I have continued my work in John. To be truthful, I’ve been all over the place with the Fourth Gospel in various ways. Perhaps someday I will share more of what I’ve been working on. But today I bring my translation of John 15 from the Greek New Testament.

Theological Notes

The key idea here is abide. Jesus has abided in the father and what he was told, and he expects his followers to abide in him. He defines abiding as obedience to the commands given. The abiding is then tied to efficacy in prayer as well as love for one another. There are likewise themes of election – ‘I chose you, you didn’t choose me’ as well as persecution – ‘they did this to me, they will do it to you.’

For me one of the more fascinating lines is one we rarely focus on. In verses 22-24 Our Lord indicates in some way the people were innocent of sin until Jesus came. Does this mean they were better off? It does seem hard to imagine that the presence of Jesus made things worse, but that is not the point. The point he is making is that they have been told the truth, and having been confronted it, they hated it. We are not talking about people who are good people but never heard of Jesus or gospel. This is about true character and intention being revealed by the presence of God.

Translation Notes

Before we get to the text itself, here are a handful of issues of translation for you to consider.

1. It is nearly impossible to encapsulate the subjective and imperative mood of this passage. ‘If you could just . . . ‘ or maybe a ‘wouldn’t it be nice if you . . .’ is in many of the sayings but then often it is set up or followed by a ‘you must!’ or perhaps ‘it is imperative that you . . . ‘ This subjective mood is not intended to be rooted in the possibility people could obey, but that if they do obey, then this is what will occur.
2. There are a lot of reflexive statements in here, ‘you yourselves’ and ‘me myself.’ American English doesn’t use these very much any more (Microsoft Word hates them as the world hates the Lord v. 23). I have included a tiny number to give the feeling, with one right off the bat.
3. The main construct of verse 6 is an aorist passive ‘if anyone does not abide in me he might was thrown out . . ‘ but the indication is clearly future. Yet, aorist is completed action which muddles the grammar but if you think about it hard enough presents a compelling image.
4. The verb is a past tense “was” rather than future but to make sense it must be a present in English because the disciples fruit bearing and discipleship is still up in the air, therefore being glorified through them hasn’t happened yet.
5. Verse 10 has a future/subjective combo that is just beautiful.
6. I added the word ‘awareness’ to make it flow. Without something being added, Jesus awkwardly says, ‘If I had not come and spoke to them, they would not have sin.’ I don’t perceive Jesus is rewriting the idea of humanity sinful condition as conditional upon hearing but rather his focus is upon their perception of themselves.
7. Jesus quotes Psalm 35:19 and, there is some debate about the meaning. I can tell you in the Greek the language is clear, to me, that what Jesus is saying is ‘They hated my gift.’ Other renderings emphasize an alternate rendering that says, ‘They hated me without cause.’ You can do your own research, but the language here is, ‘They hated me (as) (a) gift.’
8. As I said earlier, the key word is ‘abide’ which is in and of itself harmless enough but it can mean so many other words and is often translated intermittently as ‘remain’, ‘dwell,’ or ‘stay.’ I have chosen abide, and stick with it throughout but it is a durable word. If ‘you must remain with me and I with you’ communicates to you, then, go with that.

Now, without any more delay, here is the text.

John 15 From the Greek New Testament

1. I myself am the true vine. My father is the vintner.

2. He cuts off every branch in me not bearing fruit. He prunes every branch bearing fruit so that it might bear more. 

3. You are already pruned by the word I have spoken to you.

4. You must abide in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to bear fruit alone if it doesn’t abide on the vine, so neither will you if you do not abide in me.

5. I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in him bear much fruit. You are unable to do anything apart from me.

6. If anyone should not abide in me, he is thrown out like a withered branch that is gathered, thrown into the fire, and then burned. 

7. If you should abide in me and my words abide in you, then ask whatever you want; it will happen for you.

8. My father is glorified in this way, that you become my disciples and bear much fruit.  

9. Just as the father loved me and I loved you, you must abide in my love.

10. If you could keep my commandments then you would abide in my love, just as I have kept the commandments of my father and I abide in his love.

11. I have spoken these things to you that my joy be in you and your joy might be full. 

12. This is my commandment: you should love one another exactly as I have loved you. 

13. No one has greater love than someone who might give his life for his friends. 

14. You are my friends if you do what I command you. 

15. I no longer speak to you as servants, for a servant knows not what his master does. Instead, I have called you friends, because I made known to you everything I heard from my father. 

16. You yourselves did not choose me. Rather, I chose you myself. I appointed you that you might go out and bear fruit – fruit that abides – so that whatever you ask the father in my name he will give it to you. 

17. These things I command you, so that you might love one another. 

18. If the world hates you, you must know it has hated me first. 

19. If you were from the world, then the world would love you like its own. Yet, you are not from the world, for I chose you out of the world. This is why the world hates you. 

20. You must remember the word I said to you, ‘The servant is not greater than the master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours. 

21. They will do all these things among you because of my name, for they do not know he who sent me. 

22. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have awareness of sin. Now, though, they have no excuse for their sins.

23. Those who hate me hate my father. 

24. If I had not done works among them no one else did, they would not be sinful. Yet, now having seen, they have hated me and my father.

25. Nevertheless, ‘They hated my gift,’ as the word of the law from the scriptures could be fulfilled.

26. When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the father – the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the father – he will testify about me. 

27. You will also testify, because you are with me from the beginning.