This passage continues from the imagery of the true vine and the branches, with the Father as the vine dresser.
Jesus has shared with the disciples the need to remain or abide in the vine, in Him, in order to be fruitful. One may wonder why almost immediately, the Lord refers to being prepared for persecution and hate from the world.
It seems certain that the Lord seeks to communicate to His followers that to remain as fruitful branches in the vine, they must be prepared to experience the hatred of the world. This is so because the world is hostile to Jesus and His teachings; being united with the vines, the believers no longer belong to the world but they belong to Jesus. If the world hates Jesus (and the heavenly Father as well), it is inevitable that they will hate the followers of Jesus. And if they persecuted the Lord Jesus, they will persecute the believers as well.
The world loves its own; through His words and works, Jesus exposes the sin and guilt of the world and also reveals the Father and His coming judgement on those who refuse to repent. This hatred of the world may come from even religious establishment.
D.A. Carson writes:
The most dangerous oppression comes not from careless pagans but from zealous adherents to religious faith and from other ideologies. A sermon was preached when Crammer was burned at the stake…Today we should not be surprised when so-called Christian leaders vilify those of us who stand up for the orthodox teaching of the apostles on doctrinal and ethical issues, Nonetheless, we must not withdraw into religious ghettos. We too belong not to the world but to Jesus. We too have a task to do – to bear fruit. And we too must keep at it.
It is obvious that to be fruitful, we must persevere as disciples of Jesus. We must continue to abide in His Word, in His love and remain faithful to Him in the midst of persecution and hatred from those who hate our Lord. The Lord Jesus has warned the disciples of the hatred and persecution of the world so that they will not caught by surprise when it happens.
Another servant of God, J.C. Ryle writes:
…wherever there have been disciples of Christ, there has always been more or less persecution. They will yet receive a more full accomplishment before the end comes: the last tribulation will probably be marked by special violence and bitterness; it will be a great tribulation (Rev. 714)…no consistency of conduct, however faultless, no kindness and amiability of character, however striking, will exempt a believer from the world’s dislike, so long as he lives. It is foolish to be surprised at this; it is a mere waste of time to murmur at it: it is part of the cross, and we must bear it patiently…To serve Christ in name and form is easy work, and satisfies most people, but to follow Him in faith and life demands more trouble that the generality of men will take about their souls…Mere churchmanship and outward profession are a cheap religion, of course, and cost a man nothing. But real vital Christianity will always bring with it a cross.
What is clear is that following Jesus costs something and may cost life itself. But not following Him means siding with a lost and hateful world. We must always bear this in mind when sharing the gospel; we must warn prospective disciples of these unchanging realities to prevent superficial and spurious conversions and to promote true ones and stability in those who respond positively. Otherwise, we may not be sharing the whole gospel; we may be guilty of just promoting “gospel minus” or even distorted “gospel plus” without giving weight to what Jesus shared in the parable of the sower. We have noted that to remain or abide in Christ is to persevere as His disciples and to remain in His Word. The parable warns of those who listen to the Word of God without hearing it with faith. Faith and perseverance are never separated. To receive the Word of God only with joy is a common sign of someone who may well never really persevere. We truly respond to the message of the gospel only when our hearts experience both joy and sorrow. Rejoicing in the prospect of forgiveness of sins without sorrow for what we are and have been as sinners and rebels to God would imply that the true message of the gospel (which includes the conviction of sin) has not been communicated. Such ones have grasped only half a gospel and half a foundation is no security to us when the winds of persecution begin to howl. If we think that Christian living is all joy and happiness, we are heading for a rude awakening. Finally, the parable warns of the “thorns”. We are all familiar with the worries of this life, the feeling that the ‘grass is greener on the other side’. These ‘thorns’ are fatal to the influence of God’s Word and the human heart, and will choke it.
But Scriptures remind us that God will honour those who serve Him in perseverance. They will share His glory. God will complete the work He has begun in us, and we will both manifest and enjoy the fullness of fellowship and family life with Him. We will worship Him in love without any hampering from sin nor bodily weakness nor the mind of the flesh. This is the glorious prospect that await all those who abide in Him and persevere in Him until the end.