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.
This verse comes from a long, intimate farewell speech Jesus gave to his twelve closest followers — called disciples or apostles — the night before he was arrested and executed. Jesus knew what was coming, and he was being honest with the people he loved most. The phrase "no servant is greater than his master" was a saying Jesus had used before to teach humility, but here he turns it in a different direction: if the world rejected and persecuted him, the same world will reject and persecute his followers. But the opposite is also true — those who were genuinely open to Jesus would be open to those who followed him. It's a verse of clear-eyed realism about what faithful discipleship can cost.
Jesus, you didn't pretend it would be easy, and I'm grateful for that honesty. When I face rejection or misunderstanding because of you, remind me that you have been here first — that you know exactly what this feels like. Give me courage to keep going and wisdom to know when I'm being faithful versus when I'm just being difficult. Amen.
Nobody enjoys being told in advance that things are going to be hard. But that's exactly what Jesus does here — no sugarcoating, no promises of smooth sailing or cultural acceptance. He says: I've been through it, and you'll go through it too. There's something almost counterintuitively comforting in that. Jesus isn't surprised when his followers face friction. He doesn't promise to fix the discomfort — he promises to have shared it. He walked the road first. Maybe your faith is costing you something right now — a friendship that got strange after you started taking God seriously, a workplace where your ethics quietly set you apart, a family gathering where your beliefs made you the odd one out. The temptation in those moments is to wonder if you're doing something wrong, if you've miscalculated somewhere. But Jesus' words here suggest the opposite might be true. Faithfulness sometimes creates friction. That's not a sign of failure — it's a form of fellowship with the One who said these words on his last night before the cross. You are not alone in it.
Why do you think Jesus chose to warn his disciples about coming hardship rather than reassure them everything would work out fine?
Have you ever experienced pushback, misunderstanding, or rejection because of your faith? What was that experience like, and how did you process it?
This verse can be misused to treat all criticism as persecution. How do you honestly tell the difference between pushback you're receiving because of genuine faithfulness versus pushback because you were actually being unkind, arrogant, or wrong?
How does knowing that Jesus himself faced rejection and persecution change the way you might relate to someone who is going through opposition right now?
Is there a relationship or situation in your life where you've been holding back your faith to avoid conflict or discomfort — and what would it look like to be more honest there?
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:14
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Matthew 24:9
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
John 8:51
The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Matthew 10:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
John 13:16
Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, 'A servant 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.
AMP
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
ESV
'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.
NASB
Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
NIV
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant 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.
NKJV
Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
NLT
"When that happens, remember this: Servants don't get better treatment than their masters. If they beat on me, they will certainly beat on you. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them.
MSG