John 15:18-16:4
The World Hates the Disciples
"If the world hates you, you know
that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the
world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I
chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to
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.
But all these things
will they do to you for my name's sake, because they don't know him who
sent me. If I had not
come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no
excuse for their sin. He
who hates me, hates my Father also. If I hadn't done among them the
works which no one else did, they wouldn't have had sin. But now have they
seen and also hated both me and my Father. But this happened so that the
word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, 'They hated me
without a cause.'
"When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the
Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify
about me. You will also
testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
"These
things have I spoken to you, so that you wouldn't be caused to stumble.
They will put you out of
the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that
he offers service to God. They will do these things because
they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have told you these things,
so that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them.
I didn't tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.