John 15 … abiding in the commands

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

*G288 ἄμπελος ampelos (am’-pe-los) n. a vine [from the base of G297 and that of G257] G297 ἀμφότερος amphoteros (am-fo’-te-ros) adj. (in plural) both. G257 ἅλων halon (ha’-lōn) n. a threshing-floor (as rolled hard).

This doesn’t make sense until Jesus explains it further. Matthew 13:30 “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Matthew 3:11-12 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

² 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.

³ Now ye are >clean through the word<* which I have spoken unto you.

*I can see how this can relate all three meanings.

G2513 καθαρός katharos (ka-tha-ros’) adj. (literally) down to the essential only (to the very essence only). pure (i.e. pure water as compared to clean water). (figuratively) trimmed and pure.

Jesus had spent his ministry with the disciples training, teaching and exampling the Torah. He was molding them to adhere the Scriptures and NOT the Pharisees and their Talmud.

⁴ 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.

*G3306 μένω meno (me’-nō) v. continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry. I really like “be present” and “stand” ….the world today will not ‘stand’ for the truth.

Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Revelation 6:17 “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

⁵ 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.

⁶ 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. {Matt. 3:12}

⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

⁹ 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.

This is the key! To remain ‘in’ Him you must remain in the Torah….those are His commands.

1 John 2:3-4 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

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

*This word appears over and over again in the red letters. G4137 πληρόω pleroo (plee-ro’-ō) v. fully preach, perfect, supply

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. [Conditional?, I think so…]

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.

• G3404 μισέω miseo (miy-se’-ō) v. to hate. (especially) to persecute. This is certainly coming for the followers of Yeshua …. Then and now!

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.

This really stands in opposition to the prosperity gospel being preached today. Jesus comes out in the open to the people and tells them thing will NOT be all sunshine and rainbows. Humanity wants salvation from their discomforts…. not their sins.

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.

The Pharisees were unwilling to relinquish their hold over the people (Nicolaitanes) and everything Jesus did made them all the more upset.

Revelation 2:15 “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.” These are the doctrines of men.

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

• Psalm 35:19 “Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
• Psalm 69:4 “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty:”

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.