John 15:21 kjv
But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
John 15:21 nkjv
But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
John 15:21 niv
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.
John 15:21 esv
But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
John 15:21 nlt
They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.
John 15 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 15:18 | "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you." | Direct parallel |
| John 17:14 | "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." | Explains reason for hatred |
| 1 John 3:13 | "Do not be surprised, my brothers, that the world hates you." | Encouragement regarding hatred |
| Matthew 10:22 | "You will be hated by all for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved." | Promise of perseverance |
| Luke 21:17 | "You will be hated by all for my name's sake." | Prediction of persecution |
| Acts 4:27 | "Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel." | Historical opposition to Christ |
| Galatians 1:10 | "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." | Contrasts pleasing God vs. man |
| 2 Timothy 3:12 | "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." | General principle of persecution |
| Revelation 12:17 | "Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear witness to Jesus." | Cosmic opposition to believers |
| Romans 12:2 | "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." | Distinction from the world |
| Ephesians 2:2 | "...following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." | Worldly influences |
| 1 Peter 4:4 | "With respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they vilify you." | World's reaction to abstinence |
| Matthew 5:11-12 | "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." | Blessing in persecution |
| 1 John 4:5 | "They are of the world; therefore from the world they speak, and the world listens to them." | Characteristic of worldly speech |
| 1 John 2:15-16 | "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world." | Dangers of loving the world |
| Psalm 119:165 | "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing shall cause them to stumble." | Peace for those aligned with God |
| Proverbs 8:36 | "but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death." | Consequences of rejecting wisdom (Christ) |
| Acts 17:6-7 | "And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, 'These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.'" | "Turning the world upside down" |
| John 1:10 | "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." | World's ignorance of Christ |
| John 3:19-20 | "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." | Reason for hatred of light |
John 15 verses
John 15 21 Meaning
The verse states that the world will hate believers because the world first hated Christ, the source of their identity and message. This hatred stems from the fundamental opposition between the values of the world and the values of Christ and His followers. Believers are hated not for their personal failings, but for their association with Christ and their adoption of His character and mission.
John 15 21 Context
This verse is found in the upper room discourse of John's Gospel, spoken by Jesus to His disciples during His final hours before His crucifixion. He is preparing them for the life they will lead as His followers. He has been using the analogy of the vine and its branches to explain their intimate connection with Him and their source of life and fruitfulness. Having discussed abiding in Him, He now turns to the external reception they will face from the world because of this abiding connection. The immediate context is Jesus explaining that the world’s rejection of Him, their Master, will extend to them, His disciples, His representatives. This is not a new teaching but a continuation and deepening of themes introduced earlier in the Gospel, such as the world's opposition to Jesus' ministry and message.
John 15 21 Word Analysis
“but” (ἀλλὰ - alla): A conjunction indicating contrast, highlighting the shift from internal union with Christ to external opposition from the world.
“all” (πᾶν - pan): A distributive adjective, meaning every, all. It emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the world’s hatred, encompassing its entirety.
“things” (πράγματα - pragmata): Often translated as things, deeds, matters, or works. Here it refers to the sum of the world's attitudes, actions, and principles that are opposed to God.
“hate” (μισῶσιν - misōsin): The third-person plural present active indicative of μισέω (miseō), meaning to hate, detest, or loathe. It describes a deep-seated, active opposition.
“you” (ὑμᾶς - hymas): The second-person plural accusative pronoun. This directly addresses the disciples.
“because” (ὅτι - hoti): A conjunction indicating cause or reason.
“they” (οὗτοι - houtoi): This demonstrative pronoun refers back to "all things" or "the world" and specifically to those embodying its characteristics and principles.
“know” (οἴδατε - oidate): The second-person plural perfect active indicative of οἶδα (oida), meaning to know, to be aware of, to understand. It implies a certainty or established knowledge.
“that” (ὅτι - hoti): Another conjunction of cause or reason.
“first” (πρῶτον - prōton): An adverb, meaning before, first. It establishes a chronological and foundational priority.
“they” (ἐμοὶ - emoi): First-person dative singular pronoun, referring to Jesus Himself.
“hated” (εμίσησα - emisēsa): The first-person singular aorist active indicative of μισέω (miseō), the same root word for hate, used here to describe Christ's experience of being hated.
Words Group Analysis:
- “the world” (ὁ κόσμος - ho kosmos): This recurring phrase in John's Gospel represents the entire system of humanity alienated from God, characterized by sin, rebellion, and opposition to divine truth. It's not just humanity in general, but the structured system of ungodliness.
- “you know that it has hated me before it hated you”: This is a crucial statement linking the disciples' persecution directly to Christ's own experience. It provides context, reassurance, and a framework for understanding their suffering as participation in Christ's own mission and rejection.
John 15 21 Bonus Section
This verse emphasizes that persecution is an expected part of Christian life, not an anomaly. It serves as an apologetic point; the world's hatred for Christians is proof that Christians truly represent Christ. The world hated Jesus because His life exposed its sin and rebellion against God (John 3:19-20). Likewise, believers, by living in Christ's light, inevitably bring the same exposure and offense to the world’s sinful system. This hatred is a testimony to the effectiveness of Christ's presence in His followers. The ultimate purpose of Christ’s work, and by extension His followers', is to separate people from the world's corrupted ways and bring them to God. This divisive work inherently draws opposition from that which it opposes.
John 15 21 Commentary
The hatred directed at believers by the world is not arbitrary; it is a direct consequence of their identification with Christ. Just as the world rejected Jesus – the light, the truth, the way – it will reject those who bear His name and exhibit His character. This rejection is rooted in the fundamental conflict between God's kingdom and the kingdom of darkness. The world loves its own ways and resent anyone who challenges them or stands as a witness against them. Jesus reassures His disciples that this opposition is a testament to their belonging to Him and is not a sign of failure but a confirmation of their discipleship, mirroring His own experience. Understanding this dynamic provides resilience and perspective in the face of persecution.