The Gospel of John for Youth
Commentary by Pastor Ron Beckham

John Chapter 15

(Words in red in the Scriptures are the words of Jesus)

Verse 1. "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser."

Jesus is to you like the Tree is to the branches. God the Father is like the One who cares for the Tree. Everything you have and are is from the Lord. He cares for you.

Verse 2. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."

On a grape vine, "suckers" will appear which do not produce grapes. You are like a grape vine that produces "fruit" for God. He will prune away any "suckers" in your life that would hold you back.

Verse 3. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."

When you read the Word of God (the Bible) it makes you clean. You are made clean inside by learning of Him.

Verse 4. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

Live in Jesus and let Him live in you. If you want to make something really GOOD out of your life, trust in Him.

Verse 5. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

If you trust in Jesus and love Him, just like the branches of a grapevine produce grapes, the works of God will flow through you to others. You cannot do the works of God unless you trust in Jesus.

Verse 6. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned."

There are many people who do not trust in Jesus. They are like grapevines that never bear grapes and are useless to God.

Verse 7. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

If you really TRUST in Jesus and listen to Him, your prayers will be answered.

Verse 8. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

To "bear much fruit" is to love other people with God's love. To love is to prove that you are a disciple (student) of Jesus.

Verse 9. "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love."

God the Father loves God the Son (Jesus), and you are loved. Trust in Him and let His love fill you.

Verse 10. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

If you keep God's commandments, you will be full of His love. What ARE His commands? - (See verse 12).

Verse 11. "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

If you trust in Jesus and let His love fill your life, you will find the joy of the Lord.

Verse 12. "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."

Jesus COMMANDS that you love people, just as He has loved you. But don't be worried, for He will help you to love.

Verse 13. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

The greatest love is when you give up what YOU want so that someone else can have what THEY want. Jesus gave up everything for you and me.

Verse 14. "You are My friends if you do what I command you."

Do you want to be Jesus' friend? Then do what He commands and love others.

Verse 15. "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

We are not some kind of "slave" who is forced to do things. When we trust in Jesus and let His love fill us, we become His friends. Jesus is our friend - He has told us everything.

Verse 16. "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you."

The Lord has carefully chosen YOU for Himself. He loves you and wants to give to you. He wants you to pray and He longs to answer your every need.

Verse 17. "This I command you, that you love one another."

Just like Jesus said in verse 12, He really only wants one thing from your life - to love others with His love.

Verse 18. "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you."

Sometimes you feel hated by others. When that happens, remember that the world hated Jesus first, long before we were born.

Verse 19. "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."

To be "popular" with people is not as good as knowing Jesus. He is giving you Himself and He will be with you - forever. People may not like you if you love the Lord.

Verse 20. "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.'"

Let Jesus be in your heart and life. People were jealous of Jesus and were cruel to Him. It is possible they may not like you. But if they love Him, they will love you, too.

Verse 21. "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me."

Some people may not like you, just because you love Jesus. Such people do not know God.

Verse 22. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin."

Jesus came to the world and taught us that we must trust in Him and love one another. Inside, people know they should love and they have no excuse when they don't.

Verse 23. "He who hates Me hates My Father also."

If you don't like Jesus Christ, then you don't like God the Father, either.

Verse 24. "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well."

Jesus gave His love freely, doing many miracles that helped people. He PROVED He is the Son of God. To dislike Him is to show that you don't like God the Father.

Verse 25. "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'"

There is no reason to hate Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He loves you and proved it by dying in your place. As it says in Psalm 69:4, they were wrong to hate Him.

Verse 26. "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,"

In dying, Jesus Christ gave the Holy Spirit of God to all who trust in Him. Ask God about Jesus, and the "Spirit of truth" will help you understand His love.

Verse 27. "and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

Jesus was talking to His disciples (students) who had been with Him from the first time He shared Himself with the world. He is also speaking to you and me.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
ron@fridaystudy.org