18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’"
John 15:18-25
Persecution happens, especially to the Christian. It depends upon what part of the globe we find ourselves, but persecution happens in varying forms everywhere we go. In our text, the Lord Jesus helps us understand the bristling nature of the world's hatred toward the believer.
The word world, kosmos in the Greek, basically means “the evil fallen.” Literally, “fallen and falling,” because the human race is not through falling. It fell in Genesis 3, but it’s been falling ever since. Evil men are growing worse. The world, the system of humanity, governed by evil, is still falling. The world is the evil, fallen, and the falling system of unregenerate people is controlled by Satan who is referred to by God as "the god of this world" in 1 Corinthians 4:4.
In John 15:18-25, the Lord Jesus accentuates certain things about persecution. The first is: He was first persecuted. Note that in v.18, He says, "It hated me first." He experienced it, and He was perfect. Much, if not all, of our adversity comes from the unseen forces which wage war against us on a daily basis. It is a reminder that we are engaged in the age old battle between God and Satan. Same Satan, same demons, same kingdom of darkness, same hatred of God, of righteousness, goodness, truth exists.
In addition, the Lord Jesus states that persecution will come because we are simply different than we were before we came into a personal relationship with Him. Notice v.19, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." With the introduction of the Holy Spirit into our lives, our appetites have changed.
When we became followers of the Lord Jesus, our eyes were opened. We began to see life differently. We now see life from the eternal point of view and we see the difference between that which is good as opposed to that which is evil. We now see that it is evil because it is harmful to us and our testimony. It is dumb to ignore the Lord on any subject.
In v.20-21, the Lord Jesus reminds us that persecution cannot be avoided: "20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me."' Due to the fact that I hate rejection, I have been know to compromise. When this has happened, I knew immediately that I was being defined by the lesser. The ignorance displayed is always unnerving.
At the end of v.21, the Lord Jesus identifies the basic cause of godlessness. He says, "they do not know the one who sent me." The people He was referring to were the religious leaders of the day. These were supposed men of God, who prided themselves on their knowledge of God. But the Lord Jesus said they did not know the real God. They thought they were worshipping the real God but they were not.
These heard the words of the giver of life and they saw His miracles. And, they threw out a welcome mat in front of their hearts to the father of lies. They did not understand that the Devil was made "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). When we are exposed to the truth and we reject it, our condemnation is double. We manifest our hatred of His Father by rejecting truth. This was a fulfillment of prophecy found in Psalms 35:19, 69:4.
The rejection of Christ’s words and works had nothing to do with any imperfection with Christ. It is due to the fact that men do not want the Lord Jesus to be God over them. Coupled with the fact that they have no clue of His heart for them, they give in to their own wickedness and hardness of heart. The heart of the matter is really the matter of the heart.
Finally, on the campus of Columbia International University, down one of the long hallways, there are framed pictures of former students who have been killed somewhere in the world for the cause of Christ. This is unique ... you ask why? Because most universities have pictures hanging on the walls of those who know nothing about persecution. Of course, it is likely, they know nothing of God's great heart for them either.
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