John 15:21 · Bible study
John 15:21 Commentary: Persecution for Jesus' Name
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
John 15:21 shows persecution arises from the world's ignorance of the Father. Study the Greek, historical context, and pastoral meaning.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The world persecutes believers because they bear Christ's name and because the world does not relationally know the Father who sent him.
- Key words: 'Name' (ὄνομα), represents the whole person and mission of Christ; 'know' (οἴδασιν), perfect tense indicating settled, relational knowledge.
- Main debate: Whether the ignorance is excusable or culpable. Most commentators see it as wilful ignorance, reinforced by John 15:22, 24.
- Theological theme: Union with Christ leads to sharing his sufferings; persecution confirms that believers belong to the rejected King.
- Best use: Comfort and clarity for believers facing hostility; a reminder that opposition is not random but rooted in the clash of kingdoms.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.
KJV King James Version 1769
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
but all these things will they do to you, because of my name, because they have not known Him who sent me;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they have not known him that sent me.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake: because they know not him that sent me.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas todo esto os harán por causa de mi nombre, porque no conocen al que me ha enviado.
Mas tudo isto vos farão por causa do meu nome; porque não conhecem a aquele que me enviou.
Mais ils vous feront toutes ces choses à cause de mon nom, parce qu’ ils ne connaissent pas celui qui m’ a envoyé.
Aber das alles werden sie euch tun um meines Namens willen; denn sie kennen den nicht, der mich gesandt hat.
Maar al deze dingen zullen zij doen om Mijns Naams wil, omdat zij Hem niet kennen, Die Mij gezonden heeft.
Ma tutto questo ve lo faranno a cagion del mio nome, perché non conoscono Colui che m’ha mandato.
Aleć wam to wszystko czynić będą dla imienia mego, iż nie znają onego, który mię posłał.
Но все то сделают вам за имя Мое, потому что не знают Пославшего Меня.
但 他們因 我的名 要向 你們 行 這一切 的事，因為 他們不 認識 那差 我來的。
They will do all this to you because of my name--because they have no knowledge of him who sent me.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · John 15:21
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse identifies two drivers for the world's hostility: the disciples' attachment to Jesus' name and the world's ignorance of the Father. The phrase 'for my name's sake' (διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, dia to onoma mou) means the persecution comes because believers bear Christ's name, they confess, teach, and live by it. As Vincent notes, 'the name of Christ represented the faith, the attitude, the claims, and the aim of the disciples.'
The second clause, 'because they do not know him who sent me', locates the root of persecution in a failure to know God. Calvin calls this 'blind ignorance,' while Barnes emphasises that unbelievers 'will not believe that God has sent me.' Gill and Wesley concur: the world's rejection of Christ and his followers springs from its ignorance of the Father. But this ignorance is not innocent. The context (John 15:22, 24) shows that Jesus' words and works have removed all excuse. The world knows enough to be culpable, yet it refuses the knowledge that leads to life. Persecution, then, is the tragic fruit of a relationship that never formed.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The world's persecution of believers stems from its failure to know the Father who sent Jesus.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for persecution | All commentators agree that the primary cause is the disciples' connection to Jesus' name and the world's ignorance of the Father. | None. The verse is straightforward on this point. |
| Nature of the world's ignorance | Commentators agree the ignorance is not mere lack of information but a wilful refusal to acknowledge God in Christ. | Some (e.g. Clarke, Wesley) emphasise that persecutors simply do not know God; others (Barnes, Calvin) stress that this ignorance is a form of rebellion that actively rejects the evidence. |
| Suffering for Christ's name | Suffering 'for my name's sake' is understood as a privilege and a mark of true discipleship. | No major debate. All see it as honourable, though some traditions (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox) more explicitly connect it to the privilege of sharing in Christ's redemptive sufferings. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jesus spoke these words during the Farewell Discourse (John 13, 17), on the night before his crucifixion. The disciples, soon to be sent into a hostile world, needed to understand why they would face opposition. Throughout John's Gospel, 'the world' (ὁ κόσμος) refers to humanity organised in rebellion against God, not the physical creation, but the system that rejects the light (John 1:10; 3:19).
The first readers of John's Gospel, likely Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles in the late first century, knew persecution firsthand. Synagogue excommunication (John 9:22; 12:42; 16:2) and Roman suspicion of the Christian movement made discipleship costly. To suffer 'for my name's sake' echoed the Shema's call to honour God's name, now transferred to Jesus. The Jewish context also resonates: Israel had a long history of suffering for Yahweh's name (Psalm 69:7; Isaiah 66:5). Jesus reinterprets that tradition around himself.
The statement that persecutors 'do not know him who sent me' reflects a distinctively Johannine theme. Knowledge of God is not abstract; it is relational and transformative. The world claims to know God (John 8:41, 54), yet fails to recognise the Father in the Son. This ignorance is wilful: they have seen Jesus' works and heard his words, yet they refuse to receive him (John 15:24). Persecution of believers is therefore the natural outflow of a heart that has rejected the revelation of God in Christ.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for John 15:21. The verse is stable across manuscripts and translations.
Reception History
John 15:21 has been read across church history as a source of comfort and identity for persecuted believers. Early Christian writers like Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp echoed its logic: suffering for the Name links the disciple to the Master. Monastic communities saw it as a call to embrace the world's rejection as part of the cross. During the Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant martyrs appealed to this verse to affirm that they suffered not for crimes but for Christ. In modern contexts, the verse challenges believers in comfortable settings to examine whether their faith costs them anything, and encourages those under pressure that their suffering has meaning. The consistent thread is that persecution does not signal failure; it confirms belonging to the one who was first hated.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The cause of persecution: Jesus' name. Believers are targeted not because of their flaws but because of their confession. The name stands for everything Christ is and does.
- The root of persecution: ignorance of God. The world hates believers because it does not know the Father. This ignorance is culpable, they have seen Jesus but refused to see God in him.
- The comfort in persecution: union with Christ. Suffering for his name means sharing his identity and mission. It confirms that we belong to him, not to the world.
Five-point outline
- The world's hatred is predictable. Jesus has already warned that a servant is not greater than his master (v.20).
- Persecution is not personal; it is theological. It targets the name and the sender.
- Ignorance of God fuels hostility. Those who do not know the Father cannot tolerate those who do.
- This ignorance is evidence of sin. The world has no excuse (v.22). Its rejection is not intellectual but moral.
- Persecution becomes a platform for witness. As Matthew 10:18 shows, suffering opens doors for testimony.
Illustration hooks
- Classroom pushback. A student is ridiculed for refusing to join in mocking a classmate. The name 'Christian' becomes a slur, but the suffering comes because she followed Christ's example of kindness.
- Workplace pressure. An employee is passed over for promotion after he won't inflate numbers to please a client. His coworkers can't understand why he wouldn't compromise, they don't see the God he answers to.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is persecution a sign I am doing something wrong? Jesus says the opposite: persecution for his name is a mark of faithfulness.
- How do I respond to people who hate my faith? This verse doesn't command a specific response, but the context (love one another, v.17) and Jesus' own example point toward patient witness.
- Does this verse mean all suffering comes from the world? No, other passages address suffering from natural causes or our own sin. Here Jesus addresses hostility specifically because of allegiance to him.
Leading a Discussion
John 15:21 sits in the middle of Jesus' warning about the world's hatred. Before you discuss, read verses 18, 25 together. Notice that Jesus does not soften the reality of suffering, he explains it. This verse gives two reasons: 'for my name's sake' and 'because they do not know him who sent me.' Understanding these helps us face opposition with clarity, not fear.
Discussion questions
- What does Jesus mean by 'for my name's sake'? How is the name of Christ more than a label?
- Why does ignorance of the Father lead to persecution of believers? What does this say about the connection between knowing God and how we treat others?
- In your own experience, have you faced any form of rejection or pressure because of your faith? How did that feel?
- Jesus says the world 'does not know him who sent me.' Is this ignorance innocent or guilty? Look at verses 22, 24 to support your answer.
- How does knowing that persecution comes 'for my name's sake' change how you view suffering for your faith?
- The cross-references (Matthew 5:11; 10:22; Luke 6:22) call such suffering a blessing. How can we grow to see it that way?
- Share one practical way we can support each other in a culture that often dismisses or opposes Christian convictions.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 69:7 | Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face. |
| Isaiah 66:5 | Hear Yahweh’s word, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you, who cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, ‘Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your joy;’ but it is those who shall be disappointed. |
| Matthew 5:11 | “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. |
| Matthew 10:18 | Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. |
| Matthew 10:22 | You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. |
| Matthew 10:39 | He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. |
| Matthew 24:9 | “Then they will deliver you up to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake. |
| Luke 6:22 | Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that religious persecution always springs from ignorance of God. If God Himself tolerates a worship that sincerely aims at Him and does not disturb society, no person has any right to interfere. Anyone who persecutes such worship is fighting against God.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that being persecuted for Christ's name simply means suffering because of loyalty to him and his Spirit. The world's hostility springs from a deliberate refusal to know God the Father—his justice and the humbling plan of salvation through his Son. Pride and unbelief drive this rejection, which falls on both Jesus and his followers.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the world persecutes believers not from deliberate malice but from blind ignorance of God. No one would knowingly fight against his own salvation. This stupidity of mind, this failure to truly know God, is what fuels hatred of Christ. The believer's comfort lies in a good conscience and gratitude for having received God's light.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible points out a striking paradox: the world's hatred, rather than driving believers away from Christ, actually intensifies their union with Him. This hatred proves they are not of this world and lets them share their Master's own experience, deepening their bond with Him.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The note stresses that persecution comes precisely because believers bear Christ’s name, and the world attacks them out of ignorance of the Father who sent Him. This hostility is not random but springs from a failure to know God Himself.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that persecution comes not for any evil done by believers, but specifically for bearing Christ's name. The world's hatred arises from ignorance of the Father who sent Christ, so believers should not be ashamed but rather count it an honor to suffer for that name.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange finds the key to Jesus' vine discourse in the literal scene around them: nocturnal vineyard fires burning in the Kidron valley, where cut branches were consumed. For him, this sight explains why Jesus speaks of withered branches thrown into the fire—the judgment is already present, not merely a distant future event.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry defines hatred as the defining mark of the devil's kingdom, contrasting with love as the mark of Christ's kingdom. The world that hates believers is not only vast in number but also united in confederacy against Christ, a coalition far outnumbering his followers. These are all who refuse Christ's call and remain under Satan's power.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent focuses on the specific Greek phrase "on account of my name," noting that Christ's name sums up the disciples' faith, stance, and purpose. Citing Luther, he adds that speaking this name will provoke only hostility in those who reject it.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that the persecution Jesus describes stems from a universal cause: ignorance of God. He broadens the scope beyond the original context, noting that in every age and nation, those who do not know God will hate and persecute those who do, making this a timeless principle.