Part 1
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." - Jesus, John 15:18
As I ponder this verse I find myself thinking, 'who really hates Jesus?' Do people of different religions hate Jesus? Or communists? Or what about secular humanists? The thing is I can think of people I know personally from all kinds of different world-views who may adamantly refute Christianity but would never admit to hating Jesus. I know that the first century Jews and Romans killed Jesus, but did they really hate him? Sure their motivations in doing so were wrong, and terrible but was it really hatred?
Lets take muslims for example. Jesus is actually a significant prophet within Islam. They even believe he is going to come back at the end of the world to prepare the world before the coming muslim messiah. So for muslims to hate Jesus doesn't make any sense! Except for one fact. Christians around the world die daily at the hands of muslims. Those who are most like Jesus, are killed for loving Jesus by people who would say they also love Jesus. How can this be?
Or what about communists? They don't hate Jesus, per se, they just hate insurrectionists. Since Christians refuse to 'step in line' with political dogma they are a threat to order and stability. But Jesus? What reason do they have to hate him?
Even secular humanists don't necessarily hate Jesus. Quite reasonably they feel the need to stand against any individual, group or idea that threatens them. Since Christians are often outspoken against homosexuality, abortion, evolution etc. which confronts the core of what secular humanism stands for, then of course those who espouse secular humanism would oppose, and sometimes even hate Christians. However, Jesus stood for the downcast and those on the outside of society. Jesus stood for justice against the powerful and the oppressors. Secular humanists who recognize this actually find inspiration in Jesus. Why then would secular humanists ever hate Jesus?
It is actually quite simple. It is because the real Jesus is not the same Jesus as people suppose. The idea of Jesus that most people have includes that Jesus is loving, kind, gracious, patient, gentle, and humble. Jesus stood up to those in authority who abused their power and he protected vulnerable people. He praised people nobody else recognized. He healed the sick, raised the dead and delivered people from demonic torment. Who would not love Jesus?
Even though the characteristics of Jesus just mentioned are completely true and more true of Jesus than of anyone else in history, the world hated him. Jesus said so. How is it that the world can believe they like Jesus when in fact they don't? Well, a brief survey of a small sampling of some of the things that Jesus has said (or were said of him) should help us understand why most people, if they knew more, would really hate Jesus.
In Part 2 and Part 3 I highlight some scriptures about Jesus that show how many people, if they really knew Jesus, would hate him.
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