John 15:5-7

Context

15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains¹ in me – and I in him – bears² much fruit,³ because apart from me you can accomplish⁴ nothing. 15:6 If anyone does not remain⁵ in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire,⁶ and are burned up.⁷ 15:7 If you remain⁸ in me and my words remain⁹ in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.¹⁰

[15:5] ¹tn Or “resides.”

[15:5] ²tn Or “yields.”

[15:5] ³tn 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.

[15:5] ⁴tn Or “do.”

[15:6] ⁵tn Or “reside.”

[15:6] ⁶sn 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).

[15:6] ⁷tn Grk “they gather them up and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

[15:7] ⁸tn Or “reside.”

[15:7] ⁹tn Or “reside.”

[15:7] ¹⁰sn 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.