Unpopular Jesus

1. What the world thinks of Jesus and his disciples consists of mostly hatred and disdain.

The use of the word world here has to do with the moral order

Lets not forget that Jesus has come to declare the that the kingdom of God is here. And between these two kingdoms exists a stark difference in their moral codes.

There has always been hatred for those who represent the kingdom of God.

1 Kings 18:2–4 NIV

So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)

So what is at the source of this hatred? Ultimately it’s is because Jesus testifies that the world embraces what He calls evil John 7:7

John 7:7 NIV

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.

Jesus says it makes sense that the the world will hate those who are associated with Jesus too.

Is it hard to find an example of the world loving it’s own and hating the followers of Jesus?

I have personal experience when I attended a pro-life rally.

It’s not uncommon to for Christians to be called haters for calling sex outside of the marriage between a man and a woman a sin.

Such speech in some countries is now being classified as hate speech.

We do need to be honest, the church hasn’t always gotten this right, that is calling out sin. But even when it’s done with truth and grace it is met with hatred and sometimes violence.

So look at the text, “I have chosen you out of the world.”

This points to the dramatic change that has taken place in the life of Jesus followers. They live differently, love differently. They look at the world they live in differently, their moral code is different.

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 NIV

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The world would not hate angels for being angelic, but it does hate men for being Christians. It grudges them their new character; it is tormented by their peace; it is infuriated by their joy.

William Temple (bishop)

Unfortunately this hatred can even come from those who were called “the people of God.” Who in reality are not the people of God at all.

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 (NIV)

The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

Jesus would point this out as well

Luke 11:47–51 NIV

“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

Unfortunately many churches are filled with those who are not called out and they too will look at the those who are with disdain and hatred.

2. Popularity was and is never something Jesus’ followers should strive for or expect.

Have you ever seen the the musical Wicked? It’s a back story to the Wizard of Oz. A story of how the Wicked witch of the West became who she is. Kim and I got to see it when we were in Wichita. It’s really pretty good (if you like musicals). There is one musical number called Popular where Glinda attempts to make her green skinned friend Elphaba popular. Change how walks, how she talks, how how she looks...

Jesus came to change people but the reason was not to make them popular.

What does Jesus say was the reason he came

abolish the law (Matthew 5:17)

to do the will of the father (John 6:38)

to bring fire on the earth (Luke 12:49

to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32)

as a light to the world (John 12:46)

Maybe the most striking statement is found in Matthew 10:34-39

Matthew 10:34–39 NIV

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Even within your own family it’s possible to be “unpopular”

Earlier this month I preached a couple sermons about assurances and here is one more if they persecute me they will do the same to you.

Can we appreciate Jesus’ honesty? Christians should not expect rainbows and unicorns.

John 15:20 NIV

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.

the bottom line

The Gospel according to John 2. Opposition from the World (15:17–16:4a)

human beings belonging to the world divide around Jesus’ followers and their message exactly as they divided around Jesus and his message

3. What Jesus has done is expose the rebellious nature of the world and they hate him for it.

When Jesus says in verse 22,

John 15:22 NIV

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.

the sin he is speaking of (in the context of Jesus teaching) is the rebellion of rejecting, ignoring and standing against the commands of Jesus.

Jesus clearly states that to hate him is to hate the Father. And he calls it sin.

It is impossible to separate the word of God from the teachings of Jesus.

So when you hear Jesus has never said anything about abortion or homosexuality we can say hold on that’s not true.

For anyone to say, “Did Jesus ever say…?” is equivalent to the serpent saying to Eve, “did God really say?”

What Jesus has said and what Jesus has done matter because they are the very words and actions of God.

What this means for us, what this means for everyone is that there is no excuse for, there is no way to justify sin by separating the Father and the Son.

Conclusion

So the Church has a problem we are in the world that is in conflict with a value system that we acknowledge comes from God and was lived out and taught by Jesus. There have been some times when things were favorable for Christians but for the most part, not so much.

So a couple Questions come to mind:

When persecuted we ask if this is a sign of our faithfulness to Christ? Is persecution something to be sought after, like a badge of honor.

What are the resources of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this persecution? What exactly is the should I expect the Holy Spirit to do?

I would say to the first question, it is a result of faithfulness. I don’t think you should go looking for it because truthfully, if your faith is genuine if persecution is a possibility it won’t have any problem finding you.

To the second question, we can expect the Holy Spirit to provide everything that Jesus has promised.

Finally we have to be very careful how we relate to the world (moral order)

World embracing

World suspecting—cautious about the world. Believe in the fallenness of the world and see the church as a refuge. Participate in secular politics and social life but with care.

World rejecting

If you read this passage by itself it would be easy to come to the conclusion that we should all be world rejecting. But we have to balance this with all the teachings of scripture that express God’s love for the world and his desire for it’s evangelism.

Jesus said Matt 9:37

Matthew 9:37 NIV

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

But when things turn south teaching like us remind us that we should not be surprised.

We may have it easy, for now, but Christians all over world are not as fortunate.

John Contemporary Significance

Those who do suffer offer eloquent testimony to what Jesus teaches in these verses. The Spirit promises to join with our testimony and to provide the courage and strength to sustain our witness before increasingly hostile audiences. Remarkably, despite persecution, unflinching courage and spiritual revival are hallmarks of Christian life in China. In order to survive, the church must wrestle with temptations to cooperate with the Communist government in order to have a reprieve from persecution. Those in “registered churches” (ten to fifteen million believers) must ask when their participation in this “world,” this sinful godless system of life, has compromised their spirituality altogether. A “world-rejecting” worldview may be an appropriate strategy after all.

The world always has the potential to “turn” on the church and see it as an impediment to some social, political, or ideological program—just as Jerusalem “turned” on Jesus and found in him a dangerous inconvenience. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (15:20).