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The Gospel of John, Part 19
Chapter 15
Talk by Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen)
November 11, 2025

Description:
Metropolitan Jonah discusses the Gospel of John chapter 15. Topics discussed include:
(1) Old Testament references to vines and vineyards in Isaiah 5 and Psalm 79. Also, the Messiah is called a rod from the root of Jesse in Isaiah 11;
(2) The fruit of our branch is faith and good works. The wood of the branch of a vine is neither strong nor dense. Its worth is in its fruit. The fruitful are pruned;
(3) To bear fruit we must abide in Christ the vine. To abide is to remain with, to dwell in, to be connected to, that is to be faithful. It is to patiently remain in a loving relationship with God, held by divine love, keeping His commandment to love others with Christlike sacrificial love (vs 12). It is profoundly relational --- faithfulness is not just manifested on an individual level, but as a person within the body of Christ, the Church, being open in love to all. It is to be united in Christ to the Father. This union is a state of profound joy;
(4) Connection with the Eucharist in John 6: "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him". In the Eucharist we remember all that Christ has done and He fulfills that remembrance with His presence. Remembrance (from John 14) means to make present and real;
(5) The Pharisees and Sadducees did not have union with Christ, but rejected Him, and in fact hated Him, and therefore hated the Father also. "Their law" (vs 25) was not the law of God's love;
(6) V. 26 and the "Filioque": Roman Catholics left the Orthodox Church to proclaim their own version of the Trinity. This verse clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. The Father is the mon-arch (Gk. single source) of the Son (begotten) and the Spirit (proceeding);
(7) We are chosen out of the God-hating world, called not to be of this world, though in it. We are called to bear witness to Christ, and this responsibility brings a Cross. We are called to live in Christlike sacrificial love, not in self-love, a stark contrast.