The True Vine
Jesus said to his followers, "I am the real grapevine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard. When a branch growing from me produces no grapes, he cuts it off and removes it. But when a branch does produce fruit, he carefully trims it back so it will grow even more fruit. You are already clean and ready to grow because you have listened to my teaching and believed it. Stay connected to me, and I will stay connected to you. A branch cannot produce grapes if it breaks away from the vine it grows on. In the same way, you cannot produce spiritual fruit unless you stay connected to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches that grow from me. Anyone who stays joined to me, with me living in them, will produce much fruit. But remember this: without me, you can accomplish nothing of lasting value. If someone does not stay connected to me, that person becomes like a branch that gets thrown away and dries up. Workers gather those dead branches and toss them into the fire to be burned. But if you remain joined to me and let my words live in your hearts, then you can ask for whatever you need, and it will be given to you. This brings great honor to my Father—when you produce much spiritual fruit and show the world that you are truly my disciples."
Remain in My Love
"The Father loves me with a deep, perfect love," Jesus told his disciples. "I love you in exactly that same way. Stay close to my love and live in it. If you follow what I teach you, you will continue living in my love, just like I have followed everything my Father taught me and live in his love. I'm telling you all this because I want my own joy to fill your hearts, and I want your joy to be complete and overflowing. Here is what I command you: love each other the same way I have loved you. No one can show greater love than this—to give up his own life for his friends. You are my friends when you do what I ask you to do. I'm not calling you servants anymore, because a servant doesn't know what his master is planning or why he does things. Instead, I'm calling you friends, because I've shared with you everything I learned from my Father—I've held nothing back. You didn't pick me to follow—I picked you. I chose you and gave you a job to do: go out and produce fruit that will last forever. When you do this, the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. This is my final command to you: love one another."
The World's Hatred
If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as one of its own. But the world hates you because you don't belong to it—I have chosen you out of the world. Remember what I told you: no servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours as well. They will do all these things to you because you bear my name, and they don't know the One who sent me. If I had never come and spoken to them, they wouldn't be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. If I hadn't performed miracles among them that no one else had ever done, they wouldn't be guilty of sin. But they have seen these works and still chosen to hate both me and my Father. This fulfills what is written in their Law: "They hated me without any reason."
The Testimony of the Spirit
When the Helper comes—the one I will send to you from the Father—he will speak the truth about me. This Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father himself. He will tell others about who I am and what I have done. And you must also tell people about me, because you have been with me from the very beginning of my ministry.