Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither one who is sent greater than he who sent him.
- KJV Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
- NKJV Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
- NASB Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
- NLT I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus solemnly states that a servant is not greater than his master, nor a messenger than his sender. It removes any excuse for refusing to serve as He served.
Overview
If the Master humbled Himself to serve, His servants cannot consider themselves above such service. This proverb reinforces the call to imitate Christ's humility. It also prepares the disciples for sharing in His path of lowliness and even suffering, since the servant follows the master's way.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 6:40A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
- John 15:20Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.
- Matt 10:24–25A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
- John 3:5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- John 3:3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 13:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.