Episode 105 - "The world will hate you" - John 15:18-25

John 15:18   “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.’

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy building relationships and getting to know people, and I do not want conflict with anyone. Realistically, I know that people who live in destructive and violent ways will be offensive to me, and my inclination is to avoid them. 

But Jesus is revealing to his disciples a principle that applies to us as well, and that is Jesus’ disciples will be hated by those who hate him. These people may be religious, and they may believe in a god or gods. They may share some of the same views that we do and, from an outward perspective, appear to be “good people,” meaning that they may not be violent toward their spouse or children, and they do things that we acknowledge are “good.” These people’s lifestyles and actions do not naturally push us away from engaging them in a relationship. These are the people we do not want to hate us. But, this warning from Jesus informs us that at least some of them will. 

Why is that? Jesus said, “I chose you out of this world.” (v. 19) I spoke of this briefly in the last episode because, in verse 16, Jesus told his disciples that they did not choose him, but he chose them for bearing fruit. The vital thing to consider is that God knows who you are and intentionally calls you to faith because He has a specific purpose for your life. The essential purpose is to be the voice of that message of Jesus and God’s love for the world that others might come to faith and enjoy the privilege of God’s purpose for their life. 

The problem and conflict with this is that “men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” (John 3:19) Even though Jesus as God’s true Light came into the world to expose humankind’s problem with evil, some people don’t want to go out of that darkness and into the Light of Jesus. Suppose we have responded to God’s Light and acknowledged that we are identifying and following that Light, trusting that God alone addresses our darkness problem. In that case, those who want to remain in the darkness will do everything they can to avoid or extinguish any glimmer of that Light that approaches them. They perceive the Light as a threat to their life and desires, and they oppose it. They hate it. The concept that Jesus could be the only source of Light from God attacks their pride, and they refuse to let that go. 

An example of this is the religious leaders who cast out the man born blind but given his sight by Jesus. They were upset with the fact that Jesus worked this miracle. But, when the man’s spiritual sight caused him to recognize that Jesus was from God, they had to get rid of him because it threatened their pride and self-righteousness. 

Twice in this section (vv. 22 and 24) Jesus says, “They would not have been guilty of sin.” I’m probably splitting hairs on the translation of this, and I may be wrong. But the Greek text says, “Sin they would not have.” I’m highlighting this because I think some clarification is in order. I do not believe Jesus is saying that there were sinless people until Jesus came and worked his miracles. This book has already made it evident that the people in this world are in darkness. Darkness is the metaphor describing the sinful, evil state into which we are born because this condition began with Adam and Eve’s rebellion and continues to this day. We need Jesus to “choose us out of this world” (of darkness) into his Kingdom of Light (Truth). 

The Law made it clear what was right and wrong, and people violated that Law. They were guilty of sin. But, the most evident truth of God came into the world when the Son of God, Jesus the Christ was born.  He spoke the words of God and performed the miracles of God.  He also took upon himself the penalty of the sins of the world by dying on the cross, and then conquering death itself. His resurrection gives hope to those who have turned in faith in Jesus for eternal life with God. Rejecting that Truth and Light is the sin that is unpardonable and people who commit that sin will not be forgiven. 

It’s easy for some to read that and see it in a negative light. But, if you stop and think about it, God has not left humanity to “figure it out on his own.” God has patiently and continuously revealed His grace and mercy and truth throughout time to testify to humankind that He wants to be in a relationship with humanity. Still, they need to trust Him by faith. The most powerful and perfect way of doing this was by coming into this earth Himself and revealing His grace, mercy, goodness, and truth through Jesus.

When we see it this way, is there any reason we would not be obsessed with abiding in Jesus, staying close as possible to the True Vine by giving him thanks and seeking to follow his words, and accepting that those who want to remain in darkness will hate us?