EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL NOTES
John 15:18. If the world hate you, etc.—He now directs the attention of the disciples to their relation toward the world. Christ loves His disciples, the world hates them, and in this they are one with their Lord (1 Peter 4:12-13).
John 15:19. The world would love, etc.—ἐφίλει, the love of affection. Notice the selfishness of the world’s love (John 7:7; Matthew 5:46).
John 15:20. Remember the word, etc.—The reference is probably to some such saying as Matthew 10:16-24; but see also John 13:16. He prepares them to encounter the persecution they would meet.
John 15:21. But all these things, etc.—The Lord considers the hatred as already manifested; it was inevitable in the nature of things. The persecutions, indeed, that arose about and against the apostles were instigated by hatred of the name of Jesus (Acts 4:30; Acts 5:41). They know not Him that sent Me.—Had the Jews really had any true spiritual knowledge of God, would they have acted toward Jesus and His disciples as they did?
John 15:22. If I had not come, etc.—They shut their eyes against the light and closed their ears to the truth, and therefore they could not plead ignorance (Acts 17:30-31). They sinned wilfully after the revelation of the truth (Hebrews 10:26); they are therefore without excuse.
John 15:23. Hateth My Father, etc.—The nadir of the heavenly, for God is love (1 John 4:8).
John 15:24. If I had not done, etc.—Not only did they reject Christ’s teaching, but His mighty works which confirmed it (John 5:36; John 9:30; John 10:21; John 10:37, etc.). Thus they were doubly without excuse (Romans 1:20).
John 15:25. They hated Me, etc. (Psalms 35:19; Psalms 69:4).—Such is the attitude of the world to God’s true sons and servants in all ages.
John 15:26. The Comforter (John 14:16).—The Spirit of Truth, i.e. the Spirit of Christ, who is the Truth and whose gospel is the truth. Proceedeth from (παρά).—From beside. The reference is to the mission of the Spirit. Testify.—Bear witness (John 14:26).
John 15:27. And ye also shall bear witness, etc.—They testified as to what they had seen and known, and what the Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance. But there was also a distinct witness-bearing of the Spirit (Acts 5:32).
John 15:27. The Spirit does not teach historical facts, but reveals their true meaning. Hence the apostolic testimony and the testimony of the Spirit form but a single act, in which each contributes a different element—the one the historic narrative, the other the internal evidence and the victorious power. This relation is reproduced in our day in all living preaching derived from Holy Scripture. St. Peter equally distinguishes the two kinds of testimony (Acts 5:32) (see Westcott, etc.).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— John 15:18-27
John 15:18-21. The hatred of Christ’s disciples by the world.—In the upper chamber our Lord taught His disciples the new commandment of love. This was to be the rule and law of His Church. But the Christian spirit would lead to conflict in the world. Just as the world hated and persecuted the Master, because the truth which He was and taught brought condemnation to the world, so would it be with the disciples. Hatred and persecution, He foretold, would track their course through the world.
I. The source of hatred of the disciples: the world.—
1. There are several meanings attached to the word “world” in the Scriptures. The term means
(1) the earth, the material world and its inhabitants. “The world and they that dwell therein” (Psalms 98:7), viewed as the works of the Creator;
(2) the inhabitants of the world, without any reference to their character (John 16:28);
(3) the inhabitants of the world, viewed from the moral point of view. In this view it is called the “present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). It lies in the wicked one (1 John 5:19), and those who are in this world are not conformed to God. God is light, the world darkness; God is love, the world hatred, etc.
2. What causes this is sin. It may be urged that the world of men is not so depraved. Yet there may be many amiable men in an army of rebels. Sin causes enmity to God, hatred to His cause.
3. It was the enmity and hatred of this sinful world which our Lord’s disciples had to encounter. We see how the rebellious Jews—to whom Christ came as to His own, and they received Him not—were inimical to the gospel as preached by the apostles. They hated Christ “without a cause” (John 15:25), for the real antagonism was that of hypocrisy and truth, sin and holiness.
4. Nor did this hatred end with Judæa and Judaism. Wherever the disciples came into contact with the spirit of the world the same hatred blazed forth. It has burned in all the martyrdoms and persecutions of true followers of Christ from the apostolic age until the fires of the Inquisition were extinguished.
5. But even now it has not ceased. In subtle ways the world manifests its hatred of true followers of Christ. The sneer of the worldling at true piety, his covert attacks, innuendoes, and insinuations regarding followers of Christ and labourers for Him, show the old spirit still at work. And the absolute hostility which converts to the gospel have to endure in the ranks of bigoted Judaism, and in the midst of idolatrous communities, is the same as of old. Christian converts from Judaism, Mohammedanism, and idolatry need this same consoling word of the Master.
II. The cause of the world’s hatred to Christ and His disciples.—
1. This has been in part dwelt on. But it is to be noticed more fully that the disciple must expect the world to wear this aspect toward him, for the Master was also hated by it.
2. As Christ was, so must His disciples be in the world. If they desire to have His glory, they must have fellowship in His sufferings. As He was made perfect through suffering, so will they be; for the servant is not greater than his Lord. If Christ is in us, and we are manifesting His life, we must expect to bear His reproach. 3. Persecution may seem to have ceased against the Church. But the spirit of the world is still the same. The world is ignorant of God, and those Christians who let their light shine before men bring condemnation to the impenitent and hatred to themselves oftentimes. For the world loves its own, and there must be want of harmony between it and the Church. Those that will live godly must suffer persecution. “Where the living Christ manifests Himself, there also is seen the old serpent that bruised His heel.” A Christianity that can endure the world, and with which the world is pleased, must have in some measure lost its true power.
4. Persecution in a gross sense has ceased in civilised lands. But there seems a time coming when it may be renewed (2 Thessalonians 2, etc.). The fanaticism of superstition and unbelief wants but the power to show the old spirit.
III. The spirit in which the disciple should meet the world’s hatred.—
1. It is not to be met with hatred. Christ speaks of a must needs be, so long as men are what they are. But Christ came to save the world.
“Then, like Thine own, be all our aim
To conquer them by love.”
2. We must therefore meet the world’s hatred with faith, and undismayed. The Lord knows how to solace His own and deliver the godly in temptation and trial. The apostles joyfully departed from the council because they were accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ (Acts 5:41). Paul and Silas could pray and sing praises in the dungeon at Philippi (Acts 16:26). Paul could write of himself, “I take pleasure,” etc. (2 Corinthians 12:10). Tertullian thus witnessed for Christ: “We say it, and say it openly, freely, and without fear, and even under your tortures we shall cry from our torn and bleeding frames, We honour God in Christ.”
3. We should meet the world’s hatred with gentleness and pitying love, as Christ did. Thus shall true disciples following Christ win men from a hostile world to the love and service of Christ. And there will be joy in the assured presence of the Master, and in the thought, “Even as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
John 15:22-25. The inexcusableness of the sin of unbelief.—The earthly ministry of the Saviour had come to a close. He was sent to His own possessions, and His own people received Him not (John 1:11). He had, indeed, come for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which should be spoken against (Luke 2:34). And unbelief in its various forms in all ages rests on much the same causes as in Judæa of old.
I. The culmination of unbelief.—I. It had grown rapidly during the last few months of Christ’s earthly course. At the beginning of Christ’s ministry there was a time when the rulers were not so inimical. Perhaps the outward form which the temptation took was attempts by these men to get our Lord to proclaim Himself a temporal Messiah (and see John 6:15).
2. But when the Jewish rulers saw His determination to have nothing to do with their ideas of the Messianic kingdom, they refused to listen to the truth. Their spiritual pride, their hypocrisy, their low moral standard, were all brought home to them by the humility, the purity, the beauty, of Christ’s character. All this produced antagonism, and led them to shut their eyes to the truth so plainly evident in all Christ’s life.
3. And thus they arrived at deliberate and bold unbelief, and were even now seeking means to destroy the truth.
4. Unbelief is still the same. It results now, as of old, either from spiritual pride or moral antagonism. The gospel is humbling to human pride. Many will not entertain the idea that a spiritual and fundamental change is needed ere they can enter the kingdom. So did the Jews pride themselves on being Abraham’s seed (John 8:39). Many will not believe in Christ’s works; others reject the gospel because it demands holiness and self-denial; and thus many still remain in alienation and enmity.
II. The sin of unbelief.—
1. How terrible are its consequences as here stated by Christ! Of the Jews He said, “They have seen and hated both Me and My Father.” It was nothing less than rejection and hatred of the God of love and His eternal Son. It was the rejection and hatred of Him who had been the God of their fathers, who had wrought wonders in the days of old and blessed them beyond any nation. It was the rejection and hatred of the divine Son who had come to seek and to save the lost.
2. And unbelief and rejection of the gospel are as sinful now. For if men would but examine it, they would at once see that it could not be from earth. The character of Christ is so heavenly and so noble that a careful consideration ought to show that all attempts to account for it in a merely natural way utterly fail.
III. The sin of unbelief is without excuse.—
1. It was so in the case of the Jews since Christ had come among them.
(1) He taught them with authority. He spake among them as never man spake (John 7:46).
(2) He wrought mighty works among them which in their less biassed moments bore conviction in on the minds of many of them (John 10:41-42, etc.). All these should have appealed to them. They could plead no excuse to the effect that He had not given adequate proofs of His claims. Indeed, they were altogether without excuse; for they hated Him without a cause. His character and life, His works and teaching, should have been sufficient to convince.
2. Rejecters of Christ now have the same proofs. Attack after attack has been made on the authenticity of gospel history—attacks often most subtle and virulent. But it still stands; and the attacking theories have fallen. A system not founded on truth could not have withstood such attacks.
3. But more than that. “Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.” The proofs of the divine origin of the gospel are all around. The changed face of the world proclaims its truth. The whole course of Christian history, the whole realm of Christian biography, tell of its heavenly power. The pure and noble lives of true Christians, the conquests of Christian missions, the ability of the gospel to regenerate and raise men nearer God—all are proofs, that cannot be dismissed with a word, of the heavenly origin of the religion of Christ. And those who reject guiltily reject the Father and the Son, reject that power which evidently makes for righteousness and meets the requirements of the race.
John 15:26-27. Zeal in defence of the divine interests.—The apostles bore witness to Christ in preaching His gospel. And even although we may not be called to the same ministry, we ought to bear witness to God in defending His cause and His interests when they are assailed. People abandon the defence of the divine cause either through a false prudence or a culpable weakness. Here in the one case this false prudence is reproved, and in the other this hurtful weakness.
I. False prudence reproved.—
1. God holds Himself to be dishonoured by such a prudence. It is His glory to be served by those who find their glory in His service, and who do not balance His interests with their own. Thus there is an indubitable obligation laid on Christian men to confess their faith, even at the expense of their lives. On thousands of occasions we ought to declare ourselves on the side of God—otherwise we sin against Him; for as Christ has said, “He that is not for Me is against Me.” The example of David—his zeal (Psalms 68).
2. This is a sort of prudence that even the world approves not of. A man would be regarded as a craven who did not come to the help of his friend. A subject would be treated as a rebel if in war he did not come to the aid of his prince. The rules of honour of the world even condemn our indifference in regard to the divine cause.
3. This is a kind of prudence that brings scandal on religion. For this indifference to the cause of God is considered to be a sign of secret alienation from Him. The world scarcely distinguishes the man who is indifferent to the things of God from the open libertine who is without doubt against Him. The reason is that libertinage does not dare to show itself fully, but comes forward under the guise of indifference. Whence comes occasion of offence to the weak. It was this that awoke of old the zeal of Elijah (1 Kings 18:21).
4. Such a prudence tends to encourage impiety. Libertinism does not exactly ask that it should be applauded—only tolerated. This is sufficient to give it opportunity to take root and flourish. Is it said, My zeal would only irritate the evil? What although it did! You would have done your duty. But we must use discretion. True, provided it is a discretion which leads to the end to which zeal directs. But this zeal would lead to publicity and noise. It is not always prudent to avoid that when it is necessary. There is a kind of peace which is more dangerous than trouble. But must not one be careful in regard to one’s neighbours? Away with such carefulness where the service of God is concerned! The apostles did not reason thus.
II. To abandon the divine cause is a most injurious weakness.—
1. It deprives us of the greatest honour to which we could aspire—to be defenders of the divine cause. It was in defence of this cause that the heroes of faith in the Old Testament and the New were distinguished. Have you the same boldness in the cause of Christ? Will God make use of you as He did of them?
2. It makes men odious and despicable. To whom?
(1) To good men, who behold this faithlessness with just indignation;
(2) to impious and sinful men even, who interpret the weakness of this conduct, and see very well that our indulgence toward them results from fear and littleness of mind.
3. The acme of our misery is this: we lack firmness only where the interests of God are concerned; we preach firmness strongly enough where our personal interests are concerned. When we think of this, can we listen to the testimony of our own hearts without blushing from shame and confusion?
4. This weakness may end in God withdrawing His grace and sending on us the most severe chastisements. Rather let us second His designs whilst He may be found, etc.; and by an ardour and zeal altogether new so prepare ourselves to hear from His mouth this glorious invitation, “Come, good and faithful servants,” etc. (Matthew 25:23).—Bourdaloue.
ILLUSTRATIONS
John 15:18. The hatred of Christ’s disciples by the world.—The friends and disciples of Jesus Christ have two marks of their friendship and discipleship: the first is that they love one another; the second, that they are hated by the world. Concerning the first our Lord had spoken in the former part of this chapter. “This text is worth hundreds of thousands of gulden; yes, no gold could buy it. For Christ Himself tells us therein that we are not of the world, and that this is the sign thereof, i.e. that the world hates us. This includes lofty contempt and excellent comfort; because if we are hated for His sake, it is because we have been chosen by Him and separated from the world, judged and marked by it” (Luther). Just as the love of Christ is the ground of love of the brethren, so the hatred of the world rests on Christians because they abide in the love of their Lord. For just so little as the world can hate those who are of the world (John 7:7), just so little can it love those chosen out of the world as friends of Jesus. The disciples would from the time of our Lord’s departure most painfully experience this. But let not your heart be troubled. It must so be and happen so long as the world is world and Christians are Christians, and so long as Abel’s race inhabits the earth with Cain’s race. That, however, which the blind world does as a curse God turns into pure blessing for His children. For the Vine-dresser cleanses the branches of the vine by means often of this hatred of the world; but He does not permit the world to tear one twig from the vine. If the world has hated that vine-stock, yet it must leave it scathless; yes, must even help its glorious growth by this bitter hatred. Thus, too, will it be with the beloved branches in spite of the cruel hatred and rage of the world.—Translated from Dr. R. Besser.
John 15:22. The boldness of unbelief.—As to the manner in which unbelief takes the field against faith, I read recently of a glaring instance in a religious journal. An intelligent Christian farmer, in the vicinity of Caln, brought to his minister, with great indignation, a little book which had been sent him by post, and which bore the title, The Return Home from Heaven to Earth, a Book for Free Christians, printed at Stuttgart 1851. In this tractate, in the form of a catechism with question and answer, the most naked infidelity was taught—the Bible laid under suspicion of being a book of fables, heaven and everything heavenly denied, and the earth alone, as our true home, and the world of sense as the only element in which to live, held up to honour. “Return home from heaven to earth!” Yes, so runs the watchword of the sensualist. He does not desire to look beyond the horizon of earth; therefore for him everything that comes from an unseen world and would lead men thither—Bible and church, heaven and eternity, God and Saviour, religion and Christianity—is a cause of offence and foolishness. Therefore he desires to call men back from heaven to earth. The watchword of faith, however, runs otherwise: “The return home from earth to heaven.” Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come; we look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen. Thence did our undying souls come; thither our heart goes forth like a child’s heart toward his father’s house. Thence our Lord and Saviour has come to bring heavenly light, heavenly power, heavenly comfort, into this poor dark world; thither He has prepared a way for us through His divine teaching His heavenly example, His holy death, His glorious ascension; and thither will He also lead us, so that where He is we, whom the Father has given Him, may be with Him. Now, which of these is the true way? Will we agree with the catechism of unbelief, “Return home from heaven to earth”? Shall we leave the heavenly air and light of faith, in which we hitherto have been so well and happy, and come back to our five senses like a snail into its shell, or creep like a mole into its hole. Shall Christendom retreat like a defeated army from a land it cannot possess, a city that it cannot take—retreat from the blessed province of faith, and abandon the heavenly city with its glittering walls, and renounce the heavenly inheritance which the Captain of our salvation had gained by His blood, whither for eighteen hundred years so many thousand believing souls have looked amid the afflictions of time, where we also hoped to find our eternal home and to rest from toil in the heavenly Sabbath? Shall we let all this go as a booty that pertains not to us, as a dream, behind which there is nothing? Shall we give it all up simply because it lies beyond our earthly horizon, because it is not strengthened and confirmed by the evidence of our five senses? Never! Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. It overcame the world and the world’s doubt eighteen hundred years ago, as the message “Christ is risen” went victoriously through all lands. It overcomes the world and its doubt to-day also; for it rests on a divine testimony (1 John 5:9).—Translated from Karl Gerok.
John 15:27. Boldness in witness-bearing for Christ.—Yes, Christians, you in reality put away your true glory when, among the subjects that come before you, and in regard to which your zeal should be engaged, you do not dare, from a timidity that is weak and craven, either to speak or to act for the cause of God. For what is more worthy of a great spirit, of a noble and dignified soul, than the defence of such a cause? and what can we propose to ourselves in the world as a more honourable aim? When yon labour for yourselves alone, how little do you become; whatever you may do all is small and limited, is reduced to that nothingness and that vanity inseparable both from your persons and your position. But when you interest yourselves for the cause of God, all that you do, even according to men’s ideas, possesses I know not what of the divine, which they are forced to honour, and which awakes in them for you a secret respect. “You seek for glory,” wrote Augustine to a man of the world, “and where will you find this glory that you seek better than in the exercise of an ardent zeal for everything connected with the service of your God, i.e. to protect those who engage in it, to reprove those who dishonour it, to cause abuses in connection with it to cease, to maintain discipline, to oppose yourself like a wall of brass and like a pillar of bronze to the enterprises of error and of impiety? If you wish to acquire a solid merit, in order to commend yourself to men, by what other way can you hope to attain to that end? What is it that has immortalised the names of the great men of Old Testament history, and those of the New Testament story? Was it not this that has impressed on all minds such general sentiments of esteem and constant admiration for these illustrious Maccabees? What distinguished Constantine and Theodosius among the Christian emperors? Was it not that zeal for the honour of God and His law by which they were animated? ‘Traverse,’ said the brave Mattathias, when instructing his children from his deathbed—‘traverse all the generations, and see if those of our ancestors whose memory is blessed have merited the praise and respect of the people otherwise than by the power and courage which they displayed when the cause of the Lord called for their aid. Do not imagine you will ever arrive at such a degree of glory as that to which they attained, unless through the same resolution. And do not be blind enough to suppose that any purely human success only, regarding which the world may compliment you, will ever enable you to equal them.’ ” Thus spoke this saintly and noble church-father. And this is what I would say after him, Christians. No, whoever you may be, do not expect to find any true glory other than that which will come to you through the holy ardour which will make it plain that you are God’s and for God. By the so-called successes you may achieve otherwise, and for which men applaud, you may make some noise in the world. But with this fleeting flame, as Scripture teaches, your memory will perish. This glory which you have sought apart from God, and in which God has no part, will vanish like smoke. And after you have shone for a little with a false lustre, it will leave you in eternal darkness.—Translated from Bourdaloue.