NOTES for Joh 15:18-21

And once again, words of consolation... Yet not only of consolation, but of that mercy and love of the Lord which every person needs so much. Jesus is already suffering as He accepts alienation and rejection from the people around Him. What, then, should those who follow Him expect? Yes, the growth of the Church, the joy of the Gentiles, and other grace (see, for example, Acts 4:33, 6:7, 13:48), but also rejection. This is said not so that we become fixated on struggle, but so that the virgins may have oil in their lamps (see Matt 25:1-13). And in today's passage the Lord says that a situation in which Christians are persecuted is normal, because He Himself is persecuted. The world remains the world, and there are always people in it who resist His Word. In these same lines we see astonishing support and encouragement. For if you are not accepted, you share His lot with Him; you are His.