John 15:20

20 Keep in mind the words I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they were cruel to me, they will be cruel to you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours.

John 15:20 Meaning and Commentary

John 15:20

Remember the word that I said unto you
For their further consolation under the hatred of the world, he puts them in mind of a saying of his, which he had lately used, ( John 13:16 ) ; to teach them humility, self-denial, and brotherly love, and elsewhere, as in ( Matthew 10:24 ) ; for the same purpose as here; namely, to engage them patiently to bear the hatred of men, and all indignities and insults from them, for his name's sake:

the servant is not greater than the Lord:
nor so great, and consequently not more, nor so: much deserving of respect, or to be treated in a better manner; suggesting, that Christ was their Lord and master, as he was, and they were his servants; and therefore were not greater than him, but much inferior to him, and could not expect better usage from men than he had:

if they have persecuted me;
as they did, both by words and deeds, as before observed:

they will persecute you;
and so they did in like manner, and from place to place:

if they have kept my saying;
which is either ironically spoken, or designs that insidious malicious observation of Christ's words, made by the Jews, with an intent to catch and lay hold on something to improve against him:

they will keep yours also;
that is, either they will attend to your doctrines, or they will make the same spiteful remarks, and put the same evil constructions on your words as on mine.

John 15:20 In-Context

18 If you are hated by the world, keep in mind that I was hated by the world before you.

19 If you were of the world, you would be loved by the world: but because you are not of the world, but I have taken you out of the world, you are hated by the world.

20 Keep in mind the words I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they were cruel to me, they will be cruel to you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours.

21 They will do all this to you because of my name--because they have no knowledge of him who sent me.

22 If I had not come and been their teacher they would have had no sin: but now they have no reason to give for their sin.