7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 2 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered 3 from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? 4 7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad 5 tree bears bad fruit. 7:18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 7:20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains 32 in me – and I in him – bears 33 much fruit, 34 because apart from me you can accomplish 35 nothing. 15:6 If anyone does not remain 36 in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, 37 and are burned up. 38 15:7 If you remain 39 in me and my words remain 40 in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. 41 15:8 My Father is honored 42 by this, that 43 you bear 44 much fruit and show that you are 45 my disciples.
1 sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.
2 sn Sheep’s clothing…voracious wolves. Jesus uses a metaphor here to point out that these false prophets appear to be one thing, but in reality they are something quite different and dangerous.
3 tn Grk “They do not gather.” This has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.
4 sn The statement illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit does not produce fruit.
5 tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying “tree” in both v. 17 and 18, can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
6 tn Grk “one fig tree.”
7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.
8 tn Grk “Behold, for.”
9 sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.
10 tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.
11 tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì75 A L Θ Ψ 070 Ë13 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W Ë1 Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA27 puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
12 tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
13 sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.
14 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.
16 tn This is a third class condition in the Greek text. The conjunction καί (kai, a component of κάν [kan]) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
17 tn Grk “the coming [season].”
18 tn The phrase “very well” is supplied in the translation to complete the elided idea, but its absence is telling.
19 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, showing which of the options is assumed.
20 tn Or “He cuts off.”
21 tn Or “does not yield.”
22 tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
23 tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.
24 tn Or “that yields.”
25 sn The phrase you are clean already occurs elsewhere in the Gospel of John only at the washing of the disciples’ feet in 13:10, where Jesus had used it of the disciples being cleansed from sin. This further confirms the proposed understanding of John 15:2 and 15:6 since Judas was specifically excluded from this statement (but not all of you).
26 tn Or “Reside.”
27 tn Grk “and I in you.” The verb has been repeated for clarity and to conform to contemporary English style, which typically allows fewer ellipses (omitted or understood words) than Greek.
28 sn The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains connected to the vine, from which its life and sustenance flows. As far as the disciples were concerned, they would produce no fruit from themselves if they did not remain in their relationship to Jesus, because the eternal life which a disciple must possess in order to bear fruit originates with Jesus; he is the source of all life and productivity for the disciple.
29 tn Or “resides.”
30 tn While it would be more natural to say “on the vine” (so NAB), the English preposition “in” has been retained here to emphasize the parallelism with the following clause “unless you remain in me.” To speak of remaining “in” a person is not natural English either, but is nevertheless a biblical concept (cf. “in Christ” in Eph 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 11).
31 tn Or “you reside.”
32 tn Or “resides.”
33 tn Or “yields.”
34 tn Grk “in him, this one bears much fruit.” The pronoun “this one” has been omitted from the translation because it is redundant according to contemporary English style.
35 tn Or “do.”
36 tn Or “reside.”
37 sn Such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire. The author does not tell who it is who does the gathering and throwing into the fire. Although some claim that realized eschatology is so prevalent in the Fourth Gospel that no references to final eschatology appear at all, the fate of these branches seems to point to the opposite. The imagery is almost certainly that of eschatological judgment, and recalls some of the OT vine imagery which involves divine rejection and judgment of disobedient Israel (Ezek 15:4-6, 19:12).
38 tn Grk “they gather them up and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
39 tn Or “reside.”
40 tn Or “reside.”
41 sn Once again Jesus promises the disciples ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. This recalls 14:13-14, where the disciples were promised that if they asked anything in Jesus’ name it would be done for them. The two thoughts are really quite similar, since here it is conditioned on the disciples’ remaining in Jesus and his words remaining in them. The first phrase relates to the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus. The second phrase relates to their obedience. When both of these qualifications are met, the disciples would in fact be asking in Jesus’ name and therefore according to his will.
42 tn Grk “glorified.”
43 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause is best taken as substantival in apposition to ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) at the beginning of the verse. The Father is glorified when the disciples bring forth abundant fruit. Just as Jesus has done the works which he has seen his Father doing (5:19-29) so also will his disciples.
44 tn Or “yield.”
45 tc Most