John the apostle wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you”, and in chapter fifteen and verse twenty of his book John shared how Jesus told His disciples, “remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord”, where we read:
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
The verse reads, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.” John began with the words, “remember the word” which means “recall and bring to mind the speech, discourse, mandate and decree” “that I said unto you” or “that I, Jesus, uttered, declared and proclaimed to His disciples”, “the servant” which means “the slave, bondmen and men of servile condition” “is not greater” or “is not larger, more important and stronger” “than his lord” which means “than the servant's One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master”. John shared how Jesus “reminded” His disciples of His words concerning a “servant's master” being “greater” than the “servant” himself.
The verse continues, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” John added the words, “if they have persecuted me” which means “whether and in case the inhabitants of the earth have mistreated, pursued with hostility and driven away me, Jesus”, “they will also persecute you” or “the inhabitants of the earth will even so and indeed mistreat, pursue with hostility and drive away you, disciples of Jesus”: “if they have kept my saying” which means “whether and in case the inhabitants of the earth have attended to carefully, observed and reserved the uttering, declaration and proclamation of me, Jesus”, “they will keep yours also” or “the inhabitants of the earth will attend to carefully, observe and reserve the uttering, declarations and proclamations of Jesus' disciples”. John shared how Jesus told His disciples they would be “persecuted” by the inhabitants of the world because they “persecuted” Him, however, if the people of the earth “followed” Jesus' “words”, they would “observe” His disciples' words as well.
When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus encouraged His disciples to “remember” how He told them the “servant is not greater than his lord”, and even as Jesus' disciples were not “greater” than He, Jesus' disciples would be “persecuted” like He was from people in the world. Jesus gave one exception – those who “observed” His “saying” would also keep His disciples' “words” as well. God desires to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and though they will be persecuted for their belief and trust in Him, those who “keep” Jesus' “words” will “keep” theirs as well. Let all who read these words desire to “keep” the “saying” of Jesus and relay those “words” to others who will “keep” them as well.
Next time John shares how Jesus tells His disciples, “but all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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