John 15:18-25

John 15:18-25
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’

Jesus has just made it clear to His disciples that they are called to love one another.  It is of such vital importance that we, as believers, love one another because the world will not love us.  In fact, the passages says the world will hate us.  This is very strong language and very harsh terms.  We don’t often think of the world as hating us, but that is what Jesus says will be the reality of our experience as we follow Him.  We are not called to be obnoxious or cause people to hate us, but we are called to speak the truth to people and testify to the goodness of God.  The more we are involved in speaking to the world about God, the more likely it is that people will respond negatively to us.

THE WORLD HATES BELIEVERS: The world hates those who follow Christ because they hated Christ first.  It is rather easy to tell whom a person is following by the response of the world to that person.  If the world loves a person, it is because that person is following the world.  If the world hates a person, it because that person is following Christ.  The goal of a believer is not to be hated by the world.  Our goal is to follow Christ.  Being hated by the world is simply the result of following Christ.  The reason we follow Christ is because He chose us out of the world.  We are not by nature followers of Christ, but He chooses us to follow Him.  They don’t hate us because we were chosen and they were not, they don’t want to be chosen.  They hate Christ and have no desire to be chosen by Him.  They hate us because we follow the One they hate.  We must always remember that it is far better to be loved by Jesus and hated by the world than the other way around.

THE WORLD HATES JESUS: It should not surprise or bother us that the world hates us because it hates Jesus.  He is our master and as disciples, we are to be His followers.  It only makes since that what happens to the Master will happen to the servants.  Just as He was persecuted, we should expect to be persecuted.  The teachings of Jesus are offensive to men.  We are conditioned to believe that we are independent and can be good enough on our own.  Jesus teaches us that our righteousness falls far short of His perfect standard.  This is makes men angry and fosters hatred in the hearts of men.  Jesus loves men and sacrifices of Himself to reconcile mand to God, but men do not want Jesus to have to provide a way of forgiveness.  Men want to believe they are good enough on their own merits.  Instead of being grateful for Christ’s love, they prefer to resent Him. 

THE WORLD HATES GOD: Hating Jesus is the same as hating the Father.  Jesus is the perfect representation and revelation of the Father.  Since those who have seen Jesus, have seen the Father; Hatred of Jesus is hatred of the Father.  The revelation of Jesus given to men makes them even more guilty because the can no longer claim ignorance.  What should be a comfort to us is that we are in very Good company if we are believers.  The world hates us, hates Jesus and hates the Father.  It is a sobering to know the responsibility that revelation brings to our lives.  The Lord has been gracious to us as He reveals so much truth to us through the Scripture and through His life.  We are must respond to this revelation with obedience and love.  The teachings of Jesus are precious and must be treated as such.

 APPLICATION: Don’t be surprised by the hatred of the world for us as believers.  Don’t think that we are supposed to act in a way that fosters hatred.  We are to love as Jesus loved.  Take comfort in times of suffering and persecution because it is a demonstration of our relationship with Him and identification with the Father.  Be sure to love and obey the Word of 

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