John 15:20 (ASV)

Passage

Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

Nearby Context

John 15:18 If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before [it hated] you.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

John 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name`s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "remember", "word", "said", "servant", "greater", "than", "lord", and "persecuted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "remember" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "If ye were of the world the..." into verse 21's "But all these things will they do...", so "remember" and "word" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "remember" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.