John 15:20

μνημονεύετε. See note on John 13:16 : of the passages noticed there Matthew 10:24 is similar in meaning to this. Christ may here be alluding to the occasion recorded in Matthew 10:24. On the blessedness of sharing the lot of Christ comp. 1 Peter 4:12-13.

εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδ. If they persecuted Me … if they kept (John 13:14; John 18:23) My word. Τηρεῖν must not be rendered ‘watch, lay wait for’ in a hostile sense: the two halves of the sentence are opposed, not parallel. Τὸν λ. or τοὺς λ. τηρεῖν is peculiar to S. John (John 8:51-52; John 8:55; John 14:23-24; John 17:6) always in the sense of the parallel phrase τὰς ἐντολὰς τ. (John 14:15; John 14:21; John 15:10). Both phrases link the Gospel with the First Epistle (1 John 2:3-5; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 5:2-3), and these two with the Apocalypse (Revelation 3:8; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12; Revelation 22:7; Revelation 22:9). Comp. John 9:16; Revelation 1:3; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 3:3, and see on John 7:30; John 7:37; John 11:44; John 19:37; John 20:16. These passages shew that τηρεῖν cannot be taken in a hostile sense. The meaning of the verse as a whole is that both in failure and in success they will share His lot.