We have been busy with John 15 and already have looked at verses 1-17. These were very rich verses that pointed towards us as Christians. How we must abide in Christ to be able to bear fruits, how we must keep Jesus’s commandments if we are to remain in his love, how we must love one another as Jesus has loved us and how we were chosen by Jesus and appointed to bear fruits.
John 15:18-21 (ESV Strong’s Bible)
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
We now come to a portion of John 15 which intends to prepare those that abide in Jesus and abide in his love, meaning true Christians, for persecution that will follow them because of their being Christians. Jesus prepares them upfront and he told that that the world will hate them but they must know, we must know, that the world hated him first.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
This is a very difficult verse to read and mostly because of the translation from Greek to English that was not done so well. What this verse says is that if Christians were of this world, the world would love them as their own but, because they are not of this world, even though they are chosen from this world, the world hates them. Jesus is saying, don’t be fooled by the fact that you as a Christian were chosen from this world. That will not count in your favor, you will still be hated by the world because you are not of this world.
So, Jesus is saying, don’t be surprised when the world hates you, they hated me first and, the reason why they hate you, is because you are not of this world.
John 17:14 (ESV Strong’s Bible)
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
The reason why they hated Jesus is the same reason why they will hate Christians. Both Jesus and the Christians are not of this world.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Jesus told his disciples already in chapter 13:16 that the servant is not greater than his master and that is why he says now that they must remember what he said. Jesus here refers to himself as a master and the disciples as servants. Jesus says, if they persecuted and did not keep my word as a master, what reason is there that they will not do the same thing to you as servants. Jesus says, you can expect exactly the same treatment that I have recieved and still going to recieve. In a parallel passage in Math 10:16-24, Jesus told them that Christians will be delivered to court, they will be severely beaten, they will be dragged before ruling authorities, they will be delivered to death. These are some of the things that will happen. We know that this prophecy came to pass and is still,happening even today.
21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Jesus says that all these things will be done to Christians simply because they are Christians and the reason being that they don’t know God.
So, True Christians, those that abide and continue to abide in Jesus, those that continue to bear fruits, those that have the word of God abiding and continuing to abide in their hearts, those that keep Jesus’s commandments and continue to remain in his love, those that love one another as Jesus has loved them, these true Christians, will be hated by the world, their word rejected, persecuted and put to death.
This is a far cry from what the false pastors and prophets of this world are preaching. They preach that God will make you rich, he will give you promotion, he will give you a husband, a wife, he will give you everything of your dreams. All you have to do is to come to church and a pay tithe and the more you pay, the more the blessings from God. This preaching is clearly in contrast to what the bible teaches. If you beleive these false anti Christs, ask yourself this, are you truly a Christian? Or are you part of the system that hates God, His Son, His Word and His Followers?