John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
Earlier in the evening, after Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He had said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.” It was said in the context of Jesus’ telling them to serve each other as He had served them by washing their feet. In that case, the message was do as I do. In this case, the idea is the similar. It’s you’ll receive the same from others that I receive. Those who persecute Me will do the same to you, and those who honor Me by keeping My word will do the same with you and your words.
As we live to love with Jesus, those who reject God’s word will also reject our words. Love won’t make a difference in how they treat us or what they think about us. However, we should not shrink back from speaking God’s word in love. As we do, we can know that those who love God’s word will receive our words as we are faithful to say what He says. They will receive and honor our words because we are repeating Jesus’ words. That’s a vital aspect of living to love with Jesus. Because we love Him, we keep His words and share them with others in His name. As Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” (John 14:24).
Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com
