Jesus Warns: The World Will Hate You

     Have you ever met a hateful happy person?  Isn’t this a stupid question?  Hate seems to consume many people today, and they express it on social media, in the workplace, at sporting events, and on the streets.  Don’t people realize that hate hurts them more than it hurts the person they hate?  While one is boiling over inside, losing sleep, and ruining their health with stress, the person they hate has no problems.  Hate does not solve any problems, but it does create many problems.

     Unfortunately, we are seeing hate in action today.  There are groups today who are full of hate and are attacking people on the streets.  I’ve never in my many years seen so much hate. I’m not sure if it is because I have always lived in small towns.  When I see people attacking others verbally or physically, I’m shocked at how there is no shame or control.  Then, I think about Jesus and the hatred the Pharisees and religious groups in Jerusalem had towards Jesus.  They were supposed to be the righteous ones, but they let their fear and hate crucify a man who had done no wrong.

     Jesus warned the disciples about those who hated him.  “If the world hates you, know that the world hated me before it hated you.” (John 16:18) Why did they hate Jesus?  From my view, they were so wrapped up in their own self-righteousness and greed that they did not understand who Jesus was.  They saw Jesus as a threat to their tranquility and way of life.  Some churches are that way today.  Religious denominations are wrapped up in their doctrines where they don’t open their hearts to the real messages in scripture, so they fail to show God’s love.  I’m not saying they hate others, but their actions are not completely with love.  An example is where churches don’t accept people because of their color.  I’ve seen this where hateful words were thrown at another member of the church.  It looked like hate. This is unacceptable.  They may call themselves Christians, but they are only the enemy from within the body of the Church.  When the world sees the actions of these few, they judge all of us.

     In John 16, Jesus warns his disciples that they will be hated.  When they hate us, they will persecute us.  As they hated Jesus “without a cause,” (16:25) Christians today will be hated without a cause.  It is already happening.  Christians and Jews are hated by some groups.  When hate grows, it grows into a cruel act of hate.  As Christians, we are ‘to love one another,’ (16:17) and this includes those who hate us.  Yes, the world will hate us, but we are not of this world.  We are of the family of God, and we love all, even those who hate us.