If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
As Jesus teaches his disciples on his last night on earth he starts with a lesson in feet washing. Then, after dealing with the traitor Judas, Jesus begins to give them last minute instructions. In Chapter 13, verse 34 he begins with, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then he says that this is a sign that people are truly his disciples.
In Chapter 14 Jesus lays the foundation for his instruction to abide in Him. He talks about He and the Father being one, and what that means. He speaks of the Holy Spirit and how the world will not be able to accept Him. He speaks of peace and life and his coming departure from the world.
Then we come to Chapter 15 where Jesus begins to teach about what it means to abide in Him. He talks about bearing fruit and how this brings glory to God. Finally, he gets to the scary part.
“If the world hates you…” It doesn’t seem like much of an “if” after all that happened to the disciples and the persecutions that have dogged Christians throughout the ages. The world doesn’t really like the idea of people knowing about God and judgment and the salvation that Jesus offers. The disciples still have no idea what is about to befall their Teacher. They have no clue about the hate that surrounds their Lord and is lurking outside the door. Jesus prepares them for life as a Follower of the Way by giving them a heads up: The world might hate you. Don’t be surprised.
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I like the picture. I agree. We seem to be surprised by the callousness and direction of the world. Jesus did warn us. Indeed, He told us to not only expect the world’s disapproval, but hatred.
Rich
The picture was a surprising find. The search term “scary” brought up a lot of dark images. I liked the cat because he shows our reaction to fear rather than the source of fear itself. The source can be very personal. The reaction is almost universal.
I also like the picture. I often wonder at Christians who are surprised when the world pulls the opposite direction. I frequently see it with politics and social morals – Christians surprised that the world that rejects Jesus doesn’t follow him and hates our moral standards.
Nathan,
I think as Christians who want what is best for everyone, we are shocked that non-Christians see our values as a threat. Even something as innocuous as a belief in a “Greater Power” is a threat if that means that there might be eternal consequences for our temporal actions.
Since the start of time each person sees “the world” differently. Every time someone doesn’t like what you say or do it doesn’t always mean they hate you; you could simply be wrong. The small part of the “world” we are exposed to (0.00001%) might.
Look for those in faith to grow faith. Look for those out of faith to bring into faith. Trust. Search the Word, resistance is often an opportunity for all parties to grow.
Rely on God. God will guide with direction and words.
Gary ,
Thanks for your comment today. You make several extremely important points. Resistance is an opportunity to grow is one of them. It is ironic, but often I think people think of “opportunity” as a chance to avoid resistance. The idea that resistance itself can be an opportunity sounds a bit counter intuitive, but it also sounds true. Thank you!