John 15
As John opens this portion of his Gospel account, he makes mention, repeatedly in the first eight verses, of “fruit”. Now, I DO agree that Scripture interprets Scripture, but I also believe that the context does not always allow one Scripture to be superimposed on another (which at times can give a different meaning). For instance, in this opening section on fruit it has been said that “fruit” simply refers to Galatians 5:22-23 where there are listed seven aspects of the manifestation of the Spirit of God. The first of those listed is “love” (and the second is “joy”), so there IS a connection to John 15 (mainly in that there is no contradiction between the two, not that John 15 intends to incorporate all the aspects of Galatians 5), but I believe that the context of John 15 would make “love” the specific and primary aspect being referred to in John 15 as “fruit”. I think this is plainly evident by the verses that immediately follow in John 15, which speak of love (15:9-13) and then of hate (15:18-19,23-25). It seems clear from the opening eight verses of John 15 that Godly love is the fruit of abiding in Christ Jesus – it is not in ourselves to have the kind of love that will be needed by the disciples when they get to the point in the near future which Jesus foretells and instructs about in John 15:18-25.
Probably a larger concern has to do with our understanding of John 15:16 and the ramifications of that understanding on the proper understanding of other parts of the chapter as well. My premise is that verse 16 is NOT speaking at all about “divine election”. A better understanding may be helped by some historical perspective which is fairly well documented. In the days in which Jesus lived, and in the context of the Jewish society, there were rabbis and there were disciples (talmidim). A Jewish lad, or, more likely, his parents on his behalf, would choose a rabbi to “follow”. To “follow” meant to be instructed by, not only with discourse and diatribe, but by traditional Jewish teaching methods – teaching them how to think and to learn discernment. They were also taught by the example of the rabbi because if they were indeed “followers”, they were purposing to become like their rabbi and to one day BE a rabbi just like their rabbi, teaching other talmidim (students/disciples) to do the same. Of particular interest here is that the student sought out the rabbi he wanted to be like and asked to be “admitted” to the rabbi’s followership. We get no sense of this cultural norm when we read Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 4: 18-22. Instead it is Rabbi Yeshua Who is doing the choosing. Hence, Jesus says in John 15:16 “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…” This is also consistent with Luke 6:12-16 and Mark 3:13-19. The choosing was FROM AMONG THE DISCIPLES ! – choosing for a special purpose or ministry, NOT for salvation. Similarly, John 15:19 “I chose you out of the world” is not about divine election, but indicative of the discipleship call to be like Rabbi Yeshua, which is unlike “the world” and therefore the world will hate what it no longer has a hold on, “therefore the world hates you”.
This cultural understanding of rabbis and discipleship also helps, I believe, to better understand John 15:15, which says “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” In the traditional cultural relationship, the rabbi not only instructed, but he “commanded” and received “obedience”. For example, in John 4:8, Jesus would have “sent” his disciples to go buy food. Jesus directed, the “followers” responded in obedience – it’s that way throughout the Gospel accounts. Often, it was only AFTER the student had obeyed that the master would explain the “why” as part of the teaching process. But a servant, on the other hand, is never “owed” an explanation by his master. Jesus opens up a whole new relationship – not as just servants obeying the “master”, and not even just as talmidim learning from their “master”, but rather as friends who are loved and in whom Jesus has confided. This friendship, however, is not all about being good buddies. John 15:14 says “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” He clarifies further in verse 17 “These things I command you, that you love one another.”
Jesus commands to “abide” in Him (15:4) in order that there may be fruit (15:4), the fruit of love, for without abiding in Him, there cannot be that fruit (15:4-5).
As John opens this portion of his Gospel account, he makes mention, repeatedly in the first eight verses, of “fruit”. Now, I DO agree that Scripture interprets Scripture, but I also believe that the context does not always allow one Scripture to be superimposed on another (which at times can give a different meaning). For instance, in this opening section on fruit it has been said that “fruit” simply refers to Galatians 5:22-23 where there are listed seven aspects of the manifestation of the Spirit of God. The first of those listed is “love” (and the second is “joy”), so there IS a connection to John 15 (mainly in that there is no contradiction between the two, not that John 15 intends to incorporate all the aspects of Galatians 5), but I believe that the context of John 15 would make “love” the specific and primary aspect being referred to in John 15 as “fruit”. I think this is plainly evident by the verses that immediately follow in John 15, which speak of love (15:9-13) and then of hate (15:18-19,23-25). It seems clear from the opening eight verses of John 15 that Godly love is the fruit of abiding in Christ Jesus – it is not in ourselves to have the kind of love that will be needed by the disciples when they get to the point in the near future which Jesus foretells and instructs about in John 15:18-25.
Probably a larger concern has to do with our understanding of John 15:16 and the ramifications of that understanding on the proper understanding of other parts of the chapter as well. My premise is that verse 16 is NOT speaking at all about “divine election”. A better understanding may be helped by some historical perspective which is fairly well documented. In the days in which Jesus lived, and in the context of the Jewish society, there were rabbis and there were disciples (talmidim). A Jewish lad, or, more likely, his parents on his behalf, would choose a rabbi to “follow”. To “follow” meant to be instructed by, not only with discourse and diatribe, but by traditional Jewish teaching methods – teaching them how to think and to learn discernment. They were also taught by the example of the rabbi because if they were indeed “followers”, they were purposing to become like their rabbi and to one day BE a rabbi just like their rabbi, teaching other talmidim (students/disciples) to do the same. Of particular interest here is that the student sought out the rabbi he wanted to be like and asked to be “admitted” to the rabbi’s followership. We get no sense of this cultural norm when we read Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 4: 18-22. Instead it is Rabbi Yeshua Who is doing the choosing. Hence, Jesus says in John 15:16 “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…” This is also consistent with Luke 6:12-16 and Mark 3:13-19. The choosing was FROM AMONG THE DISCIPLES ! – choosing for a special purpose or ministry, NOT for salvation. Similarly, John 15:19 “I chose you out of the world” is not about divine election, but indicative of the discipleship call to be like Rabbi Yeshua, which is unlike “the world” and therefore the world will hate what it no longer has a hold on, “therefore the world hates you”.
This cultural understanding of rabbis and discipleship also helps, I believe, to better understand John 15:15, which says “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” In the traditional cultural relationship, the rabbi not only instructed, but he “commanded” and received “obedience”. For example, in John 4:8, Jesus would have “sent” his disciples to go buy food. Jesus directed, the “followers” responded in obedience – it’s that way throughout the Gospel accounts. Often, it was only AFTER the student had obeyed that the master would explain the “why” as part of the teaching process. But a servant, on the other hand, is never “owed” an explanation by his master. Jesus opens up a whole new relationship – not as just servants obeying the “master”, and not even just as talmidim learning from their “master”, but rather as friends who are loved and in whom Jesus has confided. This friendship, however, is not all about being good buddies. John 15:14 says “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” He clarifies further in verse 17 “These things I command you, that you love one another.”
Jesus commands to “abide” in Him (15:4) in order that there may be fruit (15:4), the fruit of love, for without abiding in Him, there cannot be that fruit (15:4-5).