John: The Hated One
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Victimhood is the modern currency.
How do you gain favor in the eyes of the world? Have the saddest story. Belong to the most marginalized groups.
This is seeping into the church even now under the guise of “self care”. Simple wisdom about looking after your own health has turned into self obsession and victimizing.
Now there are real victims in the world, who deserve real justice!
Christians are victims of hatred.
Jesus is hated unjustly.
But, Jesus does not invite us to live out of our identity as victims, form advocacy groups and lobby for Christian “rights. Rather we are called to remember what Jesus said, remain faithful, and carry on with Jesus.
So, although we are going to talk about our unjust treatment at the hands of our enemies, it is not to curry up sympathy or position ourselves as a marginalized minority in need of
The Lion of Judah is in our corner!
Jesus will bring justice for His people!
Christians will be vindicated!
But on the road to God’s kingdom there are trials and challenges. Jesus wants you to be prepared to face them. Don’t be surprised! We knew it was coming!
If you are familiar with motor racing, like The V8 supercars, F1 or Moto GP, these guys have to learn the race track. In order for them to get the win, they have to study the track, and know the best racing line for each corner. They need to know where the best overtaking spots are, and the braking markers, how tight are the bends.
They know the track before them so that they can win the prize. Knowing what’s coming helps them get to the finish line.
Jesus tells his disciples what is coming. He lays out the route before us to we can study it and prepare to negotiate the circumstances to win the prize.
The track is slightly different in every age. The context of the 1st century is different to the 3rd century, is different to the 16th is different to today! But many of the features of the Christian walk are just the same. The same issues come up again and again.
Jesus, in this part of John, is teaching his disciples about what the track looks like for them. What is coming, how should they live?
These last few hours Jesus has with his first disciples is the final moments to download this stuff before Jesus is arrested.
Today’s passage covers the opposition that Jesus disciples will face. It will be a hard road.
But we’re not to cower as victims, we live life to the full, with joy in the face of these difficlties.
I’ve broken it into three parts. 3 parts that tell us about discipleship of Jesus facing the opposition.
1. We are Hated for Jesus
1. We are Hated for Jesus
Christians have enemies. This is one of the things that we have swept under the rug. Jesus says to love your enemies! That means you can expect to have enemies to love!
If we don’t have enemies, we have to start wondering why? Is it because we are in a land filled with other Christians? Or is it more likely that we live in among non-believers but don;t look all that different from them. They’ve got no reason to hate us, because we don’t look enough like Jesus.
Jesus tells us that Christians should expect to be hated and persecuted. Why? Because we’re with Jesus.
Look at the text:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 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.
Jesus sets this up as a dichotomy. Two opposing sides. The World vs. Christians.
Who is this world? It is the systems, the structure, the majority, outside Christianity. The “world” is talked about in different ways in the Bible. This is one of those times where it is clearly negative. The World is characterized as the people and structures that are opposed to Jesus, and not just opposed, but they have outright hatred for Jesus, and his people.
But, when we are hated, we don’t take it personally - because the world hates Jesus. He is the real object of scorn. We are hated because we are emblems of Jesus in the world. They hate him, so the hates us.
I understand that in some parts of the world, they take their football (soccer) very seriously. SO seriously that if you wear the wrong jersey in the wrong neighborhood on a game night, you can expect to get beaten up. Why? Is it because they hate you? No! It’s because they hate the opposing team represented by that jersy.
We have been chosen out of Team World, and been placed on Team Jesus. Now we are aligned with their enemy.
Why does Belonging to Jesus make us enemies?
We are submitting to Jesus, they are rebelling
We are seeking to follow God’s Law, they are breaking it,
We are fighting against our sinful desires, they are succumbing to them,
We have real joy, and they have counterfeits
We have freedom, they have bondage.
You would think that would make the world want to abandon it’s rebellion and submit to Jesus, but that is the deceitfulness of sin, hardening the heart and blinding the eyes. It is an unjustified hatred.
We should be unsurprised that the world hates us, Jesus disciples, because Jesus has led the way in this. Look at v20:
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.
There are 3 nice comparisons here.
1. As servants of Jesus, we shouldn’t expect better treatment than our master. What slave was ever treated better than their master?
2. If they persecute the master, they will persecute his people, his house. We are connected to him, and should expect to be treated the same way. As with the one, so with the other.
3. But, if someone heard Jesus, and obeyed his word, they would also obey the words of Jesus disciples. Why? Because it should be the same word.
What is persecution?
To start, it is not when you’re a jerk and get treated badly because of it. If you are unkind, and the people reject you, don;t go calling the persecution!
Persecution is oppression on people or groups of people on the basis of who they are or what they’ve done. It this case we’re talking about Christians being persecuted.
Persecution can start with being socially cut off from your community, unwillingly excluded because of your faith. Such as if a Japanese fellow turns away from ancestor worship.
It can be for connected ideas too, sometimes it’s not about Jesus directly, but about the implications of following Jesus. In our current day the hot button issue is sexual identity. The implication of following Jesus means you must repent of your sexual immorality, everything from one-night stands, ungodly divorce to any LGBTQI+ identities. Christians love LGBT folks, and we ant to see you know Jesus Christ! But be under no allusions, that means turning away from all sexual activity and identities that are contrary to Christ. Because we believe this, and we are not “affirming” we are against the world. We are presently being softly excluded, but already here in Victoria there are laws in place to persecute Christians who side with Jesus on this issue.
Persecution increases from the annoyance and disdain of the community to this action based on law, or sometimes the law turns a blind eye to what mobs will do to Christians.
We’ve seen Christian worship outlawed if it’s not in line with Government provisions.
Not employ Christians.
Terrorise, force them to pay exorbitant fees.
Burn down church buildings, beat us, rape & torture.
Murder us. We’ll come to more on this soon...
Persecution is ongoing in many parts of the world. And as our own culture continues to depart from a Christ-based order, we can expect this increasingly rebelious culture to increasingly reject anything that looks like Jesus.
Why would they treat us this way? Look v21:
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 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. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.
They do not know true love, and so they reject love incarnate in Jesus. They treat us this way because the don’t know God. They are playing at religion.
At this time, Jesus is referring specifically to the religious leaders of their day. Sanhedrin, pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, etc. Possibly also the Roman overlords.
The Jewish leaders thought the served God, but they were deceived.
Not only were they deceived, but they were guilty of sin.
This is not in the general sense. We’re all sinners, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But those Jesus is talking about specifically have sinned by their specific rejection of God, and God in Jesus.
Jesus has brought them the message of life, and they are not only going to say “no thanks” but they are going to murder the one who brought them the message.
Remember Christian, the Gospel message is either freedom or Judgment to your hearer. If they hear and believe in Jesus, it is the message of life. It is their freedom and joy!
If you hear the gospel and reject it, then you are without excuse under God’s judgement. You cannot plead ignorance and say “I didn’t know!”
These guys are guilty of grave sin, and not only for their rejection of Jesus words, becuase they also saw the signs and still refused Him!
Look at v24:
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. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
There is no real reason to hate Jesus. It is all nonsensical and illogical. Why would you hate the one who came to save you? Why would you hate the Good News?
This fulfills two psalms, but lets just look at one:
More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?
They hated without cause.
If we are hated, don’t be surprised, because they hated Jesus first.
2. We Testify for Jesus
2. We Testify for Jesus
But, we are not just left to hide away as victims!
Jesus sends his HS to keep the ministry going, and we are to join him in that ministry!
“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
HS comes from the father.
Spirit of truth - already head, His job is to teach them what Jesus says, this is truth.
He will testify about Jesus. Witness. Like a witness in a court room - this is the truth of the matter. He confirms the Good News.
The 12 Disciples are called to testify too. They are the first 12 who found the Church on the testimony of Jesus Christ. They had seen it all. Remember their qualifications for choosing Judas replacement? That he had been with them from the beginning.
Then we follow suit! We have the HS in us if we belong to Jesus, and we are to do what the HS does!
We testify for Jesus!
3. We Remember & Remain in Jesus
3. We Remember & Remain in Jesus
Why is Jesus telling us all these things?
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.
Warning and instruction are things that Jesus uses to keep his disciples apart from the world. SO that they may remain faithful.
We must remain. Abide in Jesus!
What will the world do to those who remain with Jesus?
They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
The synagogue was the precursor to church. In Jewish society it was the regular gathering to worship God, read the bible, sing etc. SO Jesus was essentially saying you’ll be kicked out of church because you belong to Jesus.
But it gets worse, not only will you be isolated from your spiritual community, they will even kill people who belong to Jesus! Thinking that they’re serving God!
This happened in the early days of Christianity, by the Jews, and then the Romans, and many more besides.
It happened down through history wherever Christians went.
Christians are put to death by Muslims who think they are doing God a favour.
Even within “Christendom” there were Roman Catholics who put to death protestants Waldensians, Plenty of English protestants. Men like Thomas Cranmer. He led the English reformation under King Henry, Edward & Queen Mary,When Mary came to power, he was put on trial and convicted of heresy & treason for his en devours to reform the church to the Bible. Cranmer was wavering in his commitment to Jesus. He was made to recant his protestant beliefs, and on one day he was supposed to be preaching an authorized sermon against his former beliefs based on the Bible, but instead he recanted his recants. He said he should never have signed his reenactments of biblical doctrine, and in fact the hand that signed the statement should be burned first. Sure enough, he was ripped out of the church while he was still speaking and burned at the stake. He was killed by those who thought they were doing God a favour.
Why will people kill Christians? They’re not hurting anybody. Ours is a religion of love and peace, and humble service. Why do they need to be wiped off the map? Jesus tells us why these things happen: “And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.” Jn 16:3.
People who do not know Jesus, do not know God. Jesus is the only way to God the Father.
How can they know what God desires if they do not know him?
They are fumbling around in the dark without the light of Christ. They are actually acting out of their own deception and calling it service of God to make them feel better about it. They are threatened by Jesus, because if what he says is true, then they will have to give up their sinful ways.
If what we proclaim in Church each Sunday is true, then it is a huge threat to the world! It means that it will be judged. They are living a lie. They need to abandon their way of life and submit to Jesus.
I empathize with those who have lived a life apart from Jesus. To say yes to Jesus means repudiating everything in their life up to that point. I imagine this is why it gets harder and harder to convert to Christianity as you age, there is more and more you need to you need to acknowledge as wrong.
It is hard for us to say “I was wrong”.
But you must!
What is better? To come into the light and have truth reign in your life? Or to walk about in darkness and hold onto the illusion of control protected by pitiful excuses.
Come into the light!
Come to Jesus! Come to your heavenly Father by coming to Jesus.
You will gain nothing by living apart from them! Your outlook is misery and judgment. Yet there is a way of escape! God’s wrath is revealed against your unrighteousness, (sin/rebellion). You are unrighteous because you have rebelled against God. You have sinned, committing high treason against the God of the universe.
But, Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come!
He suffered and died in your place so that you can escape to light and life.
The world is opposed to God, but God loved the world in this way, that he sent his only begotten Son (Jesus), that whomever believes in him shall not perish but receive eternal life!
If you would believe in Him, you can have eternal life!
Repent from your unrighteous ways! (Like what?)
Come to Jesus!
Yes, you are converting. Switching teams. You’re switching to a team that sometimes looks like it’s loosing.
Its a team full of other sinner like you. DO not be surprised at the “hypocrisy” of Christians - they are recovering sinners. Sometimes they sin. Hopefully less and less if they have the HS.
You are invited to join Jesus team and experience the scorn and hatred of the world. It is part of the track laid out before us. Learn the route, know what’s coming when you become a disciple of Jesus, because then you will be prepared to run the race and receive the prize.
Jesus said:
John 16:4 (NIV)
I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. (half verse)
Christian, don’t be surprised! Jesus has told you the trials will come!
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
So What?
So What?
We are hated for Jesus
We testify with the HS for Jesus
We Remember Jesus words, and Remain with him.
References:
Carson’s Pillar Commentary on John.
Hutcheson’s commentary on John
Hendrickson’s commentary on John
Sermons by Richard D. Philips,
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005.
Phillips, Richard D. John. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. 1st ed. Vol. 1 & 2 of Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2014.