Being Hated

Gospel: John 15: 18-21

Jesus said his followers would be hated just as he was hated.  But why was Jesus hated? It is instructive to look at the various places in the Gospels where Jesus faces opposition and hatred from religious leaders and the world.  Then, we can more surely discern who is a follower of Jesus by the kind of hatred they receive if it is in similar situations as Jesus' experiences.

Whenever Jesus ate with sinners or the unclean, he faced opposition and hatred.  Whenever he chose to heal someone who was an outcast: foreigners, women, those possessed by demons - he was opposed and hated.  Whenever Jesus argued that the kingdom of God was for all and not for just a select few, he faced vehement opposition and threats of death.  Even on the cross, those who put him to death mocked him, saying: He saved others; let him save himself.

Facing persecution and opposition in these circumstances: caring for the poor and marginalized, inviting outcasts to the table, freeing the unclean one from what possesses them, insisting the kingdom is for all and not a few - these will draw the hatred of the world.  These will let all know who is a follower of the Lord Jesus.