John 15:12-17 Part 3 in a Series

12 Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμή, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς.  13 μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ.  14 ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν.  15 οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.  16 οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ᾿ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ, ἵνα ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δῷ ὑμῖν.  17 ταῦτα ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. 

John 15:12-17

This is my commandment that you love one another as I loved you.  No one has a greater love than this, that someone may lay down his life for (in behalf of) his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you to do.  I am no longer calling you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing.  But I have called you friends, because all things which I heard from the Father, I made known to you.  You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and I have placed you that you may depart and produce fruit, and that your fruit may remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.  I command these things to you, that you love one another.

τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ (his life or his soul) from ψυχὴ.  I wanted to point out that greek word for “soul” can also mean “life”.  

ὑπὲρ (in behalf of).  Most translations render ὑπὲρ as “for” in this passage, but I don’t thing that brings out the true meaning of this preposition.  In this text, “in behalf of” means that one gives his life so that you don’t have to give yours.

ὁ κύριος (lord, master, sir).  This is the same greek word that renders “Lord” when referring to Jesus.  I wanted to bring out the different uses of this word in the New Testament.

ἔθηκα (I have placed or I have put) from τίθημι.  Many translations render ἔθηκα “to appoint”, but it makes since in this context that Jesus “places” them in the right “spot” in order to produce fruit.  See my blog of verses 1-4.  http://biblicalgreeknuggets.blogspot.com/2010/08/john-151-4-start-of-series.html