John 15:18-22
If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you. Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master.
So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say. People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me. 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.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was a little girl and someone picked on me or teased me, my mother would say, “That’s because they like you.” Her “take” was that people wouldn’t bother to take the time to tease someone or pick on them if they didn’t like them. I think she was probably just trying to make me feel better.
The truth is that people are uncomfortable, unkind, and sometimes abusive toward people over things they do not understand – or fear. And those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus… along with those who know Him but are not behaving like His Disciples… compensate by distancing themselves from those who are Jesus’ Disciples. So when Jesus says that people of this world hate you, they are acting out of fear, guilt and shame… and a lack of understanding.
Does this make it easier to forgive the abuser… the person who teases you unmercifully or tries to separate you from your friends… the bully and the tyrant? Probably not… but we can try to understand a couple of things:
1) We must understand that in many ways, these people want what we have… a relationship with Jesus Christ and all of the blessings that are ours… and they may not know how to get it. It is up to us to be sure that we are living in a way the models faithful Christian behavior, and that we serve in a way that witnesses to others of the grace, mercy and love Jesus offers each of us.
2) We must never stoop to their level.
Nobody ever said being a Christian would be easy. But as Jesus reminds us, in order to be with Him, we have to be like Him… and that means we will have to endure some challenges – and some challenging people – along the way. The rewards and blessings far outweigh any imposition or unpleasantness we may experience, and the promise of Eternity spent with Jesus is more than enough incentive to do what it takes to be as much like Him as possible.
How do you handle adversity and challenge? Who are you standing with… and is it time to move?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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