Commentary on John 15:9-11

Jesus continues speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper. After giving them the parable of the vine, he now goes on to give its real meaning: the Father, the Son and his followers are all to be united in love. As the Father pours out his love on the Son, so the Son pours out his love on his disciples. They, in turn, are to pour out the same love on their brothers and sisters everywhere. That is how we keep the “commandments” of Jesus; all his commandments can be summarised in that one word ‘love’ (Greek, agape).

As someone once described it, the love of Jesus is like an electric current. If the current does not pass through you, it cannot enter into you. Similarly, if the love of Jesus does not pour through us to others, it is a sign that his love is not really in us. The love of God has to be recognised, responded to and passed on. It is not just a ‘given’.

And the fruit of that love is joy, the same joy that Jesus himself experiences. The normal situation of the Christian disciple should be joy and consolation. After all, as St Teresa of Avila said, “A sad saint is a sorry saint”. It is a contradiction in terms. Some Christians are incredibly ‘serious’ about their faith. One might wonder if they have yet experienced the love of Jesus. If they did, wouldn’t that love be joyfully flowing out to others?