These small group studies of John 15:9-27 contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

John 15:9-27 Bible Study and Questions – Love One Another

Outline

I. Love one another (9-17)
II. The world will hate you (18-25)
III. The coming Holy Spirit (26-27)

I. Love one another (9-17)

Discussion Questions

• How can we abide in His love? What does this mean?
• Do verses 9-10 tell us that if we don’t obey Him then He won’t love us? Can you think of any other verses that talk about this issue?
• What does “My joy” mean? What was Jesus’ joy?
• How to show our love for others?
• What kind of friendship is this that we need to obey His commands? What is His show of friendship? What is ours?
• Explain the phrase “go and bear fruit”.
• Who initiated our relationship with Christ?

Cross-References

1 Corinthians 10:31 – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

John 17:13 – But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Hebrews 12:2-3 – Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

James 2:23 – And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Jesus’ love – Jesus just discussed the disciples’ relationship to Him. Then He discusses His relationship to each other. While the context is His commands to His disciples, these are also clearly principles that are applicable to us as well.

Jesus loves us as the Father loved Him. Wow! That is the most supreme love possible. It can’t get any higher than that.

John 15:9 – As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

When I read verse 9 I asked myself, “how can we abide in His love”? Verse 10 has the answer. We must keep His commandments. Jesus is the example. Jesus obeyed the Father and received the Father’s love. Does this mean if we don’t keep His commandments that He won’t love us? If not, what does it mean?

Firstly, Jesus loves the whole world in a general way. He gives blessings to all mankind. Yet He loves the elect in a special way. If we are His elect we will practice obedience to His commands. Yet if we do fall and break some it doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us. But His love will be shown in a different and much more uncomfortable way. He will disciple us, prune us. This is a kind of “tough love”.

Why did Jesus say all of this? It wasn’t to scare them. It wasn’t to rebuke them? It was so that they could have the same joy that He has. First we need to know what kind of joy that is. What kind of joy did Jesus have?

Reflect – What kind of joy did Jesus not have?

2. Jesus’ joy –

It wasn’t joy based on money. Jesus had very little. It wasn’t joy based on a nice home. He didn’t have a place to lay His head. It wasn’t joy based on pleasant circumstances. Jesus was about to be beaten and tortured. It wasn’t joy based on long life. Jesus was about to die at the young age of 33. It wasn’t joy based on popularity. Jesus was about to have huge crowds yelling for His execution. It wasn’t joy based on entertainment or having a fun time. Jesus’ life was very serious.

Hebrews 12:2 – Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I believe Jesus’ joy was finishing the work God had given Him and receiving the reward for it (that is seeing many people receive salvation). This was what He looked forward to. His joy was obeying the Father and seeing the great results from that obedience. So this joy can also be in us. We can have this joy by being obedient to God in all kinds of circumstances, by remembering that He is always with us, and by the hope of our salvation that is still yet to come. What is our salvation that is still yet to come? In that past we have been saved from the penalty of sin. Now we are saved from it’s power. We will be saved from it’s presence. So our joy is based on our relationship to God and our trust in His promises.

Joy doesn’t come from any worldly things. It doesn’t come from circumstances. Do you remember anyone in the Bible who had joy even in the midst of difficulty? Paul and Silas in prison.

2 Corinthians 7:4 – I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It comes from His work in our life, not things we do or buy, or food we enjoy eating. Often the joy of this world is just a short-lived thrill like a roller coaster. But once the short ride is over reality and misery sets in again. The joy of the Lord is deep-rooted and long lasting. It is our strength.

A wonderful example of joy in the Bible, is Habakkuk. He made the decision to be joyful even he discovered life altering catastrophes that would ruin him. Check out the whole study here.

3. Love one another –

In verse 12 and after is the command for the basis of believer’s relationship to each other, love. According to 1 Corinthians 13 this is the greatest virtue and that is why Jesus stresses it again and again. It is also a very important one for believers in the church because far too often petty differences and disagreements divide us. We are called to love as He loved us.

Reflect – Read over 1 Corinthians 13 and consider how you stack up.

When I read the list of what true love is in 1 Corinthians 13, I realize I fall far short of God’s standard. Primarily I am not patient, do seek my own, and take into account when someone does something wrong to me.

Application – Choose one area in 1 Corinthians 13 that you are week. Write down one practical way you can work on this daily. Make it a matter of daily prayer and be intentional to work on this area. Love is more than just a warm greeting or handshake on Sunday morning. Consider ways that you would like others around you to show you love. You can go and do the same.

Verse 13.

John 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

I once heard a story of a young girl and her brother. The girl had leukemia and needed a blood transfusion. The doctor asked her little brother if he would be willing to give his blood for his sister. The boy thought for sometime and finally soberly answered, “yes.” When the doctor inserted the needle and was taking the blood the boy meekly looked up and asked, “when am I going to die?” The precious boy had believed that giving his blood meant he was going to die to save his sister. Although the doctors then assured him it would not cost his life, they were amazed at the boy’s sacrificial love.

Jesus faced the same situation as the boy, but He actually had to give His life. And He chose to because of His love for you. The next day after he told the disciples what the greatest act of love would entail, He sacrificed Himself for them and for us.

What does this mean for us? I would suggest two simple applications.

1. Thank Him. Next time you sing worship songs about the blood of Jesus, I hope you will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of His sacrifice for you.

2. Don’t trample on the blood. Just as the animal sacrifices motivated people to live holy lives, so Christ’s sacrifice should motivate us to live a holy life. All of our sins had to be paid for in full. Do not take that sacrifice for granted.

Jesus also the very day after He told the disciples this showed them the supreme act of love. How can we practice this principle to love each other when it is likely we may never have the “chance” to give our life for someone else?

Verse 14-15

John 15:14-15 – You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

If we do what He commands we prove that we are truly friends of His. In verse 15 Jesus called the disciples His friends. He also has made known to us what He heard from the Father so we are also His friends. What does that mean to you? It really is an amazing thing that the Almighty God is willing to be friends with low, weak, pathetic, human sinners. It’s almost unbelievable. This is also likely a distinctive of Christianity. The gods of other religions are often far away from the world or if they do get involved it is violently or abusive. In this world, leaders are seldom if ever willing to be friends with the common people. They often look down on the people they rule. But God is willing to be friends with us. What applications does this have for us?

It has two. One, of course we should be thankful to God. We can have a close and intimate personal relationship with Him. We can pray to Him about anything. We can always rely on Him.

James 2:23 – Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 

Secondly, if God is a friend to us, it means that we should be a friend to the world and to those who are under us. If we are a boss in a company we should show ourselves to be a friend of those under us, not ruling it over them. Doctors should be friendly to their patients. Teachers should be a friend to their students. Recently, I heard of a pastor who said one of the five most common mistakes of evangelists in is treating those whom they minister to as students rather than friends. Let us treat those whom we share with and those who are under us as friends rather than students.

Verse 16 – The initiative is God’s. The purpose is to be fruitful. A resource is to pray.

II. The world will hate you (18-25)

Discussion Questions

• Who is the “you” in verse 18?
• Do these words also apply to us?
• Why did the world hate Jesus, His disciples, and us today?
• Does the world hate us? Why?
• What forms does this hate take?
• How have others shown their hate to you?
• How did you respond? How should we respond?
• Is it discouraging when others ridicule you, make fun of you, or tear you down?
• Do you like to be popular and appreciated?
• What impact could we have if we routinely give blessings and respond positively when the world hates us?
• What does Jesus mean that if He had not come they would not have sin?

Cross-References

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 – We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

1 Peter 3:8-9 – Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

John 9:41 – Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Jesus laid out the relationship of believers to Him, the relationship of believers to each other, and now the relationship of believers to the world. Jesus is preparing the disciples by telling them that they will be hated and persecuted by the world.

In general, people in the world dislike others who are not like them. It’s not always true, but it is often true. There are a lot of economic, ethnic, and social divisions that cause hatred. But worldwide none of them is bigger than the hatred towards God’s people (I would include Christian’s and Jews, since both are viewed as God’s people). No, not every individual persecutes or hates Christians, but it is very common. Governments make a lot of laws targeting Christians. Schools do also. This hatred and persecution worldwide ebbs and flows. Right now it is not as serious as it was during the disciples’ times, when Christianity was just growing and the Jews were stirring people up against it. As Christianity has grown more nominal and like the world it also doesn’t incur hatred as much. Now this persecution is leveled against the serious, fundamentalist Christians, the ones who are really following Scripture. Why is this?

1. They hate Jesus/God. People in the world don’t like authority. They don’t want to answer for the wrong things they have done. Therefore they hate God. Because we identify with God they hate us also.

2. We’re not of the world. The world says to live and let live. The world encourages tolerance for all kinds of lifestyles. The world wants to sin in the dark. But believers speak out against sinful lifestyles. They speak out against sinful laws. Even if their words don’t, their lives do. Basically Christians are a convicting force and people don’t want to feel convicted.

3. They don’t know God. So who do they know? Satan. Their father is Satan and as we know Satan is fighting continually against God. So of course Satan will use them as puppets to try to suppress Christianity.

Jesus prepared the disciples to face persecution

John 15:20 – If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

2 Timothy 3:12 – Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

If we live godly lives we will face persecution. That is a guarantee. The extent of it depends on other factors around us. But we will face it. If we are never facing persecution the problem is we are not speaking out or not living it. We should not seek persecution. But neither should we try to avoid it by keeping our faith a secret.

Reflect – Why does God allow persecution?

• Persecution sifts the chaff from the wheat. Without the “weeds” of unbelievers negatively influencing the church, the wheat is more healthy and fruitful. There are few nominal Christians during intense persecution.
• Persecution often causes more rapid reproduction. Large churches split into smaller ones, increasing their point of contact with the world around them. Two smaller circles with the same total diameter as one larger circle will have a larger edge. Four groups of ten people will likely interact with more people outside of their circle than one group of forty.
• Persecution often fast-tracks leadership development. For example, if one church splits into four, you need four preachers instead of one. It opens up more job vacancies for the believers to volunteer and serve. Serving then brings about growth.
• Persecution creates a clear division between the kingdom of this world and God’s kingdom. During persecution, believers are less likely to compromise with the world. Why would they be a friend of the world that hates them (1 John 2:15)?
• Persecution teaches believers to depend on God. When everything is smooth, we may be tempted to trust in ourselves. We think we can control our future. Persecution reminds us that we are not sovereign. God is. The only way through is hope and faith in God. It highlights our weaknesses while drawing us closer to Jesus. Those who are persecuted likely pray more.
• Persecution brings about many amazing testimonies. The world sees the power of faith in action. Examples of believers who willingly are martyred for faith in Christ often penetrate into the hardest hearts and soften the soil for the gospel.
• Persecution often unifies the church. It draws believers closer together as it highlights their common bond and perhaps their common “enemy.”
• Persecution shifts believers’ focus from earthly things to heavenly things. It causes the loss of security, career, and wealth. That in turn changes our perspective and helps us refocus our hope on God. When we do this, we grow more.

Reflect – What is the worst persecution you have faced? How did it help you to grow spiritually?

How should you react when you face persecution?

Facing persecution is a great opportunity to stand for Christ and shine as a light. Many of the most effective believers are ones who were persecuted, but stood for Christ and in the process reached many people for Christ. If we give into persecution we are just proving to the world that God has no power and it is not real. So we must stand strong. And we must give a blessing instead. Stephen. Give story of Corey Ten Boom. Opened a house for the Dutch who helped the Nazis. Went and told the guard she forgave him. The power of a kind word spoken to someone who hates us can be truly amazing. Do you have any examples of this?

They were not sinless. But Jesus’ coming led to the greatest sin of all time, His rejection and execution. It should have led them to repent because they saw who He really was. Yet instead of repenting, they killed God the Son.

Psalms 69:4 – More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?

If David could say this though he had sin and hadn’t been a perfect king then surely Jesus was justified in saying they hated Him without a cause. He had never sinned.

It is better to be persecuted for doing right than for doing wickedness (1 Peter 3:17). Also, persecution is an opportunity to shine the light even brighter in the darkness.

III. The coming Holy Spirit (26-27)

Discussion Questions

• Who is the Helper?
• What does it mean that He proceeds from the Father?

Cross-References

John 9:41 – Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Verses 26-27 – The Helper is the Holy Spirit. He proceeds from the Father. He is sent by the Father. The Father has the position of being the head within the Trinity. He would testify and so would the disciples. The Holy Spirit would testify through them (see Pentecost). They had a great help in witnessing!