Have you ever had someone dislike you to the point of hate? Yet, you didn’t know why. You racked your brain to try to figure out what you could have done to warrant such a disdain for you but nothing you could remember could validate those feelings. If you have experienced this, you are not alone. Jesus himself was hated without a cause.
In John chapters 13-15, Jesus is talking to His disciples after the Passover meal they ate together. He washed their feet and began to speak. In John 15:16 He gives them a great biblical truth about their relationship that applies to us today. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” We are chosen by God. He sends His Holy Spirit to convict and convince our hearts that we need Him. The disciples that were with Him had already heard this teaching in John 6:44 when Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.”
I find it interesting that He tells them to love each other. He knows they will need each other. He knows they will be hated by those who are not following Him. They must be there for one another. Jesus had already told them that night that they would be known by their love for one another. This would be a distinguishing characteristic of His followers.
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.”
Now, He says some things that are hard for them to hear and understand. He gives them the firm statement that they will be hated because the world hates Him also. The question must have arisen in their minds, why would they hate Jesus? They had watched Him heal their sick, and feed them when they were hungry. Why would they hate the one who had done nothing but good for them?
He is preparing them for the life they will have after He leaves them for Heaven. They should not be surprised when others hate them. They should be different from the world. Their views, their actions, and their attitudes will be different. They hated Jesus enough to kill Him. Many times, He retreated to another town to avoid being beaten and imprisoned before it was His appointed time to die on the cross.
He goes on to tell them that they can expect to be hated and mistreated because they are not of this world. In John 15:21 Jesus tells His disciples they will be hated because they did not believe that God the Father sent Him. They were so blinded by their religion and pride they missed the Messiah. They did not understand the character, justice, or the laws of God. They could not accept the humility of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Because of their pride, they rejected Jesus and therefore rejected God.
John 15:17-24 “These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He who hated me hated my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.”
If we are a follower of Jesus, we should expect no different treatment than the disciples experienced. His teachings are against what our world sees as “right and good.” Those of the world are serving themselves and have been deceived by the Prince of the Air, Satan. The world system is against anything that God stands for. They seek to approve of actions that the Bible says are sinful. Slowly they infiltrate the church, and we begin to use situational ethics to justify our desires. In an effort to influence them, we accept their ways and begin to participate in their activities that are anti-Bible. We make excuses and say things like “It’s not so bad,” and “God will forgive.” These attitudes break down the basic truths of God’s word. While God will forgive those who are repentant and are willing to turn away from their sins, He does not forgive unless there is a change in the heart and actions.
If you are a Christian and have experienced no hatred or disdain from the world then you are not living the Christian life that is seeking to obey all that God has commanded. Jesus makes it clear that we will be hated just as He was hated.
It is time we check ourselves and see where we are blending in with the world and accepting their behavior. Can you think of a time when you were not accepted because of your faith? Does your family not understand why you do not participate in some of the things they do? Are there times people have disliked you and you don’t know why? If you are living a sold-out life for Christ, you should be able to say yes to these questions. If you can answer yes, then you can say as Jesus did in verse 25. “They hated me without a cause.”
John 15:25 “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”
