Tag: Jesus hated

We’ve all been there; we say or do something different and it blows up in our faces.

Sometimes, this is probably justified. When we say or do something bad, it may be good for the people in our lives to call us out. While there are many things wrong with political movements like #blacklivesmatter or #metoo, their goal is admirable: there ARE times when those in power, like police, need to be held accountable; there are some people who are victims of sexual assault and harassment that are afraid to speak out due to the backlash. While you have not done anything like those called out in these movements, I’m sure you’ve had moments when your friends turned against you when you did something to hurt a mutual friendship, or maybe bullied a kid. And we can see that this is justice, in a way. We feel like (and on some level, know) we deserve it.

But there are days when you say what you believe is truth and it backfires. There are days when you are asked what you believe and everyone around you mocks you and belittles you for it, or tells you that you are on a dangerous path for not agreeing with their view of God. There are days when you do the right and righteous thing, and it seems like people around you think you have done something terrible…

Jesus lets us know this won’t be uncommon. He teaches in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.” In our day, we can see this is true in a small scale. On some issues, we love people, but hate sinful actions performed. When a man believes that he can’t make a wedding cake for a gay couple, he is sued and taken to court. In many circles, he is considered a bigot. Very recently, another Christian political commentator gave a speech entitled “Men are not women.” That speech created a protest movement, and he was assaulted with liquid that smelled like bleach. While these are hotly charged political issues, both of these men were standing on what they believed were biblical, moral principles, and were hated for their views.

This is because we are not of the world. We don’t go along with the system the world offers. Christ calls us to live in love differently. One could argue that if these men had just lived like Jesus, then they wouldn’t have encountered any problem. Love wins, right? But Jesus points out that he is hated by the system of the world, AND HE WAS PERFECT. Christ lived a life full of grace and truth (John 1). But that did not endear him to the world.

When it seem the world is against you, stop and think:

Did I do something wrong? If so, fix it.

If not, is the world against you and it is not related to the Bible? Maybe it is wise to think about what they are saying.

However, if the world is against you and you are standing on Scripture, then stand strong. Don’t be shocked, because they first hated Jesus. Stand strong, in truth and love, and God will stand with you.

(For a throw back, watch this clip … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_o6QHdIG4I // For some rock, listen to this … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kiwluGZdJQ )

-Jake Ballard