John 15
18“When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. 19The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you. 20Do you remember what I told you? ‘A servant is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you! 21The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me. 22They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too. 24If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be counted guilty. But as it is, they saw all that I did and yet hated both of us—me and my Father. 25This has fulfilled what the Scriptures said: ‘They hated me without cause.’ 26“But I will send you the Counselor—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. 27And you must also tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning.
(John 15:18-27, NLT)
The Daily DAVEotional
Have you noticed that there is a lot of hate in our culture today. A LOT.
What I find interesting is that our culture seems to have redefined what the word hate even means. If you disagree with someone, you are quickly labeled a “hater.”
This is very problematic for Christians because we believe that Jesus has given us moral guidelines to live by and to promote as good for our society at large.
But many of the moral guidelines Christians hold to are not accepted by our culture. So what is the response? Christians are labeled as haters.
There are lots of names that can be found in the hate bucket. Racist, Sexist, Misogynist. Homophobic. Transphobic. Judgmental. Hypocritical.
There is no doubt that there are those who identify as Christians who are racist, or sexist or judgmental, or any number of other labels. ALL have sinned. ALL do sin. We should be honest about that and appeal to Jesus to not only forgive but transform.
Still, no matter what you say or do, some are going to hate you. This should not surprise us as Jesus Himself warned that this would be the case.
And yet, I find that many Christians cannot stomach the fact that the world hates them. So what is the response? For many, the response is accommodation. I see quite a number of Christians, churches and denominations who are changing their theology, their moral stances and in some cases, their entire worldview – all so that they won’t be hated by others.
And while the culture has redefined what hate is, I think many believers have redefined what love is. In a desperate attempt to not be seen as any of the “hate” words listed above, I see long-standing, biblical beliefs and moral principles being accommodated and compromised, in the name of “love”. The thinking for many is that if others hate you, then you must not be “loving.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. Loving people has nothing to do with getting them to like you. This passage is a proof text for that. Jesus was and is the most loving person who ever lived and yet He was hated so much that He was crucified by His haters. His love for them was not enough to get them to “like” Him.
In this passage, Jesus implores His followers to recognize this same principle. Some people are so hard-hearted toward God that anyone who represents Him or reflects His moral guidance is a target for personal wrath and ire. We cannot avoid this. We simply must endure it.
Fortunately, Jesus sends us the Counselor, the Spirit of TRUTH, who gives us the courage to tell others about Jesus and empowers us with the strength to endure the hatred that may be directed toward us.
Reflection
As Christians, we are commanded to love others. What do you think that looks like? How do you love people who hate you and what you stand for?
When Jesus says that the world will hate His followers, what do you think that means?
How do you think Christians should respond to hate they experience from the world?
Do you think it’s possible for Christians to be liked by the world? Why or why not?
Jesus says that we are to tell others about Him. What exactly about Jesus do you think we are to communicate? What do you think are the best ways to communicate about Jesus to others?
Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
The Lowedown 