I am the Vine - John 15:17-28

Jesus prepares his disciples for persecution, explaining that the world hates them because they don't belong to it but have been chosen out of it. He reminds them that servants aren't greater than masters - if the world persecuted him, it will persecute them too. The hatred fulfills what was written in their law: "They hated me without reason." These verses create a contrast between the love that should characterize Jesus' followers and the hatred they can expect from the world that rejected him.