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. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.
Jesus continues his dissertation on his battle with the world by explaining why the world does not accept his followers. He explains this in the context of his ongoing conflict with the Jewish leaders. His words are prophetic in that they apply equally well to his followers in the Gentile world.
“They will treat you this way because of my name…”
The name of Jesus is special. Because of who Jesus is, His name has power. It has the power to irritate and offend the people of this world who do not want to believe in a Creator and a Judge. The world believes it is accountable only to itself.
When Jesus says, “… they do not know the one who sent me,” he is referring to his Father. People do not know their Creator because they do not want to believe there is one. Having a Creator is a messy business. Suddenly you have to worry about who your Creator is, what kind of Creator they are, how many Creators there might be, and what we have to do to stay on the right side of a Creator. That is a lot of stuff to worry about. It is much easier for the world to simply pretend that life is an accident and we basically create our own right and wrong.
Unfortunately for the world, God, the Creator exists. He has a son named Jesus. Jesus came to earth to demonstrate his authority and power with miracles and signs. Then he gave his life as the final sacrifice for atonement between man and God. The name of Jesus rattles the people of the world because of who he represents and what he claimed to be.
Don’t expect life in this world to be easy if you decide to follow Jesus. On the other hand, you can expect to have real life for all of eternity when you do.
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My life has not become easier after trusting in Christ (though some things have), but it certainly has been magnified in him. It may be hard at times, but Christ gives us hope, peace, and love. If I had to face the same challenges I’ve come through without him, I don’t think I would have made it this far. I’m pretty sure my choices would have led me down some dangerous paths.
NMOP3PISdn
Your testimony is helpful because it affirms my own and, I expect, many others, too.
As mentioned above following Christ is not easy. The idea that following Christ or true Christianity is a crutch or something for the weak is missing the whole “pick up your cross and follow me” part of the bargain.
While ultimately rewarding, the attempt to follow Christ is difficult, even in a society such as ours with so many built-in comforts.
This is something that isn’t well realized (I believe) when someone accepts Christ as their savior. It is realized only after we have had an amount of ‘street time’ following after Him.
Hi Brent,
I like your thought about the ‘crutch’ vs the ‘pick up your cross’ thing. Well said! Perhaps the reason new believers do not fully understand this is because our Lord is gracious in not over burdening us more than we can bear.