Jesus’ Disciples and the World
18“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.19The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.20Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.21They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.22They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.23Anyone who hates me also hates my Father.24If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.25This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’
26“But I will send you the dAdvocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
If you want to be popular, you have the wrong leader. Jesus was rejected and ostracized, and we can expect the same. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told by some of my older Christian guides that if you are popular and loved by most the world, you better do some soul searching. It reminds me of a quote I keep on the front page of my prayer journal. “To inoculate me from the praise of man, he baptized me in the criticism of man, till I died to the control of man.” I wish I knew who said it, but I don’t.
But why, to this day is, Christianity so hated by the world? I think it is because it requires humility. You can’t be a Christian without admitting you’ve sinned and can’t save yourself. You can’t be a Christian and have “I Did It My Way” be your theme song. You can’t be a Christian if you won’t admit you need to change, and change a lot. Sadly, people have a lot of problems with humility. Pride not only can keep you from being a Christian, but it can keep you from being the Christian Jesus wants you to be.
Lord, help me to accept, rather to want, not being a part of this world. Help me to follow you and be a small candle of light showing other’s your way out of this world. Change me Lord, change me. *obbs*
