Chapter 32 John 15:18–27

Literary Context

This pericope is the fifth of eight sections of the farewell discourse. Surrounded by a prologue (13:31–38) and an epilogue (16:25–33), the farewell discourse can be divided into six significant and developing thematic statements by Jesus, with each offering comfort and consolation for the disciples (and the reader), befitting the nature of a farewell discourse (see comments before 13:1). These six statements within the farewell discourse offer one long exhortation to stay the course and encouragement that their efforts will be matched by the Trinitarian God himself. In the first three statements, Jesus explains his relationship to the disciples and their future existence in him; in the last three statements Jesus explains the disciples’ relation to the world and their future existence in it. In this pericope, the disciples are warned about the hatred of the world and given insight into its source and judgment. The disciples—and the reader—are exhorted to see the work of God in the world, not only God’s judgment of the world but his witness to the world by the Spirit and through the disciples.

VII. The Farewell Discourse (13:1–17:26)
1. A. Introduction: The Love of Jesus (13:1–30)
  1. 1. Jesus and the Washing of his Disciples’ Feet (13:1–20)
  2. 2. Jesus Announces His Betrayal (13:21–30)
2. B. The Farewell Discourse (13:31–16:33)
  1. 1. Prologue: Glory, Departure, and Love (13:31–38)
  2. 2. I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life (14:1–14)
  3. 3. I Will Give You the Paraclete (14:15–31)
  4. 4. I Am the True Vine (15:1–17)
  5. 5. I Have Also Experienced the Hate of the World (15:18–27)
  6. 6. I Will Empower You by the Paraclete (16:1–15)
  7. 7. I Will Turn Your Grief into Joy (16:16–24)
  8. 8. Epilogue: Speaking Plainly, Departure, and Peace (16:25–33)
3. C. Conclusion: The Prayer of Jesus (17:1–26)

Main Idea

The Christian is so united with Christ that they will experience the world’s hate of God, through whom its sinful condition has been made known. Yet it is in the world that the Christian is appointed to be a witness to Christ with the Paraclete.

Translation

Structure and Literary Form

As the fifth of eight sections of the farewell discourse, this pericope is part of the fourth (and longest) substantial monologue in the narrative proper. A monologue (see Introduction) is similar to a dialogue in that it is set in the context of an engagement and conflict, but rather than engaging point-for-point it allows for a lengthy argument. A monologue can contain elements of rhetoric, challenge, and conflict, but it does so in a sustained presentation.

This pericope is the fourth of six statements by Jesus given to exhort and encourage his disciples. The inclusio that concluded the last pericope (15:12–17) and the change of topic warrants the start of a new pericope here at v. 18. The majority of commentators conclude this pericope at 16:4, in part because the topic of the world’s hatred introduced in v. 18 clearly extends through 16:4.1 But the topic of hatred does not clearly stop at 16:4 either, for there is no clear break from this topic, which extends throughout the discourse. This pericope introduces the cause of the persecution; what begins in 16:1 is the explanation of the expected response of the disciples.2

The farewell discourse as a whole makes an even larger transition here. From 13:31 to 15:17, the focus has been on the relationship between the disciples and Jesus (statements 1–3), but from 15:18 to 16:33 the focus transitions to the disciples’ engagement with the world (statements 4–6).

Exegetical Outline

5. I Have Also Experienced the Hate of the World (15:18–27)
1. a. The Source of the World’s Hatred (vv. 18–21)
2. b. The Judgment against the World (vv. 22–25)
3. c. The Witness of the Paraclete (vv. 26–27)

Explanation of the Text

Since this entire section of the Gospel and “the farewell discourse” proper are replete with interpretive issues, we refer the reader to the first pericope of this section where we provided an overview of the nature (genre), literary structure, and function of the farewell discourse (see comments before 13:1).

15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you (Εἰ ὁ κόσμος ὑμᾶς μισεῖ, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐμὲ πρῶτον ὑμῶν μεμίσηκεν). The focus on the love relationship between Jesus and his disciples in the first half of the farewell discourse (statements 1–3) transitions to the hate relationship between the world and the disciples in the second half (statements 4–6; on “the world,” see comments on 1:10). The disciples will need to “remain” in him because according to Jesus “the world hates you.” But Jesus states this fact in a manner that places him between the disciples and the world. Jesus communicates this by stating it as a condition: If the world hates you, “know that it hated me before you” (γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐμὲ πρῶτον ὑμῶν μεμίσηκεν), with “me” (ἐμὲ) emphatic in form and position. They are not only to “know” that they will be the objects of the world’s hate but two further things.3 First, this hate is not new. Nothing about the world’s hate toward them should surprise them or make them expect anything different. Second, this hate is directed primarily at Jesus and only secondarily at the disciples. The disciples will experience real hate, but it is hate that is rooted in their affiliation with and participation in Jesus. There is a sharp contrast between the disciples and the world—just as the disciples are to be known by their love, the world will be known by its hatred.4 This response by the world, therefore, should not come as a surprise (cf. 1 John 3:13).

15:19 “If you were from the world, the world would love you as its own; because you are not from the world, but I chose you from the world, for this reason the world hates you” (εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἦτε, ὁ κόσμος ἂν τὸ ἴδιον ἐφίλει· ὅτι δὲ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου οὐκ ἐστέ, ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, διὰ τοῦτο μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος). Jesus defines further the world’s hatred toward the disciples. The root of this hate is the disciples’ lack of identification with the world. Simply stated, the Christian is no longer “from the world” (ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου), a prepositional phrase that describes to whom the disciples belong and the nature of their identity.5 They used to be “from the world,” and they will continue to be “in the world” (17:11), but Christ himself—note the emphatic first-person pronoun—“chose” (ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην) them out of the world. This verb was used earlier to describe the works the disciples would perform (see comments on 15:16); here it is used to describe the people they would become.6

Again, the prologue’s announcement is needed here. While still in the world (historical reality), they are at the exact same time no longer from the world (cosmological reality). The Christian is so identified “in Christ” that they are now distinguishable from their natural-born origin: they have been born anew “from above” (3:1–11). It is “for this reason” (διὰ τοῦτο) that the world hates the disciples. Christ’s disciples are now a foreign entity in the world, and the world’s antibodies will naturally respond to them in force with intent to destroy.

15:20 “Remember the word which I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours also” (μνημονεύετε τοῦ λόγου οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν, Οὐκ ἔστιν δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ. εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν, καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν). To explain this further, Jesus reminds them what he said to them earlier (see comments on 13:16). The identity of the disciples is so grounded in their relation to Christ and his identity that they can be expected to receive similar treatment. The world’s treatment of Jesus will continue against his disciples (cf. Acts 9:4: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”). The church really is the body of Christ and will physically participate in his real sufferings (cf. Col 1:24). And this treatment is entirely rooted in the world’s relationship to Christ; the disciples’ relation to the world is derived entirely from their relation to Christ. Using Jesus’s examples, some will persecute the disciples (as they did Jesus) and some will respond in obedience (as they did to Jesus), but all respond ultimately to the person and work of Christ.7 The call of the Christian is to receive the hate of the world with humility but also with the intention of service.8

15:21 “But they will do all these things to you because of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me” (ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ποιήσουσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασιν τὸν πέμψαντά με). Jesus concludes the first section of the pericope (vv. 18–21) by giving the ultimate, deep-rooted source of the world’s hatred of the disciples. Two reasons are given. First, the world rejects the person of Jesus. The phrase “because of my name” (διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου) is important here. As we discussed earlier (see comments on 1:12), the concept of a “name” in the ancient world was not merely a label but the character of a person. Thus, the world rejects everything the name “Jesus” means and stands for and therefore will do the same to his disciples, the church. The world has rejected the representative of God, Jesus Christ; they will surely do the same to his other representatives.

Second, the world rejects the Father. If the world rejects the representative and the one sent, then they will also reject the one he represents and “the one who sent” (τὸν πέμψαντά). The judgment by Jesus that the world “does not know” (οὐκ οἴδασιν) the Father will be explained in the next section of the pericope (vv. 22–25) but primarily refers to the innate enmity between the world and God (cf. 1 John 2:23). The knowledge of God is one of the deep existential issues that the Gospel addresses (see comments on 7:28–29; 8:19). And since the knowledge of God is only grasped through the Son (1:18), the rejection of the Son becomes also the rejection of the Father.9

15:22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin” (εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν). In the second section of the pericope (vv. 22–25) Jesus transitions from the source of the world’s hatred to the judgment against the world, and transitions from his disciples’ work to his own. Jesus utters two statements that need to be understood in relation to one another: (1) “If I had not come . . . they would have no sin”; and (2) “now they have no excuse for their sin.” The first statement does not claim that sin only became an issue with the arrival of Jesus but rather that sin became most apparent with the arrival of Jesus (see Rom 5:13). The true source and authority for the evaluation and condemnation of sin was not the law of Moses but the law of Christ.10

The second statement is best taken as synonymous with the first or as an explanation of the first. The arrival of Jesus made sin known; that is, it made it official that “now they have no excuse.” Jesus had spoken this way about judgment and sin before (see comments on 9:39–41) and how the light exposes the evil of the darkness (see comments on 3:18–20). The coming of Jesus inaugurated the judgment of the world. This is what Jesus means when he says he has taken away their “excuse” (πρόφασιν) or their “defense of an action.”11 As the Gospel has been making clear, Jesus is both the prosecuting attorney (Judge) and the defense attorney (sacrifice) for the world (cf. 3:16–21). One either receives the judgment they deserve from Jesus (justice and wrath) or allows Jesus to receive undeservedly the judgment on their behalf (mercy and grace).

15:23 “The one who hates me also hates my Father” (ὁ ἐμὲ μισῶν καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου μισεῖ). By linking himself to the Father, Jesus makes clear that the judgment against the world is no small thing but is the very judgment of God. Jesus is the agent par excellence, the representative of the Father (cf. 1:18). When someone hates and therefore rejects Jesus, they are rejecting God himself. The intimate relationship and union between the Father and the Son is one of the primary messages of the Gospel, and Jesus made this exact point earlier, though there it was stated positively (see comments on 13:20).

15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have both seen and hated me and my Father” (εἰ τὰ ἔργα μὴ ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἃ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἐποίησεν, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑωράκασιν καὶ μεμισήκασιν καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου). Jesus restates and summarizes the argument of vv. 22–23. Here Jesus emphasizes not only his presence among them but also the uniqueness of “the works” (τὰ ἔργα) he accomplished. Again Jesus claims that his “works” also contributed to the world’s realization of its sin-laden condition. As in v. 22, Jesus claims that the works of Jesus are what inaugurated the judgment of the world. Jesus’s “works” are his miracles (e.g., 5:36; 9:3; 10:32, 37; 14:10) and the “signs” (σημεῖα) that were so important to his ministry. These “works” reveal the character and power of God the Father and that in Christ he is active in a unique way. The “signs” of Jesus are distinguishing marks, tokens, or signals, which in the OT were often linked to a special part of a prophet’s activity, and in this way are innately eschatological (see comments on 2:11). At the coming of the person of Jesus and the inauguration of his work, the world was witness to the prophetic “works” and “signs” of God that gave them no excuse to deny their sin; by these works they were officially declared sinners.

15:25 “But [they have done this] in order that the word that was written in their law might be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without cause’ ” (ἀλλ’ ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτῶν γεγραμμένος ὅτι Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν). The second section of the pericope (vv. 22–25) concludes with a claim by Jesus that the hate and rejection of God by the world is the fulfillment of Scripture. The quotation appears in slightly different forms in Psalm 35:19 and Psalm 69:5. Jesus speaks through the Psalms to declare the betrayal and treachery of the world and its unprovoked hatred. By using a psalm of a righteous sufferer who faces baseless accusation and persecution, Jesus not only fulfills that psalm by becoming the fullest expression of the righteous sufferer but also fulfills in his person the deliverance from such injustice.12 The quotation in this context points clearly at the Jews, placing the hatred of God in the personal context first introduced by the prologue (cf. 1:11). Even the qualification “their law” (τῷ νόμῳ αὐτῶν) was used “in order to rivet upon the Jews those scriptures in which they boast themselves so proudly, and then to prove those same scriptures prophetic of their apostasy.”13

15:26 “When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who comes from the Father, he will testify about me” (Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ). The third section of the pericope (vv. 26–27) begins with a reintroduction of the Paraclete. The last two verses of this pericope are not awkwardly inserted here, as some have suggested, but offer the necessary consolation and exhortation to the disciples who have just been informed about the hate they are soon to face from the world. Jesus is departing and the hate of the world is coming. How are the disciples able to face the world and actually continue to perform the works of God in it? These two verses address this very issue and offer a perfect counter to the forecasted hatred of the world (vv. 18–19).14

This is the third of four occurrences of “Paraclete” in the Gospel (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; cf. 1 John 2:1). It is significant that the Paraclete is mentioned in both halves of the farewell discourse. For while the first three statements of Jesus (14:1–15:7) depict the Paraclete’s special relationship to the disciples as the manifestation of the presence of God, the last three statements of Jesus (15:18–16:24) depict the Paraclete’s unique role in the world, involving both the conviction of sin and judgment (for an overview of “the Paraclete,” see comments on 14:16). Jesus reintroduces the Paraclete here with a title used before, “the Spirit of truth” (see comments on 14:17), and with similar explanations of the Paraclete’s origin (see comments on 14:16). The Spirit/Paraclete is not only the manifest presence of God’s person in the world but is also the power of God’s work in the world.

Jesus explains that the Paraclete “will testify about me” (μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ). Just as John the Baptist preceded Christ and testified about him (see comments on 1:7), so does the Spirit follow after Christ to testify about him. The language here might give credence to the legal and forensic definition of the term “Paraclete,” but as much as the Spirit is clearly related to and part of the witness of the disciples, that is not what is stated here—and for an important reason. The Spirit is not merely facilitating the witness of the disciples, even though he is sent “to you” (ὑμῖν), but offers his own witness to Christ. It might take place in and through the disciples (cf. v. 27), but it is the Spirit’s own witness, even as the Father independently testified about Jesus (cf. 5:37–38). Such language strongly suggests that ultimately God is the primary and first-order witness to himself. All other witnesses are secondary and supported by the foundational witness of God himself.15 Just as the “works” of the church are in reality the works of God (see 14:12–14; 15:4–5), so also is the witness of the church.

15:27 “And you also will testify, because from the beginning you have been with me” (καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μαρτυρεῖτε, ὅτι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς μετ’ ἐμοῦ ἐστε). The pericope concludes by returning to where it started in v. 18, with the disciples. As much as the Spirit/Paraclete is an independent (foundational) witness, Jesus declares to the disciples that “you also will testify” (καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μαρτυρεῖτε). While this will be further explained later in the discourse (see 16:13–15; cf. Acts 1:8), the lack of specificity here is important. Jesus introduces the disciples not only to the persecution they will face but also to the office to which they are appointed as they join the mission of God (through Christ and by the Spirit). The exact nature of this office and the expected response will be explained in what follows (e.g., 16:1–15).16 This verse simply declares the fact of the future Christian witness.

Jesus connects his disciples’ future witness about him to their current presence with him. Indeed, they have been with him “from the beginning” (ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς), that is, from the start of his ministry. This statement gives importance to the disciples’ personal participation in Jesus’s ministry (cf. the similar requirement for Judas Iscariot’s replacement in Acts 1:22). But it also suggests that the earthly and historical ministry of Jesus is not eclipsed or superseded by the arrival of the Paraclete. The ministry of the Paraclete and of the church itself as the body of Christ is the continuation of the ministry of Jesus (cf. 1 Thess 2:4; 1 John 1:1–2).

Theology in Application

In the fifth of eight sections of the farewell discourse, Jesus makes the fourth of six statements that explain, encourage, and exhort the disciples as they transition to the era of the new covenant, from life with Jesus to life “in Christ” and in the Spirit. After transitioning the discourse to the relationship between Christians and the world, Jesus moves from the Christian love that exists with God and between other Christians to the hate Christians will receive from the world. Through this pericope the reader is exhorted to come to understand how their new relationship to God demands a new relationship to the world and ultimately to the purposes of God behind it all.

The World Hates God

This pericope peels back the masks of culture(s) and allows the reader to see the true source of the world’s hatred. The world hates God! The arrival of Christ was the climactic revelation of sin and exposed fully the true nature of the world. Sin is distortion, perverting what is true and good. Sin reverses the standards and measurements, proclaiming evil things to be good and good things to be evil. The good news is not just an announcement about the person of Jesus; it is also an announcement—a true report—regarding the state of the world. The arrival of Jesus inaugurated truth, God-established truth, as the new standard and measurement of life. For this reason the world, enslaved to sin, darkness, falsehood, and evil hates God. For it has been exposed for what it truly is or, more accurately, what it is not. Ultimately, the Christian begins to emulate the Father’s love for the world (3:16) even though the world can only hate in return. But the Christian has seen that reaction before, for he or she too has hated God—right up to the moment when he or she saw “truth and grace.”

Not “from This World”

One of the clearest symptoms of faith in Christ is the world’s hatred. There is a direct connection between God’s love and the world’s hate. For this reason the Christian life is a paradox, for while one was once from the world and still lives in the world, they have been also chosen out of the world (v. 19). The Christian no longer belongs to the world but to God and therefore are now living in the world as “strangers and aliens” (1 Pet 2:11).

Unlike science-fiction films, however, in this story the “aliens” of God are the natural or normal ones. They are the ones who have been reconnected to their Creator, living as they were designed to live in relationship with God. It is the rest of the world, the nonaliens, who are truly alien—living unnaturally and in opposition to the created order. Ironically, to be not “from this world” is to fit right in—not with the unnaturalness of the world, the brokenness of the creation and its creatures—but with the world as it was created to be (“good”) and with the Creator, Jesus Christ (1:3).

Remember . . .

Jesus exhorts his disciples in v. 20 to “remember the word” that he spoke to them. Such a command echoes beyond the first disciples who heard it and demands to be heard today. Christians must constantly be living in the “Word” and on his “word,” being guided to see God behind all mighty plans and minute details. Thus, we are being commanded here to remember not only what Jesus once said to his disciples but what Jesus is still saying to his disciples.

The Purposes of God

This pericope explains that the rejection of God and his disciples by the world is not a surprise, for God knew of it and even prophesied about it long before (v. 25). The Gospel has already explained that God has plans that all other planning is founded upon (see 12:37–42). God is never the passive recipient of the will of the world, for his will always precedes and supersedes. Even the crucifixion according to Jesus was done by his permission alone (10:18). This might be difficult to define and explain, but it must be applied. God’s purposes will not be thwarted and are accomplished not only through his perfection and love but even despite the world’s imperfection and hate. This not only helps us know in whom we place our trust but confirms why it was placed in him in the first place.

The Witness of the Spirit

The Spirit is often discussed in regard to the support and empowerment he gives to the Christian. This is right and good and should continue to be taught. But this pericope reminds us that the Spirit is not merely to be thought of in a utilitarian manner, for he is an independent and foundational witness (and worker) in his own right. Just as the Father is an independent witness to the Son (5:37–38), so the Spirit is an independent witness to the Son (v. 26). The theological implications of this are important to note. Such language strongly suggests that ultimately God is the primary and first-order witness to himself. All other witnesses are secondary and supported by the foundational witness of God himself. This truth gives some explanation to the authority of the Gospel itself and to all of Scripture.17