This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Jesus has previously said that the Father was glorified by the work of the Son (13:31-32). Now He notes that the Father is also glorified by the work of the believers who are abiding in the Son. What are the similarities and the differences?
John 13:31-32 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
The last part of the verse is difficult. The literal meaning would indicate that the disciples He was addressing must bear fruit before they would become His disciples, which they already were. If “so” were interjected, then the meaning would be as in the NIV that bearing fruit would show that they were His disciples. The first meaning makes no sense and if the “so” is not to be interjected, then the meaning must be that that the Father is glorified in both the bearing of fruit and the showing of themselves to be His disciples. In either case, discipleship is shown by Jesus to be a “growing, developing way of life” and not something static. “Always the true disciple is becoming more fully a disciple.” (Morris)