Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that
it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would
love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I
have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” John
15:18–19
This is a sobering thought: “the world hates you.” That is, if you
are among those who have been taken by our Lord out of the world.
In that case, Jesus says that the world will hate you. No one wants
to be hated.
No one wants to experience the wrath, persecution, attacks, or
ridicule of another. Hatred is ugly, painful and difficult to
endure. But that is part of the nature of hate. It’s not only a
form of persecution, it’s also a form of manipulation. Hate is an
attack upon another by which the hater seeks to inflict injury and
to manipulate them to change and conform to their will. The secular
and unchristian “world” wants to win you over and away from God.
Jesus offers this teaching, in part, to prepare us so that when we
do experience hatred from the world, we will not be affected by it
nor manipulated to turn from Him. Therefore, this teaching is a
revelation of much mercy from our Lord.
Remember that Jesus spoke of three enemies of our soul. The flesh,
the devil and the world. In this Gospel passage, to “belong to the
world” means that a person allows themself to be negatively
influenced by the countless lies embedded within the world. The
secular media, pop-culture, biased opinions, social pressures,
false images of happiness and the like seek to constantly misguide
us and draw us in. We are regularly tempted to believe that
fulfillment is found in money, our physical appearance, the
recognition of our accomplishments and much more. The world tells
us that our opinions must conform to the secular values of the
age—and if they don’t, then we are judgmental, close-minded
extremists and should be shunned and “canceled” or silenced.
These worldly temptations and pressures are real, and, for that
reason, Jesus’ words are freeing. They free us from the
manipulations and deceptions we will experience when we live our
faith openly for all to see. When we do so, we will be hated by the
world. But knowing that provides peace of heart when it
happens.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful and consoling words of Jesus.
If you do not experience any form of hatred from the world, then
this should be a concern and the cause for reflection. And if you
do experience some form of hatred, know that our Lord prepared you
for this and offers you His strength and courage to endure it with
joy. In the end, all that matters is what our Lord thinks—and
nothing else. In the end, if you experience hatred by the world in
any form, know that this makes you more like Christ Himself.
My persecuted Lord, You endured the hatred and ridicule of many
who were engulfed by the false values of the world. I pray that I
may share not only in Your life of love and mercy but also in Your
strength during the times that I also endure the world's hatred. I
commit myself to You and pray that You continually take me out of
the world and bring me close to Yourself. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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Featured images above: Christ Mocked and Crowned with Thorns
By Jan Miense Molenaer, Wikimedia Commons
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