus.
  2. 15:1–17 Like Jn 10:1–5, this passage resembles a parable. Israel is spoken of as a vineyard at Is 5:1–7; Mt 21:33–46 and as a vine at Ps 80:9–17; Jer 2:21; Ez 15:2; 17:5–10; 19:10; Hos 10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Ps 80:15 and Wisdom’s description of herself as a vine in Sir 24:17 are further background for portrayal of Jesus by this figure. There may be secondary eucharistic symbolism here; cf. Mk 14:25, “the fruit of the vine.”
  3. 15:2 Takes away…prunes: in Greek there is a play on two related verbs.
  4. 15:6 Branches were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard for later use as fuel.
  5. 15:13 For one’s friends: or: “those whom one loves.” In Jn 15:9–13a, the words for love are related to the Greek agapaō. In Jn 15:13b–15, the words for love are related to the Greek phileō. For John, the two roots seem synonymous and mean “to love”; cf. also Jn 21:15–17. The word philos is used here.
  6. 15:15 Slaves…friends: in the Old Testament, Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh”; only Abraham (Is 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; cf. Jas 2:23) was called a “friend of God.”
  7. 15:18–16:4 The hostile reaction of the world. There are synoptic parallels, predicting persecution, especially at Mt 10:17–25; 24:9–10.
  8. 15:20 The word I spoke to you: a reference to Jn 13:16.
  9. 15:21 On account of my name: the idea of persecution for Jesus’ name is frequent in the New Testament (Mt 10:22; 24:9; Acts 9:14). For John, association with Jesus’ name implies union with Jesus.
  10. 15:22, 24 Jesus’ words (spoken) and deeds (works) are the great motives of credibility. They have seen and hated: probably means that they have seen his works and still have hated; but the Greek can be read: “have seen both me and my Father and still have hated both me and my Father.” Works…that no one else ever did: so Yahweh in Dt 4:32–33.
  11. 15:25 In their law: law is here used as a larger concept than the Pentateuch, for the reference is to Ps 35:19 or Ps 69:5. See notes on Jn 10:34; 12:34. Their law reflects the argument of the church with the synagogue.
  12. 15:26 Whom I will send: in Jn 14:16, 26, the Paraclete is to be sent by the Father, at the request of Jesus. Here the Spirit comes from both Jesus and the Father in mission; there is no reference here to the eternal procession of the Spirit.

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Jesús, la vid verdadera

15 »Yo soy la vid verdadera, y mi Padre es el labrador. Toda rama que en mí no da fruto, la corta; pero toda rama que da fruto la poda[a] para que dé más fruto todavía. Vosotros ya estáis limpios por la palabra que os he comunicado. Permaneced en mí, y yo permaneceré en vosotros. Así como ninguna rama puede dar fruto por sí misma, sino que tiene que permanecer en la vid, así tampoco vosotros podéis dar fruto si no permanecéis en mí.

»Yo soy la vid y vosotros las ramas. El que permanece en mí, como yo en él, dará mucho fruto; separados de mí no podéis hacer nada. El que no permanece en mí es desechado y se seca, como las ramas que se recogen, se arrojan al fuego y se queman. Si permanecéis en mí y mis palabras permanecen en vosotros, pedid lo que queráis, y se os concederá. Mi Padre es glorificado si dais mucho fruto, mostrando así que sois mis discípulos.

»Así como el Padre me ha amado a mí, también yo los he amado a vosotros. Permaneced en mi amor. 10 Si obedecéis mis mandamientos, permaneceréis en mi amor, así como yo he obedecido los mandamientos de mi Padre y permanezco en su amor. 11 Os he dicho esto para que tengáis mi alegría y vuestra alegría sea completa. 12 Y este es mi mandamiento: que os améis unos a otros, como yo os he amado. 13 Nadie tiene amor más grande que el dar la vida por sus amigos. 14 Vosotros sois mis amigos si hacéis lo que yo os mando. 15 Ya no os llamo siervos, porque el siervo no está al tanto de lo que hace su amo; os he llamado amigos, porque todo lo que a mi Padre le oí decir os lo he dado a conocer. 16 No me escogisteis vosotros a mí, sino que yo os escogí a vosotros y os comisioné para que vayáis y deis fruto, un fruto que perdure. Así el Padre os dará todo lo que le pidáis en mi nombre. 17 Este es mi mandamiento: que os améis unos a otros.

Jesús y sus discípulos aborrecidos por el mundo

18 »Si el mundo os aborrece, tened presente que, antes que a vosotros, me aborreció a mí. 19 Si fuerais del mundo, el mundo os amaría como a los suyos. Pero vosotros no sois del mundo, sino que yo os he escogido de entre el mundo. Por eso el mundo os aborrece. 20 Recordad lo que os dije: “Ningún siervo es más que su amo”.[b] Si a mí me han perseguido, también a vosotros os perseguirán. Si han obedecido mis enseñanzas, también obedecerán las vuestras. 21 Os tratarán así por causa de mi nombre, porque no conocen al que me envió. 22 Si yo no hubiera venido ni les hubiera hablado, no serían culpables de pecado. Pero ahora no tienen excusa por su pecado. 23 El que me aborrece a mí también aborrece a mi Padre. 24 Si yo no hubiera hecho entre ellos las obras que ningún otro antes ha realizado, no serían culpables de pecado. Pero ahora las han visto, y sin embargo a mí y a mi Padre nos han aborrecido. 25 Pero esto sucede para que se cumpla lo que está escrito en la ley de ellos: “Me odiaron sin motivo”.[c]

26 »Cuando venga el Consolador, que yo os enviaré de parte del Padre, el Espíritu de verdad que procede del Padre, él testificará acerca de mí. 27 Y también vosotros daréis testimonio, porque habéis estado conmigo desde el principio.

Footnotes

  1. 15:2 poda. Alt. limpia.
  2. 15:20 Jn 13:16
  3. 15:25 Sal 35:19; 69:4