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 its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave 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 the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have 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 not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without cause.’
26 “When the Advocate 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, 27 and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. John 15: 18-27 LSB
John 15: 18-27
If the world hates you - This goes back to the denying of self. It is inherent in all of us to either be accepted or at least left alone, but God is calling us to witness to a hostile world. Why did they hate Jesus? He came convicting the world of sin, calling men to repent. Those that thought they had dealt with this in their religious system hated being told that they missed the whole point, that their works weren't acceptable, that they would depend on His works, and that He would have to be made a sacrifice for their sin. Telling people who think they're good that they are not is His crime.
V. 19 But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you - Pretty simple, I always tell people when they ask me what it's like where I work, I say, "it's Babylon". The world is always asking you to accept things that God says are wrong, even things that logic, reason, science, will tell them that they are wrong about, some things they don't even believe when they sit down and think about it rationally. They won't buck the world's system though, like I have said before, they are weather vanes, pointing whichever way the wind of the culture is directing them. It's not for me to hate them though, but to tell them the truth and understand that they aren't going to like it, very few will respond in a positive manner, but love tells the truth, again we are confronted with the idea of self denial. If you think about Daniel, he was the best man in Babylon, the wisest, and the man with the most integrity, but he had haters. They can't go after him in a normal fashion, say that he is not doing a good job, that would only point out that he is doing a superior job to theirs. He doesn't steal from the boss, doesn't lie, all things that they have no issue with doing themselves, so how do you go after Daniel? You have to make something good evil, you have to make a law that goes against God and then accuse him for not following that law. If you are not found disagreeable to the world, then you either live in a bubble or you are so much like them that they can't tell.
Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day, he bowed down on his knees to pray and praise God. Even though Daniel heard about the new law, he still went to his house to pray. He went up to the upper room of his house and opened the windows that faced toward Jerusalem. Then Daniel bowed down on his knees and prayed just as he always had done.
11 Then the supervisors and satraps went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and talked to him about the law he had made. They said, “King Darius, you signed a law that says, for the next 30 days anyone who prays to any god or man except you, the king, would be thrown into the lions’ den. You did sign that law, didn’t you?”
The king answered, “Yes, I signed that law, and the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be canceled or changed.”
13 Then they said to the king, “That man Daniel is not paying any attention to you. He is one of the captives from Judah, and he is not paying attention to the law you signed. Daniel still prays to his God three times every day.”
14 The king became very sad and upset when he heard this. He decided to save Daniel. He worked until sunset trying to think of a way to save him. 15 Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, King, that the law of the Medes and Persians says that no law or command signed by the king can ever be canceled or changed.”
16 So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and
threw him into the lions’ den. Daniel 6: 10-16
V. 20 A slave is not greater than his master - In this case Jesus is the Master, and He is going to be sent to the cross by both the Jews and Rome, the ruling gentile power of the time. I have known a lot of pastors, people in "ministry", who thought, "I am an extrovert, I love people, gatherings, potlucks, making people laugh, making people feel good about themselves, giving advice, telling jokes, going to meetings, sitting on boards. I am a good public speaker and like to dress for success, a people pleaser." None of those things are qualifiers, none of those things reflect the call that we see here. In fact, some love being liked so much that it becomes evident that they were never called. If they could only afford to pay you 50 thousand a year, and so in order to live in that area you would have to get a second job, do you still feel called? If there are factions there and some of the more antinomian, feels people voted for a different pastor than you, but got you instead, are you going to cower or are you going to let the word of God roar from the pulpit? Do you still "feel" called? If they hated Jesus and He is your Lord, as slave implies, and the message your to carry is that, that Jesus is Lord, and one day every knee will bow and confess that, but you need to repent now while it's still today, then I'm sorry, but not everyone is going to like you. Now brace yourself, some are even going to hate you, maybe want to put you in jail or even kill you, but you're not better than Jesus, and this is what He was called to and your His servant.
V.22 But now they have no excuse for their sin - Jesus backed up His words with miracles before the people there, but they didn't believe what He said even though they believed what they saw Him do. It goes still deeper, because God, Who had given their fathers the law, the warning through the prophets, had also promised a Savior, the Messiah, the Seed of the woman, and here He is, fulfilling all things, everyone is without excuse. Everyone chooses sin, that is all that free will is good for, the sin of believing in your works, the sin of making another god, another Christ, or of saying I love my immorality and so I am going to call it good and you a bigot for saying it's sin.
V. 23 He who hates Me, hates My Father also - There is no separating the two. God the Father has provided one clear way to be made right with Him, to enter into communion, be adopted even as His children, and that is in His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus.
V. 25 But this happened to fulfill the word written in their law - They hated Him without cause, without legitimate reason, for He had done them no wrong.
V. 26 He will bear witness about Me - This is the Holy Spirit, this is the work He does.
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