John 15:16

15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you ¹  and appointed you to go and bear ²  fruit, fruit that remains, ³  so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

John 16:19

16:19 Jesus could see ⁴  that they wanted to ask him about these things, ⁵  so ⁶  he said to them, “Are you asking ⁷  each other about this – that I said, ‘In a little while you ⁸  will not see me; again after a little while, you ⁹  will see me’?

John 20:25

20:25 The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, ¹⁰  “Unless I see the wounds ¹¹  from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” ¹² 

[15:16]  ¹ sn You did not choose me, but I chose you. If the disciples are now elevated in status from slaves to friends, they are friends who have been chosen by Jesus, rather than the opposite way round. Again this is true of all Christians, not just the twelve, and the theme that Christians are “chosen” by God appears frequently in other NT texts (e.g., Rom 8:33; Eph 1:4ff.; Col 3:12; and 1 Pet 2:4). Putting this together with the comments on 15:14 one may ask whether the author sees any special significance at all for the twelve. Jesus said in John 6:70 and 13:18 that he chose them, and 15:27 makes clear that Jesus in the immediate context is addressing those who have been with him from the beginning. In the Fourth Gospel the twelve, as the most intimate and most committed followers of Jesus, are presented as the models for all Christians, both in terms of their election and in terms of their mission.

[15:16]  ² tn Or “and yield.”

[15:16]  ³ sn The purpose for which the disciples were appointed (“commissioned”) is to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. The introduction of the idea of “going” at this point suggests that the fruit is something more than just character qualities in the disciples’ own lives, but rather involves fruit in the lives of others, i.e., Christian converts. There is a mission involved (cf. John 4:36). The idea that their fruit is permanent, however, relates back to vv. 7-8, as does the reference to asking the Father in Jesus’ name. It appears that as the imagery of the vine and the branches develops, the “fruit” which the branches produce shifts in emphasis from qualities in the disciples’ own lives in John 15:2, 4, 5 to the idea of a mission which affects the lives of others in John 15:16. The point of transition would be the reference to fruit in 15:8.

[16:19]  ⁴ tn Grk “knew.”

[16:19]  ⁵ tn The words “about these things” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[16:19]  ⁶ tn Καί (kai) has been translated as “so” here to indicate the following statement is a result of Jesus’ observation in v. 19a.

[16:19]  ⁷ tn Grk “inquiring” or “seeking.”

[16:19]  ⁸ tn Grk “A little while, and you.”

[16:19]  ⁹ tn Grk “and again a little while, and you.”

[20:25]  ⁷ tn Grk “but he said to them.”

[20:25]  ⁸ tn Or “marks.”

[20:25]  ⁹ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. The use of “it” here as direct object of the verb πιστεύσω (pisteusw) specifies exactly what Thomas was refusing to believe: that Jesus had risen from the dead, as reported by his fellow disciples. Otherwise the English reader may be left with the impression Thomas was refusing to “believe in” Jesus, or “believe Jesus to be the Christ.” The dramatic tension in this narrative is heightened when Thomas, on seeing for himself the risen Christ, believes more than just the resurrection (see John 20:28).