The World’s Hatred

Yesterday we saw Jesus as the vine, and God as the vine dresser.  Today the closing verses of John 15 show us the world’s hatred. 

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 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. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father also.²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Remember our connection to Jesus?  His love for us, and how our love shown in our obedience to him and his commands.  Following Jesus will have it’s costs and so Jesus reminds his people that that if the world hates them… it’s only because the world hated him first. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 

Not of the world, therefore hated

And in fact if we were of the world, we wouldn’t be hated.  It’s our dissonance from the world that causes that hatred to be there.  Otherwise it would love us (makes sense right?) but I think too often we forget that.  We get hatred in our face and we take it personally when we really shouldn’t.   We should be remembering that the hatred we get stems from the world’s hatred of Christ. Ergo it’s not personal to us even if it feels that way.  Does that make sense?   It’s a change in perspective.

Jesus helps us with that when he reminds us ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.   We shouldn’t expect to have something given us that wasn’t given to our Lord and Saviour.  We have to understand that hatred and persecution comes our way because the world doesn’t understand God.  It has no clue.  They don’t understand God and therefore hate him. If you hate the one, you hate the other.  If they hate God, they will hate those who follow after him.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 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. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father also.²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

Not a surprise

But understand this…this hatred isn’t a surprise.  God (and the rest of the trinity) knew this would happen.  He knew he would be hated without cause.  ²⁵ But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’  We shouldn’t be surprised when it happens to us. 

But hear this!  The helper is coming… and this helper will actually BE A HELP to us. So we can be bearing witness to us of God the Father and God the Son.   And therefore he tells the disciples… you will bear witness.  You’ve been with me from the beginning and you will bear witness.   ²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

We will too eh?   Bear witness.  Having the Holy Spirit as part of us.  Bearing witness to us, we can bear witness to others of just who God is.   Isn’t that just cool?  🙂