Analysis of John 15: 1–8

Analysis adapted from Invitation to John by George W MacRae, S.J.:

This passage is from the farewell discourse of Jesus, which in John, is long. It covers John 13:3—John 17:26. (In John, the final discourse takes up almost one quarter of the entire gospel.) These chapters are not unified in form and content, mostly because they are composed of variously distinct portions of discourse. Chapter 14 alerts us to this problem in that it is complete in itself, ending in what appears to be a final remark of Jesus. Yet there are three more chapters of discourse to follow. The result of this collection is a very long section characterized by repetition, variations on the same themes, sometimes even contradiction. But there is an overall unity of themes throughout the chapters, such as the departure and return of Jesus, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the mutual love of Father and Son, the new commandment of love, and others.

What is most distinctive about these discourses, however, is the tone of them. There is nothing of the air of confrontation and challenge that mark the discourses of the Book of signs (the first 11 chapters). Even the use of symbols and misunderstanding is greatly lessened, thought Jesus does not explain as clearly as the disciples exuberantly claim in 16:29. What accounts for the change in tone is that these discourses are addressed to the disciples—and thus to the Christian readers of the gospel—to help them (and us) to interpret the death and resurrection of Christ.