John 15:20

Remember these words that I told you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ That means that you, who are like my servants, cannot expect people to treat you better than they treat me. So, since they have ◄persecuted me/caused me to suffer►, they will ◄persecute you/cause you to suffer► also. If they had paid attention to the things I taught them, they would pay attention to what you teach them.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

In Context

19If you belonged to those who are opposed to God [MTY], they would love you like they love those who belong to them. But you do not belong to those who are opposed to God [MTY]. Instead, I chose you so that you would separate yourselves from [MTY] them. That is why those who are opposed to God [MTY] hate you.

21They will treat you like that because you belong to me [MTY], and because they do not know the one who sent me.

Read all of John 15

Cross References

Isaiah 53:1◄Who will believe what we will tell them about God’s servant?/Hardly anyone will believe what we will tell them about God’s servant.► [RHQ] ◄Who will see what Yahweh does by his great power?/Very few people will see what Yahweh does by his great power.► [MTY, RHQ]

Matthew 10:24A disciple should not expect to be greater than his teacher, and servants are not superior to their master.

Luke 2:34“Note what I say: God has determined that because of this child, many Israeli people will turn away from God, and many others will turn to God [MET]. Although he will be like a sign [MET] to warn people, many people will oppose him.

John 5:16So the Jewish leaders [SYN] started to harass Jesus, because Jesus was doing these things ◄on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day►.

John 8:51But the truth is that anyone who obeys what I say will never die!”

John 10:31The Jewish leaders [SYN] again picked up stones to throw at Jesus and kill him because they were angry at his saying that he was equal with God.

Matthew Henry on John 15:19-26

Hatred and Persecution Foretold. 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study John 15:20