Icon of Christ the Teacher18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My word, they will keep yours also.
In verse 18, Jesus gives his first prophecy (at least at the Mystical Supper) that the disciples will be hated and persecuted. As Fr. Farley writes, “[The disciples’] love for one another and their fruit-bearing in the world do not mean…that the world will love them…The world’s hatred for them is inevitable, for it is but another manifestation of the world’s prior hatred for Christ” (274).
As Christ’s disciples today, when we tell others about our faith, or even when we simply try to live it out in an unbelieving world, we should not expect the world to applaud. We should be prepared to be laughed at, ridiculed, called names, and in some places, even actively persecuted.
Verse 19 shows us that if we were from the world, the world would love us. Could that mean that if everyone loves us, then we are not being obedient to Christ’s commandments?
Earlier when Jesus said “A servant is not greater than his master” (13:16), he was referring to the disciples’ need to follow his example in being a servant to others. Now in verse 20, he applies the saying in a different way. They, as the servants, should not expected to be treated any better than their master was. In Fr. Farley’s words, “The disrespect one intends for the enemy is given to his emissary too…Whatever the world’s attitude was to Jesus, that same attitude will be directed at His Church” (275).
Note on the use of the term “world” (Gk. kosmos): in these passages, the term “world” does not denote the physical world, nor all the people in the world, but the part of the world that is in active opposition to God.
In spite of Jesus’ tragic prophecy here, he also gives them hope; for those who keep his word will also keep the disciples’ word (i.e., their teachings and commandments). In other words, not everyone will reject the disciples and their message.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My word, they will keep yours also.
In verse 18, Jesus gives his first prophecy (at least at the Mystical Supper) that the disciples will be hated and persecuted. As Fr. Farley writes, “[The disciples’] love for one another and their fruit-bearing in the world do not mean…that the world will love them…The world’s hatred for them is inevitable, for it is but another manifestation of the world’s prior hatred for Christ” (274).
As Christ’s disciples today, when we tell others about our faith, or even when we simply try to live it out in an unbelieving world, we should not expect the world to applaud. We should be prepared to be laughed at, ridiculed, called names, and in some places, even actively persecuted.
Verse 19 shows us that if we were from the world, the world would love us. Could that mean that if everyone loves us, then we are not being obedient to Christ’s commandments?
Earlier when Jesus said “A servant is not greater than his master” (13:16), he was referring to the disciples’ need to follow his example in being a servant to others. Now in verse 20, he applies the saying in a different way. They, as the servants, should not expected to be treated any better than their master was. In Fr. Farley’s words, “The disrespect one intends for the enemy is given to his emissary too…Whatever the world’s attitude was to Jesus, that same attitude will be directed at His Church” (275).
Note on the use of the term “world” (Gk. kosmos): in these passages, the term “world” does not denote the physical world, nor all the people in the world, but the part of the world that is in active opposition to God.
In spite of Jesus’ tragic prophecy here, he also gives them hope; for those who keep his word will also keep the disciples’ word (i.e., their teachings and commandments). In other words, not everyone will reject the disciples and their message.
21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
On first thought, it would seem that Israel would have gladly received Christ. After all they had been taught to love God and to seek his righteousness. They had also been taught to wait for the Messiah and to follow him when he comes. Now, one had come who had done all the things that the Messiah was supposed to, and yet most of Israel rejected Him. Again, Fr. Farley has a great comment on this apparent paradox:
“…Their hostility sprang from a fundamental ignorance of God and what He really wanted from men. Israel, through its unofficial teachers the Pharisees, came to a place where they did not understand their own Law. They had a distorted view of it and were convinced that the Law was an end in itself, that God was more concerned with the minutiae of complicated regulations than He was with the love of the human heart. Their whole sense of perspective had been skewed, and in their pride they refused to consider that they could be wrong. Thus, they regarded Jesus’ teaching as a grievous apostasy from the Law and Jesus Himself as a dangerous deceiver, whose influence they had to stamp out at all costs” (276).
In other words, they persecuted Jesus and would persecute his followers because they did not really know God. And of course, those who do not know God are still persecuting those who seek to faithfully follow Jesus.
Note Jesus’ words in verse 22, “they would have no sin.” Of course, Jesus does not mean this in an absolute sense, for there is no one without sin. What the Lord means is that they would not have the sin of rejecting him and his teaching.
In regard to Jesus’ words in verse 24, “they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father,” listen to what Fr. Farley says: “There is an air of finality to this: Israel has had its chance. They have seen the evidence and given their verdict. In their hatred and rejection of Jesus, they have thereby also seen and hated His Father as well. The nation that was created expressly to receive this divine Word had rejected its God” (276, emphasis added).
“They hated me without a cause” (verse 25): This is from Psalm 68/69, a beautiful Messianic Psalm which I recommend that you read, if you haven’t lately.
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Here in verse 26, we see Jesus’ third announcement of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
It must be mentioned that Jesus clearly says that the Spirit proceeds from the Father only, not the Father and the son (filioque in Latin). Regarding this, Fr. Farley writes:
“The point of saying here that the Spirit proceeds from the Father is that He is the Spirit of the Father, the true manifestation of the Father’s power and work on earth. This is not to deny that the Spirit is a distinct hypostasis (or Person)…the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. It is simply to assert that Christ’s concern here is not to define the inner workings of the Godhead, but rather to underscore the authority of the Spirit’s witness. Because the spirit proceeds from the Father, the Spirit’s witness to Christ is that of the Father as well” (277).
That being said, however, the fact still remains that saying that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father AND the Son is not scriptural. As Jesus clearly stated, the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Period.
Finally, in verse 27, Jesus affirms that just as the Spirit will witness to him, so will the disciples themselves. In fact, they will work together (synergia), the Spirit providing the courage and the words, while the disciples would do the legwork. The Spirit would also support the propagation of the Gospel through signs and wonders.
Application: Have you ever endured ridicule or scorn (or perhaps more serious persecution) for your faith in Christ? Did you remain firm and loyal to Christ in these situations? Ask God for the strength and courage to be a witness for him in both word and in deed, no matter what difficulties you may face from those who do not love God.
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