14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. Cf. vv. 21–24. Love for Christ is inseparable from obedience (see Luke 6:46; 1 John 5:2, 3). “My commandments” are not only Jesus’ ethical commandments in context (vv. 23, 24), but the entire revelation from the Father (see 3:31, 32; 12:47–49; 17:6).
14:16 pray the Father. The priestly and intercessory work of Christ began with the request that the Father send the Holy Spirit to indwell in the people of faith (7:39; 15:26; 16:7; see note on 20:22; cf. Acts 1:8; 2:4, 33). another. The Gr. word specifically means another of the same kind, i.e., someone like Jesus Himself who will take His place and do His work. The Spirit of Christ is the Third Person of the Trinity, having the same essence of deity as Jesus and as perfectly one with Him as He is with the Father. Helper. The Gr. term here lit. means “one called alongside to help” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts (see note on 16:7). “Abiding” has to do with His permanent residence in believers (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 12:13).
14:17 Spirit of truth. He is the Spirit of truth in that He is the source of truth and communicates the truth to His own (v. 26; 16:12–15). Apart from Him, men cannot know God’s truth (1 Cor. 2:12–16; 1 John 2:20, 27). dwells with you and will be in you. This indicates some distinction between the ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers before and after Pentecost. While clearly the Holy Spirit has been with all who have ever believed throughout redemptive history as the source of truth, faith, and life, Jesus is saying something new is coming in His ministry. John 7:37–39 indicates this unique ministry would be like “rivers of living water.” Acts 19:1–7 introduces some Old Covenant believers who had not received the Holy Spirit in this unique fullness and intimacy. Cf. Acts 1:8; 2:1–4; 1 Cor. 12:11–13.
14:18 orphans. In this veiled reference to His death, He promised not to leave them alone (Rom. 8:9).
14:18, 19 I will come to you…you will see Me. First, He was referring to His resurrection, after which they would see Him (20:19–29). There is no record that any unbelievers saw Him after He rose (see 1 Cor. 15:1–9). In another sense, this has reference to the mystery of the Trinity. Through the coming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus would be back with His children (16:16; cf. Matt. 28:20; Rom. 8:9; 1 John 4:13).
14:19 you will live also. Because of His resurrection and by the indwelling life of the Spirit of Christ, believers possess eternal life (see Rom. 6:1–11; Col. 3:1–4).
14:20 At that day. This refers to His resurrection when He returns to them alive.
14:21–24 Once again, Jesus emphasized the need for the habitual practice of obedience to His commands as evidence of the believer’s love for Him and the Father (see note on v. 15). This is consistent with the teaching of James 2:14–26 that true saving faith is manifest by works produced by God in the transforming, regenerating power of the Spirit. Those works are expressions of the love which the Spirit pours into the believer’s heart (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22).
14:26 will teach you all things. The Holy Spirit energized the hearts and minds of the apostles in their ministry, helping them to produce the NT Scripture. The disciples had failed to understand many things about Jesus and what He taught; but because of this supernatural work, they came to an inerrant and accurate understanding of the Lord and His work, and recorded it in the gospels and the rest of the NT Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21). See note on 16:7.
14:27 Peace I leave…not as the world gives. The word “peace” reflects the Heb. “Shalom,” which became a greeting to His disciples after the resurrection (20:19–26). At the individual level this peace, unknown to the unsaved, secures composure in difficult trouble (cf. v. 1), dissolves fear (Phil. 4:7), and rules in the hearts of God’s people to maintain harmony (Col. 3:15). The greatest reality of this peace will be in the messianic kingdom (Num. 6:26; Ps. 29:11; Is. 9:6, 7; 52:7; 54:13; 57:19; Ezek. 37:26; Hag. 2:9; cf. Acts 10:36; Rom. 1:7; 5:1; 14:17).
14:28 greater than I. He was not admitting inferiority to the Father (after claiming equality repeatedly, see note on vv. 7–11), but was saying that if the disciples loved Him, they would not be reluctant to let Him go to the Father because He was returning to the realm where He belonged and to the full glory He gave up (17:5). He was going back to share equal glory with the Father which would be greater than what He had experienced in His incarnation. He will in no way be inferior in that glory, because His humiliation was over.
14:30 the ruler of this world. Judas was only a tool of the “prince” who rules the system of darkness—Satan (6:70; 13:21, 27). nothing in Me. The Heb. idiom means that Satan had nothing on Jesus, could make no claim on Him, nor charge Him with any sin. Therefore, Satan could not hold Him in death. Christ would triumph and destroy Satan (Heb. 2:14). His death was no sign that Satan won, but that God’s will was being done. (v. 31).
John 15
15:1–17 Through this extended metaphor of the vine and branches, Jesus set forth the basis of Christian living. Jesus used the imagery of agricultural life at the time; i.e., vines and vine crops (see also Matt. 20:1–16; 21:23–41; Mark 12:1–9; Luke 13:6–9; 20:9–16). In the OT, the vine is used commonly as a symbol for Israel, (Ps. 80:9–16; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Ezek. 15:1–8; 17:1–21; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1, 2). He specifically identified Himself as the “true vine” and the Father as the “vinedresser” or caretaker of the vine. The vine has two types of branches: 1) branches that bear fruit (vv. 2, 8), and 2) branches that do not (vv. 2, 6). The branches that bear fruit are genuine believers. Though in immediate context the focus is upon the 11 faithful disciples, the imagery also encompasses all believers down through the ages. The branches that do not bear fruit are those who profess to believe, but their lack of fruit indicates genuine salvation has never taken place and they have no life from the vine. Especially in the immediate context, Judas was in view, but the imagery extends from him to all those who make a profession of faith in Christ but do not actually possess salvation. The image of non-fruit-bearing branches being burned pictures eschatological judgment and eternal rejection (see Ezek. 15:6–8).
15:1 I am the true vine. This is the last of 7 claims to deity in the form of “I AM” statements by Jesus in the gospel of John (see 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6).
15:2 He takes away. The picture is of the vinedresser (i.e., the Father) getting rid of dead wood so that the living, fruit bearing branches may be sharply distinguished. This is a picture of apostate Christians who never genuinely believed and will be taken away in judgment (v. 6; Matt. 7:16; Eph. 2:10); the transforming life of Christ has never pulsated within them (8:31, 32; cf. Matt. 13:18–23; 24:12; Heb. 3:14–19; 6:4–8; 10:27–31; 1 John 2:19; 2 John 9). He prunes. God removes all things in the believer’s life that would hinder fruit-bearing, i.e., He chastises to cut away sin and hindrances that would drain spiritual life just as the farmer removes anything on the branches that keep them from bearing maximum fruit (Heb. 12:3–11).
15:4–6 Abide in Me. The word “abide” means to remain or stay around. The “remaining” is evidence that salvation has already taken place (1 John 2:19) and not vice versa. The fruit or evidence of salvation is continuance in service to Him and in His teaching (8:31; Col. 1:23; 1 John 2:24). The abiding believer is the only legitimate believer. Abiding and believing actually are addressing the same issue of genuine salvation (Heb. 3:6–19). For a discussion of the perseverance of the saints, see note on Matt. 24:13.
15:6 The imagery here is one of destruction (cf. Matt. 3:10–12; 5:22; 13:40–42, 50; 25:41; Mark 9:43–49; Luke 3:17; 2 Thess. 1:7–9; Rev. 20:10–15). It pictures the judgment awaiting all those who were never saved.
15:7–10 True believers obey the Lord’s commands, submitting to His Word (14:21, 23). Because of their commitment to God’s Word, they are devoted to His will, thus their prayers are fruitful (14:13, 14), which puts God’s glory on display as He answers.
15:9, 10 abide in My love. Cf. Jude 21. This is not emotional or mystical, b
ut defined in v. 10 as obedience. Jesus set the model by His perfect obedience to the Father, which we are to use as the pattern for our obedience to Him.
15:11 your joy may be full. Just as Jesus maintained that His obedience to the Father was the basis of His joy, so also the believers who are obedient to His commandments will experience the same joy (17:13; cf. 16:24).
15:12 Cf. 13:34, 35. See note on 1 John 2:7–11.
15:13 This is a reference to the supreme evidence and expression of Jesus’ love (v. 12), His sacrificial death upon the cross. Christians are called to exemplify the same kind of sacrificial giving toward one another, even if such sacrifice involves the laying down of one’s own life in imitation of Christ’s example (cf. 1 John 3:16).
15:14, 15 friends. Just as Abraham was called the “friend of God” (2 Chr. 20:7; James 2:23) because he enjoyed extraordinary access to the mind of God through God’s revelation to him which he believed, so also those who follow Christ are privileged with extraordinary revelation through the Messiah and Son of God and, believing, become “friends” of God also. It was for His “friends” that the Lord laid down His life (v. 13; 10:11, 15, 17).
15:16 I chose you. Cf. v. 19. In case any pretense might exist among the disciples in terms of spiritual pride because of the privileges they enjoyed, Jesus made it clear that such privilege rested not in their own merit, but on His sovereign choice of them. God chose Israel (Is. 45:4; Amos 3:2), but not for any merit (Deut. 7:7; 9:4–6). God elected angels to be forever holy (1 Tim. 5:21). He elected believers to salvation apart from any merit (Matt. 24:24, 31; see notes on Rom. 8:29–33; Eph. 1:3–6; Col. 3:12; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:2). bear fruit. One purpose of God’s sovereign election is that the disciples who have been blessed with such revelation and understanding should produce spiritual fruit. The NT describes fruit as godly attitudes (Gal. 5:22, 23), righteous behavior (Phil. 1:11), praise (Heb. 13:15), and especially leading others to faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God (Rom. 1:13–16).
15:18, 19 Since Satan is the one who dominates the evil world system in rebellion against God (14:30), the result is that the world hates not only Jesus, but those who follow Him (2 Tim. 3:12). Hatred toward Jesus means also hatred toward the Father who sent Him (v. 23).
15:20 servant…master. That axiom, spoken also in 13:16, reflects the obvious truth that led Jesus to inform His disciples. They could expect to be treated like He was treated because those who hated Him don’t know God (v. 21) and would hate them also; and conversely, those who listened with faith to Him, would hear them also.
15:22–24 they would have no sin. He did not mean that if He had not come, they would have been sinless. But His coming incited the severest and most deadly sin, that of rejecting and rebelling against God and His truth. It was the decisive sin of rejection, the deliberate and fatal choice of darkness over light and death over life of which He spoke. He had done so many miracles and spoken innumerable words to prove He was Messiah and Son of God, but they were belligerent in their love of sin and rejection of the Savior. See Heb. 4:2–5; 6:4–6; 10:29–31.
15:25 Jesus quotes Pss. 35:19; 69:4. The logic here is that if David, a mere man, could have been hated in such a terrible manner by the enemies of God, how much more would the wicked hate David’s perfect, divine Son who was the promised king that would confront sin and reign forever over His kingdom of righteousness (see 2 Sam 7:16).
15:26, 27 when the Helper comes. Again, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit (7:39; 14:16, 17, 26; 16:7, 13, 14). This time He emphasized the Spirit’s help for witnessing—proclaiming the gospel. See note on 16:7.
John 16
16:1–15 Jesus continued the thoughts of 15:18–25 regarding the world’s hatred of His disciples and its opposition to the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding Him as Messiah and Son of God. In this section, He specified in greater detail how the Spirit confronts the world, i.e., not only does He testify about Jesus but He convicts men of sin. Through conviction of sin and testimony of the gospel, the Spirit turns the hostile hearts of men away from rebellion against God into belief regarding Jesus as Savior and Lord. This section may be divided into 4 parts: 1) the killing of the disciples by the world (vv. 1–4); 2) the comforting of the disciples by the Lord (vv. 5–7); 3) the conviction of men by the Holy Spirit (vv. 8–12); and 4) the guidance of the believer into all truth by the Holy Spirit (vv. 13–15).
16:1 These things. This is what He had just said in 15:18–25. stumble. The connotation of this word has the idea of setting a trap. The hatred of the world was such that it would seek to trap and destroy the disciples in an effort to prevent their witness to Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. Jesus did not want them to be caught unaware (v. 4).
16:2 he offers God service. Paul, before he was saved, personified this attitude as he persecuted the church thinking that he was doing service for God (Acts 22:4, 5; 26:9–11; Gal. 1:13–17; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:12–17). After Paul’s conversion, the persecutor became the persecuted because of the hatred of the world (2 Cor. 11:22–27; cf. Stephen in Acts 7:54—8:3).
16:4 I was with you. He didn’t need to warn them because He was there to protect them.
16:5 none of you asks. Earlier they had done so (13:36; 14:5), but they were then so absorbed in their own sorrow and confusion as to lose interest in where He was going. They were apparently consumed with what would happen to them (v. 6).
16:7 the Helper will not come. Again, the promise of the Holy Spirit being sent is given to comfort the disciples. See note on 15:26, 27. The first emphasis was on His life-giving power (7:37–39). The next featured His indwelling presence (14:16, 17). The next marked His teaching ministry (14:26). His ministry of empowering for witness is marked in 15:26.
16:8 when He has come. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was approximately 40 or more days away at this point (see Acts 2:1–13). convict. This word has two meanings: 1) the judicial act of conviction with a view toward sentencing (i.e., a courtroom term—conviction of sin) or 2) the act of convincing. Here the second idea is best, since the purpose of the Holy Spirit is not condemnation but conviction of the need for the Savior. The Son does the judgment, with the Father (5:22, 27, 30). In v. 14, it is said that He will reveal the glories of Christ to His people. He will also inspire the writing of the NT, guiding the apostles to write it (v. 13), and He will reveal “things to come,” through the NT prophecies (v. 13).
16:9 sin. The singular indicates that a specific sin is in view; i.e., that of not believing in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God. This is the only sin, ultimately, that damns people to hell (see note on 8:24). Though all men are depraved, cursed by their violation of God’s law and sinful by nature, what ultimately damns them to hell is their unwillingness to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (cf. 8:24).
16:10 righteousness. The Holy Spirit’s purpose here is to shatter the pretensions of self-righteousness (hypocrisy), exposing the darkness of the heart (3:19–21; 7:7; 15:22, 24). While Jesus was on the earth, He performed this task especially toward the shallowness and emptiness of Judaism that had degenerated into legalistic modes without life-giving reality (e.g., 2:13–22; 5:10–16; 7:24; Is. 64:5, 6). With Jesus gone to the Father, the Holy Spirit continues His convicting role.
16:11 judgment. The judgment here in context is that of the world under Satan’s control. Its judgments are blind, faulty, and evil as evidenced in their verdict on Christ. The world can’t make righteous judgments (7:24), but the Spirit of Christ does (8:16). All Satan’s adjudications are lies (8:44–47), so the Spirit convicts men of their false judgment of Christ. Satan, the ruler of the world (14:30; Eph. 2:1–3) who, as the god of this world, has perverted the world’s judgment and turned people from believing in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God (2 Cor. 4:4), was defeated at the cross. While Christ’s death looked like Satan’s greatest victory, it actually was Satan’s destruction (cf. Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14, 15; Rev. 20:10). The Spirit will lead sinners to true judgment.
16:
13 all truth. This verse, like 14:26, points to the supernatural revelation of all truth by which God has revealed Himself in Christ (vv. 14, 15), particularly. This is the subject of the inspired NT writings. See note on v. 7.
16:14 He will glorify Me. This is really the same as v. 13, in that all NT truth revealed by God centers in Christ (Heb. 1:1, 2). Christ was the theme of the OT, as the NT claims (1:45; 5:37; Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 10:43; 18:28; Rom. 1:1, 2; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 1:10, 11; Rev. 19:10).
16:16–19 Jesus was referring to His ascension (“you will not see Me”) and the coming of the Holy Spirit (“you will see Me”), emphatically claiming that the Spirit and He are one (Rom. 8:9; Phil. 1:19; 1 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 19:10). Christ dwells in believers through the Holy Spirit—in that sense they see Him. See notes on 14:16–18.
16:20 sorrow will be turned into joy. The very event that made the hateful realm of mankind (“world”) rejoice and cause grief to Jesus’ disciples, will be the same event that will lead to the world’s sorrow and the believer’s joy. The disciples would soon realize the marvelous nature of God’s gift of salvation and the Spirit through what He accomplished, and the blessing of answered prayer (v. 24). Acts records the coming of the Holy Spirit and the power and joy (Acts 2:4–47; 13:52) of the early church.
16:22 I will see you. After the resurrection, Jesus did see His disciples (20:19–29; 21:1–23; cf. 1 Cor. 15:1–8). Beyond that brief time of personal fellowship (Acts 1:1–3), He would be with them permanently in His Spirit (see notes on vv. 16–19; 14:16–19).
16:23 in that day. This is a reference to Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1–13) and sorrow turned to joy. This is a reference also to the “last days” which were inaugurated after His resurrection and the Spirit’s coming (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3; 1 John 2:18). you will ask Me nothing. After His departure and sending of the Spirit, believers will no longer ask Him since He is not present. Instead, they will ask the Father in His name (see notes on vv. 26–28; 14:13, 14).
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 532
