Read John 14:18-25. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
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.’[b] 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.’”
Reflections on the Word.
Acceptance. Who doesn’t want that but at what price are we willing to pay for it? What will you do or give to gain acceptance from our family, our friends, our coworkers at our job, or even from our own community of faith? Some of us are willing to sacrifice our beliefs and values for acceptance from others. We want to “fit-in” at almost any cost to us or to our family.
Jesus said this about acceptance, “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” (vs. 19).
Wait a moment. We don’t want to be hated. We want to be loved. We want to be like everyone else. On Sundays, we dress and speak like the other attendees at Church. On Monday through Friday, we act like our peers and colleagues. On Saturdays, we are by ourselves at home, unless we have kids’ activities. We spend so much time being in the world and at times acting like world that our lives almost resemble that we belong to the world.
Would it be alright if the world likes me but doesn’t hate me? The world doesn’t hate you for your nationality or your profession. The world hates you because of your belief in God, that Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. It’s holding on to the absolute truth that there is one way of salvation, which rejects inclusivity and relativism. It’s living out the radical love of Jesus which the world sees as a folly.
The world may like you if you don’t insist on righteousness and godliness. If you would compromise just “a little bit” on your beliefs and values, then everything will be fine with them. The only problem is that Jesus didn’t compromise His beliefs and values. He didn’t condone sin but addressed it. He stood up against the religious institutions when Temple courtyard had become a market and a place of currency exchange instead of a place of prayer. He didn’t blink at the religious leaders’ hypocrisy, but rather He called it out for what it was. He was the light in darkness.
As the Heavenly Father sent His Son, so the Son has chosen us out of this world, not to be like the world, but to be like Him. The reason that they hate us is because they see Jesus in us. We forget that we are made in the image and likeness of God. The light and image of Jesus in our lives makes them uncomfortable as it exposes their darkness. While the life and light of Christ should offer hope, it may cause feelings of sadness, guilt, or anger for their attitudes or actions. Especially if they chose to continue to walk in darkness. As such, they reject the Light, and they reject us.
We must remember that God has already accepted us in His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We are secure in Him and nothing on earth can affect our position in Christ Jesus. Knowing that we belong to God and our citizenship is in heaven, we have no need to win the approval of humanity. Don’t let the world dictate our beliefs and practices. We are to be salt and light in this world.
-Kingston