Discovery BoxJohn 6:27 
Context6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, 1 but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food 2 which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” 3
John 12:24
Context12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, 4 unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. 5 But if it dies, it produces 6 much grain. 7
John 15:4-5
Context15:4 Remain 8 in me, and I will remain in you. 9 Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, 10 unless it remains 11 in 12 the vine, so neither can you unless you remain 13 in me.
15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains 14 in me – and I in him – bears 15 much fruit, 16 because apart from me you can accomplish 17 nothing.
John 15:16
Context15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you 18 and appointed you to go and bear 19 fruit, fruit that remains, 20 so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
1 tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).
sn Do not work for the food that disappears. Note the wordplay on “work” here. This does not imply “working” for salvation, since the “work” is later explained (in John 6:29) as “to believe in the one whom he (the Father) sent.”
2 tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.
3 tn Grk “on this one.”
4 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
5 tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”
6 tn Or “bears.”
7 tn Grk “much fruit.”
8 tn Or “Reside.”
9 tn Grk “and I in you.” The verb has been repeated for clarity and to conform to contemporary English style, which typically allows fewer ellipses (omitted or understood words) than Greek.
10 sn The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains connected to the vine, from which its life and sustenance flows. As far as the disciples were concerned, they would produce no fruit from themselves if they did not remain in their relationship to Jesus, because the eternal life which a disciple must possess in order to bear fruit originates with Jesus; he is the source of all life and productivity for the disciple.
11 tn Or “resides.”
12 tn While it would be more natural to say “on the vine” (so NAB), the English preposition “in” has been retained here to emphasize the parallelism with the following clause “unless you remain in me.” To speak of remaining “in” a person is not natural English either, but is nevertheless a biblical concept (cf. “in Christ” in Eph 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 11).
13 tn Or “you reside.”
14 tn Or “resides.”
15 tn Or “yields.”
16 tn Grk “in him, this one bears much fruit.” The pronoun “this one” has been omitted from the translation because it is redundant according to contemporary English style.
sn Many interpret the imagery of fruit here and in 15:2, 4 in terms of good deeds or character qualities, relating it to passages elsewhere in the NT like Matt 3:8 and 7:20, Rom 6:22, Gal 5:22, etc. This is not necessarily inaccurate, but one must remember that for John, to have life at all is to bear fruit, while one who does not bear fruit shows that he does not have the life (once again, conduct is the clue to paternity, as in John 8:41; compare also 1 John 4:20).
17 tn Or “do.”
18 sn You did not choose me, but I chose you. If the disciples are now elevated in status from slaves to friends, they are friends who have been chosen by Jesus, rather than the opposite way round. Again this is true of all Christians, not just the twelve, and the theme that Christians are “chosen” by God appears frequently in other NT texts (e.g., Rom 8:33; Eph 1:4ff.; Col 3:12; and 1 Pet 2:4). Putting this together with the comments on 15:14 one may ask whether the author sees any special significance at all for the twelve. Jesus said in John 6:70 and 13:18 that he chose them, and 15:27 makes clear that Jesus in the immediate context is addressing those who have been with him from the beginning. In the Fourth Gospel the twelve, as the most intimate and most committed followers of Jesus, are presented as the models for all Christians, both in terms of their election and in terms of their mission.
19 tn Or “and yield.”
20 sn The purpose for which the disciples were appointed (“commissioned”) is to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. The introduction of the idea of “going” at this point suggests that the fruit is something more than just character qualities in the disciples’ own lives, but rather involves fruit in the lives of others, i.e., Christian converts. There is a mission involved (cf. John 4:36). The idea that their fruit is permanent, however, relates back to vv. 7-8, as does the reference to asking the Father in Jesus’ name. It appears that as the imagery of the vine and the branches develops, the “fruit” which the branches produce shifts in emphasis from qualities in the disciples’ own lives in John 15:2, 4, 5 to the idea of a mission which affects the lives of others in John 15:16. The point of transition would be the reference to fruit in 15:8.
