All Men Will Hate You Because Of Me “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) I’m sure you’ve heard pastors quote this passage numerous times. I know I certainly have. In fact, I’ve heard a couple of Christians suggest that if you don’t have enemies, then you’re doing something wrong. But what does Jesus mean when He says the world will hate us Christians because of Him? The answer you are most likely to hear is it’s because the message of the Gospel goes against the pluralistic message of the world. The world says, “All paths lead to the same destination,” but the Bible says, “there is no other name under heaven [other than Jesus] given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The world also says, “Do whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt anybody,” but the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Certainly that’s why Jesus said the world will hate us, right? Well, I think that’s part of the reason, but not the whole reason. If we look at Matthew chapter 10 in its entirety, we see that Jesus gives the twelve disciples that warning before sending them out to spread the message of the Kingdom of God throughout Israel. And while that message does include repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:46-47), there’s also a social/political nature to the Gospel, which is: 1). Jesus is Lord, not Casar (or any other worldly emperor) 2). “Seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” (Isaiah 1:17) 3). The meek will inherit the earth, and the peacemakers will be called children of God (Matthew 5:5,9) 4). People “will beat their swords into plowshares . . . and will not train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) Now if that’s not a threatening message for the powers of this world, I don’t know what is! Keep this in mind: “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you”. (1 John 3:13, NIV) Or this: “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. 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.” (John 15:18-20, NIV). The problem comes when we worry too much about people not liking us, so much so that we become vanilla, never offending anyone. Peter was pretty darn clear that if we love Jesus, folks will HATE us. It’s an indication that the Spirit of glory rests upon us! “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4:12-16).
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 08:24:12 +0000
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