Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Jesus the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean through the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If a man does not remain in Me, he is thrown out as a branch and withers. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also loved you. Remain in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. ¹¹ I have spoken these things to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I have heard from My Father have I made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that the Father may give you whatever you ask Him in My name. ¹⁷ This I command you: that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, the world therefore 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 also persecute you. If they kept My words, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴ If I had not performed among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now have they seen and hated both My Father and Me. ²⁵ But that the word which is written in their law might be fulfilled, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’^[a]

²⁶ “But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

16 “I have spoken these things to you so that you will not fall away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he is offering a service to God. ³ They will do these things to you, because they have not known the Father nor Me. ⁴ I have told you these things, so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.

The Work of the Spirit

“I did not tell you these things at the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ Rather, sorrow has filled your heart because I have told you these things. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸ When He comes, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I am going to My Father, and you will see Me no more; ¹¹ and of judgment, because the ruler of this world stands condemned.

¹² “I have yet many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own authority. But He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will receive from Me and will declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is Mine. Therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and will declare it to you.

Sorrow Will Turn Into Joy

¹⁶ “In a little while you will not see Me. And then after a little while you will see Me, because I am going to the Father.”

¹⁷ Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this He is telling us: ‘In a little while you will not see Me; and then after a little while you will see Me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’? ” ¹⁸ Then they said, “What is this He is telling us: ‘In a little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

¹⁹ Then Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him. So He said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning what I said: ‘In a little while you will not see Me; and then after a little while you will see Me’? ²⁰ Truly, truly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹ When a woman is giving birth, she has pain, because her hour has come. But as soon as she delivers the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a child is born into the world. ²² Therefore you now have sorrow. But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. ²³ On that day you will ask Me nothing. Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. ²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

I Have Overcome the World

²⁵ “I have told you these things in proverbs. But the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, for I will speak to you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ On that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying to you that I shall ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world. As I said, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples said to Him, “Yes! Now You are speaking plainly and with no figure of speech. ³⁰ Now we know that You know everything and do not need anyone to question You. By this we believe that You came from God.”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Listen, the hour is coming. Yes, it has now come that you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me.

³³ “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”