Being like Jesus 2
I spoke about Jesus’ suffering in my last post on this subject, but there is another layer of that suffering, that is being hated for no reason or cause.
Hatred also involves persecution, in the NT translation of the word. they’ll hate you for no good reason, except that you love and follow Jesus.
In Chapters 14 and 15 of the book of John, Jesus is preparing his close inner circle team for the fact that he will soon be crucified and leave their sight for all of their lifetimes.
A concept they could surely scarcely comprehend as shown in some of their questions to Him.
Because people had hated Him, they would hate and even kill them.
Because they were not of the world, and His servants, and because they had seen His miracles, they had no excuse for not believing in Jesus.
Therefore they be angry also withdraw who followed Jesus, and would also persecute them even to death.
To those of us whe have seen the beauty and loveliness of Jesus, we have also received some degree of being hated without a cause.
But remember, there is a cause you just didn’t put it together yet.
So “turn your eyes to Jesus, and look full on His wonderful face and the things of earth will go strangely dim in the light of His GLORY AND GRACE””
As we used to sing.
The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 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 keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.