Disciples are Hated
Notes
Transcript
John 15:18-16:15
Jesus says the world will hate us, not because of what we are do or say, but because the Spirit will convict them of sin. The “persecutor” can truly believe they are doing good. We should expect and recognize persecution when it comes for our own comfort and encouragement. We go from joy (15:11) to joy (16:24)
Back to School
Back to School
The kids all started school this weekend. I remember the pressure of the first day, even all the way back to elementary school. The outfit, the style, the way I am going to “be” this year… really so that everyone will like me.
Or, I rarely thought about everyone liking me… but I really wanted certain people to like me. Particular girls, particular friends, cool people I hoped would be my friends, my teachers.
I remember picking out clothes for the 6th grade. Colorful t-shirts and then over it… hear me out, a like Hawaiian style dress shirt… hear me out, worn unbuttoned. This was my great foray into fashion. And probably the last one.
Nobody is going in to school thinking “I sure hope they hate me!” “I hope no one likes me for no reason!”
For that matter, nobody is going to a new job… or your old job… or church, or anywhere else thinking “I hope they hate me. That would be fun!”
We all have a deep desire to be liked. And today, Jesus gives his disciples a hard truth
Recap
Recap
It’s been a couple weeks, so let’s recap.
Jesus is in the upper room, the last night before the crucifixion. And he is teaching them how to love one another radically, serving first. And that the Holy Spirit will be with them, even though he is going away. Jesus teaches them the interconnected truths of abiding in his love, abiding in His word, staying connected to life in him by obedience to His Word, in which we find life the way it should be.
He is the vine and we are the branches.
Thad, Bart and Tommy
Thad, Bart and Tommy
So it isn’t lawless whatever we feel like wandering through life randomly. We obey.
It isn’t soul-less joy-less obedience, trying to earn anything.
It is all interconnected. Joyful Abiding Obedient Love. Loving Obedient Abiding…
And he says all of that “that our joy may be full.”
And now a bit of a turn:
A Time to Hate
A Time to Hate
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
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.
Everyone wants to be loved. A bit more about this in a few weeks. But how you translate and picture “the world” here really shapes the story.
If “the world” is government powers, Satan and his minions, nefarious shadow puppet masters that rule the world!!! Then I don’t have a lot of feels here.
And that is part of it. Jesus is hated by Satan and his minions, feared above all. And he is about to come in conflict with government powers, religious powers.
But that all bubbled up from first being in conflict with some local scribes and Pharisees. With local pastors and community leaders. With small town leaders. The opposition, the hatred, the offense built up from individuals that maybe the disciples liked. Maybe they wanted their approval, they wanted them to like them… and nobody wants to be hated.
But Jesus has some hard and real talk. “They”, “the world” is going to hate you. Because Jesus chose you out of the 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.
21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Who sent Jesus? God the Father. So they don’t know God the Father. That’s a big deal, especially as this group includes the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Priests… the people who above all others should know the Father and so recognize the Son.
There is good news here… they do not know him yet. And we read in Acts that “many” priests come to believe, but that is not yet today. Today they are acting in ignorance… but with no excuse for their ignorance:
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
Guilty of any sin? Or guilty of the sin of hating Jesus? Condemning him and soon, crucifying him.
I mean, imagine if Jesus were wrong. If he were making it all up.
Here is a random dude, no authority, no pedigree, nothing but maybe some personal charisma. And he makes CRAZY claims. He claims to be the Son of God, he subtly and at times not-so-subtly claims to BE God. He condemns the people in power, both political and religious. He causes trouble everywhere he goes. He is drawing crowds (WITHOUT a permit!!!) and even sometimes has the gall to feed them.
And, if Jesus offered no proof, no evidence, no “works”, no miracles, they would be right to condemn him as a crazy person.
We have plenty of folks who claim to be the Son of God today. We don’t follow them, we ignore them… or hopefully get them the mental help and resources they need.
Historically, lots of folks who did this too. Mohammed, Joseph Smith come to mind. No proof, no evidence, just words stirring people up and then enforced with violence. Jesus is the absolute opposite of that: TONS of evidence, miracles, demonstration, and then allows violence against HIM!
23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
Again, Jesus proved it, demonstrated again and again, so there is no excuse.
25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
He quotes Psalms of David (Ps 35, 69)… those who hate me without cause.
And it isn’t that there is “no” cause, there’s a story the haters are telling themselves and maybe others where you are the enemy. But it’s bogus. David is saying he didn’t do it, he didn’t cause their hatred, he is innocent and they hate him for nothing he did.
Jesus, the same. And they will hate you for no cause on your part.
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.17
Now Jesus is connecting all this back to his earlier conversation about the coming of the Holy Spirit. It felt like a hard change in the conversation, but it isn’t, this is all continuous. In fact, we are in the middle of the longest monologue of Jesus in all the Bible. Nobody has spoken since Thomas and then Philip’s question back in chapter 14.
So how does the world hating us because of Jesus, how does that connect to the Holy Spirit?
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
Wow. Really think about that for a minute.
What’s the story in their head? They are “offering service to God.” They are “doing the right thing.” They are the hero of their story.
The apostle Paul, going by his Hebrew name Saul, is a perfect example of this. He truly believed he was serving God. Murdering heretics. Blasphemers. Righteously and zealously obeying the command of God.
He believed he was in the right right up until he encountered the resurrected Jesus and completely reversed the direction of his life. From violent and murderous persecution to front line missionary and pastor and apostle!
The hour is coming when people will hate you, kill you, with passionate self-righteous zeal. Yay! D:
How does this connect to the Spirit??? We haven’t seen that yet.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Of course they have sorrow, they are greatly troubled, Jesus has been speaking all of this to encourage them. Not just encouragement for today, but encouragement that will carry tem through the season to come. Through the crucifixion into resurrection. Through years and decades of persecution and ultimately execution to follow.
From joy to joy, more about that next week.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
We have touched on this before. This was the plan the whole time, and somehow having the Holy Spirit dwell within us is better than having direct physical Jesus hanging around with us. That is hard for me to believe, honestly. But Jesus says it, so I believe it.
Now, finally, we see the connection between the coming of the Holy Spirit and why the world will hate us.
The Spirit is within us, and then:
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
Who is going to convict? He will. Who is that? The Helper, the Paraclete who will come, that is the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of God, given permanently and powerfully at Pentecost.
The Spirit will convict.
Convict of what?
Let’s slow down, because this is the heart of it all. The big why. Why would people hate us? Especially if we look and live like Jesus: sources of love. Walking miracles, bringing healing and restoration.
If you’ve ever had someone hate you when you are sincerely and truthfully doing everything you can to love them: here is the why:
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
These explanations are kind of bizarre.
Sin without Jesus… that leads to guilt and shame and condemnation. That feels terrible! That is awful!
Sin with Jesus? That leads to forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration… and freedom from that sin. That is beautiful and wonderful! So good news with Jesus… terrible news to those who don’t believe.
The Righteousness of Jesus is vindicated by his ascending to the Father. Straight to Heaven. By comparison, Jesus called the best humans on earth, he called their “righteousness” filthy rags, graveclothes. Not good enough.
The religions of the world, every one of them, is about earning righteousness. Being good enough. Saying the right things, doing the right things, being enough.
And the Spirit convicts people that their best isn’t good enough… and if they are presently rejecting Jesus… that’s bad news!
And they will feel judged. From smallest to greatest, the very god/ruler of this world, Satan, is judged. They don’t get a pass.
And because the Spirit does that work of conviction… and you are there. The vessel of the Spirit. Maybe the voice.
But maybe… hopefully… all you did was show love and care. Life and living out the gospel of love and life-as-it-should-be.
You brought love, they were convicted by the Spirit, and they hate you for it.
That is going to happen, Jesus says.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The Spirit is going to help you understand all of this. All the teachings of Jesus.
And Jesus is telling them ahead of time, and there is more to come, for their encouragement. To give them courage.
One thing Jesus keeps telling them in each section: why he is telling them “these things.” Love it. Clear motivations.
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
For our encouragement. So that when the moment comes we would not despair.
And before, he had said John 15:11
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Is that different than “to keep you from falling away?”
Not at all, he is heading straight back to joy. A moment of sorrrow, and then it will turn to joy. and John 16:24
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
From joy to joy, an unshakable joy, invincible joy… even in the face of hate.
Disciples Will Be Hated
Disciples Will Be Hated
But we have invincible joy
So hear Jesus speaking to us.
Jesus says the world will hate us, not because of what we are do or say, but because the Spirit will convict them of sin.
And the Spirit goes where we go. Speaks through us. With words and without.
There is a word of compassion here too.
When someone hates you. Seeks to stop you, interfere, end you, force you to back off or deny the name of Jesus…
Certainly, examine your own behavior first. They may have cause, you may have wronged them, hurt them, we don’t want to dismiss that. Repent and seek reconciliation, forgiveness.
But it will happen that folks hate you without cause. Not just a “faceless world”… but friends, parents and children, people you may respect and admire… and they come to hate you because the Holy Spirit brings conviction to them through you. Through your words, your example, your walk, even your love.
It isn’t about you. And understand that they probably think they are doing good. Misguided, confused, misdirected… but in their own way believing they are serving God.
What they need is Jesus. What they need is the road to Damascus, to see the light, and meet the Risen Savior. That is what changes everything.
But Jesus’ encouragement is this: even when persecution comes. When trouble comes. When someone hates you: there is unshakable joy in Jesus.
