Having likened the Christian’s life giving union with Christ to a vine and its branches, Jesus now focuses on life among the branches. And what Jesus highlights is the necessity of love among those who follow him. Love is certainly one of the primary expressions of Christian fruitfulness. And while it is not a full summation of Christian fruitfulness, love is certainly a fundamental element. Indeed, so vital is love to the life of the Christian and the vitality of the church that Jesus commands it twice in this short passage (vv. 12, 17).

God has no needs. There is nothing lacking in him that must be met by us. Therefore, his commands are not a means to extract from us something he needs. Rather, God’s commands are means by which our lives may flourish and joy made full. Jesus’ command for his people to love one another is a call to joy and freedom. It is a call to add to our profession of the gospel the evidence of a life changed by that same gospel.

The love between Christians serves to mark them off as belonging to Jesus (13:35). Love is costly. It is a tough thing requiring particular decisions and acts. It always requires a degree of sacrifice. This is a common theme for the Apostle John. In his first epistle he writes: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (4:11-12).

In the previous section of his Farewell Discourse Jesus’ interest was in the role of the Holy Spirit. He promised the disciples that he would come to them by way of the Spirit’s own presence. Now Jesus focuses in greater detail upon the spiritual union between God and his people. It is what the church has historically referred to as “union with Christ.” It is another way of saying that one is a Christian. Fundamentally, Christians are “in Christ,” and Christ is in them. Jesus compares this intimate bond to a vine that gives life and fruitfulness to its branches.

The chapter begins with Jesus’ seventh and final “I Am,” statement: “I am the true vine.” The seven statements point to the Lord’s divine nature and identify him as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through the seven “I Am,” statements we are given a detailed picture of the Person and work of Jesus. In referring to himself as “the true vine,” Jesus is drawing upon Old Testament language and categories which often depicted Israel as a vine. By referring to himself as “the true vine” (especially in the form of a formal I Am statement) Jesus is declaring himself to be the fulfillment of national Israel. It is through the True Vine, Jesus Christ, that the Father fulfills the promise he made to Abraham. “Thus, Jesus is true Israel. All the old covenant places and people have been fulfilled by one person, Jesus Christ” (Klink, 659).

God’s people – his church – are the branches of the True Vine. Fundamental to branches on a vine is the bearing of fruit: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (vs. 5). Being a Christian is far more than acknowledging the truth concerning Jesus (though that is a must!). Followers of Jesus are united to him by faith and living in daily dependence upon him. Like the branch of a vine, the disciple draws daily nourishment from Jesus, the true vine, and bears fruit as a result. As Paul writes, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

In this final section of chapter 14 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit a second time. As he does, he offers greater clarity on the ministry of the Spirit. Jesus knows that the disciples have struggled to understand many of the things he has taught them. His resurrection will certainly give them an entirely new understanding. But even so, Jesus will depart from them. They will not want him to leave. They will have no other way to conceive of this than a profound loss. And this is why God’s triune nature is such a source of help and hope. The physical absence of Jesus will not mean the loss of his real presence.

 In this section the Lord explains how the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (vs. 26). Jesus’ soon coming departure will not be the departure of God from the lives of his people. Indeed, the second Paraclete (Advocate, Helper, Counsel), the Holy Spirit will come to them and carry on all that Jesus began.

 The Holy Spirit is the “hands on,” as it were, Person of the Triune God. That is, it is the Holy Spirit who ministers to us the ongoing presence of the risen Christ. He binds us to Christ and Christ to us. He gives us the Scriptures. He vivifies dead souls once unable to understand or accept the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the means of the peace Jesus gives to us (vs. 27). It is a peace anchored in our justification before God (Romans 5:1) and carried forward through the sanctifying presence of the Spirit.

 Given that we live in a world in the throes of spiritual warfare (vs. 30), we need the saving, enlightening, and strengthening power of the Paraclete. The “ruler of this world,” has nothing on Jesus or on those in whom he dwells.

Throughout Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, we can sense something of the disciples’ anxiety as Jesus reveals the presence of a traitor in their midst, instructs them concerning his death, and states that he will be departing from them. Jesus speaks directly to their fear and dismay by promising that they will experience the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In fact, twice in chapter 14 Jesus drives home the point that the Holy Spirit will come to them in a way that will fully make up for the lack of his physical presence with them (vv. 15-18; 25-31).

From the opening words of this discourse, Jesus’ goal has been to encourage and comfort his followers. He promises them a fruitful ministry that will, in many ways, outshine his own in terms of visible impact (vs. 12). He promises that their prayers will be answered (vs. 13). This fruitfulness in ministry and prayer will come as the result of the Holy Spirit’s special presence. Certainly, this is not a blanket promise to all humanity. The powerful and comforting presence of the Spirit is given to the disciples of Jesus; those whose love for Jesus issues forth in obedience (vs. 15).

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit with a title which can be variously translated as Counselor, Helper, or Advocate. It was a word used in legal settings to refer to one who is “called alongside” a person who needs defense. So the meaning of the title given to the Holy Spirit is not therapeutic but forensic. He is a Divine Advocate, a Helper who defends the people of God. Jesus’ disciples are united to God through Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Helper. What a comfort it is for Christians to know this bond can never be broken and that the Spirit of God, present at creation, is ever present with all those who are bound to Christ by faith.