Jesus the True Vine

151 " I am the true vine , and My Father is the vinedresser . 2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit , He takes away ; and every branch that bears fruit , He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit . 3 " You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 " Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot e bear fruit of itself unless e it abides in the vine , so neither can you unless e you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine , you are the branches ; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit , for apart from Me you can do nothing e . 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned . 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever e you wish , and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this , that you bear much fruit , and so prove to be My disciples .

9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love . 10 " If you keep My commandments , you will abide in My love ; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love . 11 " These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full . 12 "This is My commandment , that you love one another , just as I have loved you. 13 " Greater love has no one than this , that one lay down his life for his friends . 14 "You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 "No longer do I call you slaves , for the slave does not know what his master is doing ; but I have called you friends , for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 " You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit , and that your fruit would remain , so that whatever e e you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 "This I command you, that you love one another .

The World's Hatred

18 " If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world , the world would love its own ; but because you are not of the world , but I chose you out of the world , because of this e the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, ' A slave is not greater than his master .' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word , they will keep yours also . 21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake , because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 " If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin , but now they have no excuse for their sin . 23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also . 24 " If I had not done among them the works which no one else did , they would not have sin ; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well . 25 "But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law , ' THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE .'

26 "When the Helper comes , whom I will send to you from the Father , that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father , He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also , because you have been with Me from the beginning .

Jesus and Nicodemus

31 Now there was a man of the Pharisees , named Nicodemus , a ruler of the Jews ; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, " Rabbi , we know that You have come from God as a teacher ; for no one can do these signs that You do unless e God is with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly , truly , I say to you, unless e one is born again he cannot e see the kingdom of God ." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old ? He cannot e enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born , can he?" 5 Jesus answered , "Truly , truly , I say to you, unless e one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot e enter into the kingdom of God . 6 " That which is born of the flesh is flesh , and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit . 7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again .' 8 " The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going ; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit ." 9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things ? 11 "Truly , truly , I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen , and you do not accept our testimony . 12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe , how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things ? 13 " No one has ascended into heaven , but He who descended from heaven : the Son of Man . 14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness , even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life .

God So Loved the World

16 "For God so loved the world , that He gave His only begotten Son , that whoever believes in Him shall not perish , but have eternal life . 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world , but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 " He who believes in Him is not judged ; he who does not believe has been judged already , because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God . 19 "This is the judgment , that the Light has come into the world , and men loved the darkness rather than the Light , for their deeds were evil . 20 " For everyone who does evil hates the Light , and does not come to the Light for fear e that his deeds will be exposed . 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light , so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God ."

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea , and there He was spending time with them and baptizing . 23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim , because there was much water there ; and people were coming and were being baptized - 24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison . 25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification . 26 And they came to John and said to him, " Rabbi , He who was with you beyond the Jordan , to whom you have testified , behold , He is baptizing and all are coming to Him." 27 John answered and said , " A man can receive nothing e unless e it has been given him from heaven . 28 "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said , ' I am not the Christ ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.' 29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom ; but the friend of the bridegroom , who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice . So this joy of mine has been made full . 30 "He must increase , but I must decrease .

The Testimony from Heaven

31 " He who comes from above is above all , he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth . He who comes from heaven is above all . 32 "What He has seen and heard , of that He testifies ; and no one receives His testimony . 33 "He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true . 34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God ; for He gives the Spirit without e measure . 35 " The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand . 36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life ; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life , but the wrath of God abides on him."