John 16:3
“And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”
John 16:3 (KJV) says: “And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”
This verse is a part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples, where He prepares them for His imminent departure and the challenges they will face. In this particular verse, Jesus is warning His disciples about the persecution they will experience from those who oppose Him and His teachings.
To understand the context of this verse, it is helpful to look at the surrounding verses. In John 16:1-2 (KJV), Jesus says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” Here, Jesus foretells the persecution His disciples will face, including being expelled from the synagogues and even facing death at the hands of those who believe they are serving God.
In John 16:3, Jesus explains the reason behind the persecution: “And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father, nor me.” This statement reveals that the root cause of the opposition faced by the disciples is a lack of knowledge concerning God the Father and Jesus Himself. The religious leaders and others who would persecute the disciples are acting out of ignorance and a failure to recognize the true nature of God and His Son.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of knowing the Father and Himself as a means of countering the persecution. In John 16:4 (KJV), He continues, “But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.” By forewarning His disciples, Jesus seeks to strengthen their faith and prepare them mentally and spiritually for the trials ahead.
Furthermore, the theme of knowing God and Jesus is a recurring one throughout the Gospel of John. In John 17:3 (KJV), Jesus prays to the Father, saying, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Jesus emphasizes that eternal life is intimately connected with knowing God and Jesus. This knowledge involves not merely an intellectual understanding but also a personal relationship characterized by intimacy, trust, and obedience.
