John 13:16 (GNV)

Passage

Verely, verely I say vnto you, The seruant is not greater then his master, neither the ambassadour greater then he that sent him.

Nearby Context

John 13:14 If I then your Lord, and Master, haue washed your feete, ye also ought to wash one an others feete.

John 13:15 For I haue giuen you an example, that ye should doe, euen as I haue done to you.

John 13:16 Verely, verely I say vnto you, The seruant is not greater then his master, neither the ambassadour greater then he that sent him.

John 13:17 If ye know these things, blessed are ye, if ye doe them.

John 13:18 I speake not of you all: I know whom I haue chosen: but it is that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me, hath lift vp his heele against me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "verely", "vnto", "seruant", "greater", "master", "neither", and "ambassadour". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "verely" and "vnto", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For I haue giuen you an example..." into verse 17's "If ye know these things blessed are...", so "verely" and "vnto" 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 "verely" and "vnto" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.