John 15:21

John 15:21, in plain English

Jesus says they will treat you this way because of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. Their hostility comes from not knowing God.

Why it's here

When people reject you for your faith, it is not really about you. It is about their unresolved relationship with God. This perspective helps you respond with compassion rather than bitterness.

Who's speaking

Jesus explains the spiritual root of the world's hostility.

Where it sits in the story

The opposition you face is not really about you. It is about Jesus, and beyond Him, about the Father they do not know. When you understand this, it changes how you respond: not with anger, but with the same compassion Jesus showed a world that rejected Him.

The scholarly reading

Persecution comes 'because of My name' (dia to onoma mou), meaning because of allegiance to Jesus. The root cause is the world's ignorance of the Father who sent Jesus.

Language and setting

The 'name' represents Jesus' entire identity and mission. Persecution is christologically motivated: the world rejects the disciples because it has rejected the One who sent Jesus. Ignorance of God fuels hostility toward His people.

Voice

Jesus identifies the ultimate cause of persecution: the world's rejection of God.

Significance

Jesus reveals that persecution of His followers is ultimately rooted in the world's rejection of God. They will mistreat Christians 'on account of Jesus' name,' not understanding that in rejecting Jesus' followers, they are rejecting the God who sent Him.

19If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

20Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

21But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

23Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.

Read all of John 15 — Abide in me, Jesus says. A branch cut off from the vine withers. But those who remain bear fruit that lasts — and face a world that hates them.