John 15:20

The context

John 15 is part of the farewell discourse, spoken after the foot washing and the departure of Judas. The chapter gives the image of the vine and the branches, the command to love, and then a long section on the world's hatred. Verse 20 recalls a saying from the foot washing and applies it to the disciples' future.

What it establishes

The verse establishes that opposition is expected and that it follows a pattern already set. The saying is a proverb about servants and masters, and it is used to make the disciples' experience intelligible rather than to promise protection from it.

What it does not establish

It does not make every hardship persecution. The verse speaks of hatred directed at the disciples because of the master, and it does not claim that all suffering a Christian meets is of that kind. Nor does it promise specific outcomes, only that the pattern will repeat.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• I am homosexual and I was born homosexual – don't homosexuals have the right NOT to be hated and persecuted by the church?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.