John 15:22

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

John 15:22 in Other Translations

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

22 If I hadn't come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn't be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.

John 15:22 Meaning and Commentary

John 15:22

If I had not come and spoken unto them
The ignorance of the Jews is represented as inexcusable, since Christ was come, and had preached unto them; if he had not come and told them that he was the Messiah, they might have pleaded an excuse for their ignorance of him, and his mission, and of the Father that sent him: but inasmuch as he was come in the flesh, and came to them his own; and came also a light into the world, carrying along with him evidence, conviction, and demonstration, of his being the Messiah; speaking such words as never man did; preaching with such authority as the Scribes and Pharisees did not; declaring in plain terms he was the Christ of God, and that if they did not believe him to be so, they would die in their sins; they could have no pretext to make for their ignorance and disbelief: if all this had not been done,

they had not had sin;
or been guilty of the sin of unbelief, in the rejection of the Messiah; not that they would have been without sin in any sense, or without any kind of sin, but without this particular sin; at least they would have excused and wiped themselves clean, and would have looked like innocent and sinless persons, under all their ignorance and unbelief:

but now they have no cloak for their sin;
they could not say, had he come to us, and told us that he was the Messiah, and given evidence of his being sent by the Father, we would have believed him, and received him as the Messiah; for he did do this, and so cut off all excuses and pretences from them.

John 15:22 In-Context

20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.

24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 2:5; Ezekiel 3:7
• 2. John 9:41; Romans 1:20; Romans 2:1