Jesus was hated

JESUS WAS HATED
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
John 15:24-25 24If I had not done among them the
works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.
As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both
me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is
written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Unbelief Inexcusable
John 15:22-25
J.R. Thomson
It is significant and affecting to find that in the lastdeliberate discourse which
our Lord Jesus addressedto his disciples, he not only administered comfort to
his friends, but uttered words of sad rebuke to his enemies. He knew full well
that the attitude which was takentowards him by the Jewishleaders was
typical of the regard and treatment of multitudes besides;and his reproaches
have a scope far beyond their immediate application.
I. THE MANIFESTATION OF UNBELIEF. This is to be seenin the open
rejectionand persecutionof the Lord Jesus.

II. THE CAUSE OF UNBELIEF. This is not intellectual difficulty, but moral
repugnance. The Jewishenemies ofJesus hated his holy character, his
denunciations of their worldliness and hypocrisy, his lofty and spiritual
standard of teaching, his claims to supreme authority.
III. THE GUILT OF UNBELIEF. This is especiallyto be recognizedin what
unbelief of Christ involves. Hatred of the Father, God, and consequenthatred
of his holy Law and his benevolent purposes, - such is the charge which Jesus
brings againsthis foes. In rejecting Christ, they were showing themselves to
be out of sympathy with the mind and will of him who is eternal righteousness
and goodness. This was their sin and condemnation.
IV. THE INEXCUSABLENESS OF UNBELIEF. As powerfully set forth by
Jesus Christ in this passage, this is to be observedin three respects.
1. Christ's words, his incomparable teaching, were a witness to his authority,
and should have been receivedwith reverence, gratitude, and faith. It should
have been an all-sufficient witness to him who spake as never man spake. The
truths he revealed, the laws he imposed, the promises he gave, were all such as
would have commanded the respectof those morally prepared to appreciate
the utterances ofOne who came from heaven.
2. Christ's marvelous works were well fitted to secondthe impression
produced by his words. They, indeed, appealedto an inferior faculty of
human nature, but they were necessaryin order to the completeness and
justice of the impression to be made upon the minds of our Lord's
contemporaries. His enemies did not deny the reality of our Lord's miracles,
but they misinterpreted them, attributing them, by an absurd ingenuity, to an
infernal source.
3. The hatred, enmity, and unbelief of the Jews were inexcusable becausethey
were "without a cause." Bythis we must understand, not that there was no
motive in the minds of his foes, but that there was no justification for their
conclusions orfor their conduct. - T.

Biblical Illustrator
If I had not come and spokenunto them, they had not had sin.
John 15:22
Human responsibility
C. H. Spurgeon.
The peculiar sin of the Jews, the sin which aggravatedabove everything their
former iniquities, was their rejection of Christ. He had been very plainly
describedin the prophets, and they who waitedfor Him rejoicedto see Him.
But because Jesushad not the outward garnishing of a prince, they shut their
eyes againstHim, and were not contenttill they had crucified Him. Now, the
sin of the Jews is every day repeated by the Gentiles. As often as ye hear the
Word preached and reject it, so often do you in effectonce more pierce the
hand and the side.
I. IN THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL, THERE IS TO MAN'S
CONSCIENCE THE COMING OF OUR LORD. He that despiseth us
despisethnot us, but Him that sent us. As for what I may say, as a man, it is
but little that I should say it; but if I speak as the Lord's ambassador, take
heed that ye slight not the message. Have we not all of us grosslysinned

againstGod, in the neglectthat we have often put upon the means of grace?
How often have you stayedaway from the house of God, when GodHimself
was speaking there? And when ye have come up, how often ye have heard as
though ye heard not. In all this you have despised God, and woe unto you,
exceptye repent, for 'tis a fearful thing to have despisedthe voice of Him that
speakethfrom heaven.
II. THE REJECTION OF THE GOSPELAGGRAVATES MEN'S SIN. Now,
understand, we do not increase our condemnation by going to the house of
God; we are far more likely to increase it by stopping away;for in stopping
awaythere is a double rejectionof Christ; you rejectHim even with the
outward mind, as well as with the inward spirit. Your sin is not aggravated
merely by the hearing of the gospel, but by the wilful and wickedrejectionof
it when it is heard. Becausethe man who does this —
1. Gets a new sin. Bring me a wild savage who has never listened to the Word.
That man may have every sin in the catalogue ofguilt except one;but that one
I am sure he has not. He has not the sin of rejecting the gospelwhen it is
preachedto him. But you, when you hear the gospel, if you have rejectedit,
you have added a fresh iniquity to all others. "He that believeth not is
condemned already," etc. "If I had not done among them the works which
none other man did," etc. "Woe unto thee, Chorazin!" etc. To reject Christ
destroys a man hopelessly. The murderer, the thief, the drunkard, may yet
enter the kingdom of heaven, if, repenting of his sins, he will lay hold on the
cross ofChrist; but with these sins, a man is inevitably lost, if he believeth not
on Christ. Considerwhat an awful sin this is. There is murder in this; for if
the man on the scaffoldrejects a pardon, does he not murder himself? There
is pride in this; for you rejectChrist, because your proud hearts have turned
you aside. There is high treasonin this; for you reject a king.
2. He aggravatesallthe rest. You cannot sin so cheapas other people, you,
who have had the gospel. He who sins ignorantly hath some little excuse;but
he who sins againstlight and knowledge sins presumptuously; and under the
law there was no atonement for this.

III. THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPELTAKES AWAY ALL EXCUSE
FROM THOSE WHO HEAR IT AND REJECT IT. "Now have they no cloke
for their sin." A cloak is a very poor covering for sin, when there is an all-
seeing eye to look through it. In the greatday of the tempest of God's wrath a
cloak will be a very poor shelter; but still man is always fond of a cloak. And
so it is with you; you will gather, if you can, an excuse for your sin, and when
consciencepricks you, you seek to heal the wound with an excuse. And even in
the day of judgment, although a cloak will be a sorry covering, yet it will be
better than nothing at all. "But now ye have no cloke for your sin." The
traveller is left in the rain without his covering, exposedto the tempest
without that garment which once did shelterhim. Notice how the preaching of
the gospeltakes awayall cloaks forsin.
1. One man might getup and say, "I did not know I was doing wrong when I
committed such and such an iniquity." Now, that you cannot say. God has by
His law told you solemnly what is wrong. If the Mahommedan commits lust, I
doubt not his conscience dothprick him, but his sacredbooks give him liberty.
But you profess to believe your Bibles, and therefore when you sin, you do
wilfully violate a well-knownlaw.
2. Again you might say, "When I sinned, I did not know how greatwould be
the punishment." Of this also, by the gospel, you are left without excuse;for
did not Jesus Christ tell you, that those who will not have Him shall be cast
into outer darkness?
3. But some of you may say, "Ah, I heard the gospel, and I knew that I was
doing wrong, but I did not know what I must do to be saved." Is there one
among you who can urge such an excuse as this? "Believe and live" is
preachedevery day in your hearing.
4. I canhear another say, "I heard the gospelpreached, but I never had a
goodexample set me." Some of you may say that, and it would be partially
true; but there are others of you, concerning whom this would be a lying
excuse. Ah! man; you have been very fond of speaking of the inconsistenciesof
Christians. But there was one Christian whom you knew, and whose character
you were compelledto admire. It was your mother. That has always been the

one difficulty with you up to this day. You could have rejected the gospelvery
easily, but your mother's example stoodbefore you, and you could not
overcome that.
5. But others of you can saythat you had no such mother; your first school
was the street, and the first example you ever had was that of a swearing
father. Recollect, there is one perfect example — Christ.
6. One more excuse is this: "I had many advantages, but they were never sent
home to my conscienceso that I felt them." Now, there are very few of you
here who cansay that. No, you have not always been unmoved by the gospel;
you have grownold now, and it takes a deal to stir you, but it was not always
so.
IV. I have now as it were to PRONOUNCE THE SENTENCEOF
CONDEMNATION.Forthose who live and die rejecting Christ there is a
most fearful doom. They shall perish with an utter destruction. There are
degrees ofpunishment; but the highestdegree is given to the man who rejects
Christ. The liar and the whoremonger, and drunkards shall have their portion
— whom do you suppose with? — with unbelievers; as if hell was made first
of all for unbelievers.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Cloaks forsin: or excuses removed
W. F. Crafts.
No excuse for sin? That is a strange statement. Excuses have been one of the
specialties ofeachsinner's stock-in-trade from Eden. These "cloaksforsin"
are "always onhand." And yet Christ declares ofthose who wickedly and
presumptuously reject the offered pardon and guidance, that they have no
goodexcuse, "no cloak for their sin." But you say, I "I have a valid excuse for
not being a Christian —
I. THE HYPOCRISIES AND WRONG-DOINGS OF CHURCH
MEMBERS."

1. I admit that some rogues are hiding their wolfishhearts under the deceptive
woolof churchly professions. As Jacob, by putting hair upon himself and thus
professing to be Esau, secureda blessing from blind Isaac, so some bad men
have securedcredit and confidence by stealing the livery of heaven to serve
the devil in. One Sunday morning a dressmakertold her little niece to put on
her things and take a bundle of dress goods under her shawl to the house of
one of her patrons, remarking, "Nobodywill see it." The child replied, "But,
Aunty, is it not Sunday under my shawl?" There are some professors to whom
church membership is only a shawlto coverup sin. Such an empty profession
affords "no cloak for sin."
2. You saythen, "I believe in a man living up to what he professes!" I answer,
"I believe in a man's daring to profess what he believes." The outwardand
inward life should fit both ways. Do not think your strange eagernessto point
out stains on Christian garments arises from pure love of truth and
righteousness. Look downinto your heart and ask, "Whydo I so readily hear
and so quickly believe and so promptly circulate, without investigation,
reports againstprofessing Christians" (Acts 8:58)? Besides, Christians never
profess perfectionin conduct, but only in love, with sincere though imperfect
efforts towardgoodness.
II. But another says, "Ihave a real excuse — A GOOD MORAL LIFE IS A
CHRISTIAN LIFE. I gave my old overcoatthe other day to a poor man, and I
give awayto the poor more than anybody knows." Letit be remembered that
Dorcas was savedbecauseshe was "a disciple." She did not hold up the
garments she had made for the poor to cover up the sin of disobeying and
rejecting Christ — indeed, she did not exhibit her charity at all; but those to
whom she gave them praised her and not her ownlips. This effort to cloak our
sins is only a repetition of Naaman's effortto hide and heal his leprosyby
giving away changes ofraiment insteadof obeying God in His command.
III. Some of you are wrapping yourself in another cloak, whichyou think is
fireproof asbestos — "GOD IS TOO MERCIFULTO PUNISH ME. I don't
believe as you do about future punishment." But the laws of the world assert
that there must be punishment or atonement for sin, as wellas the Old and
New Testaments. Butquestions about endless punishment cannot fairly be

made excuses for anyone refusing to acceptpersonalsalvation, as the only
condition of conversionin the matter of belief is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved." "Idon't believe" is no cloak for sin when
God challenges youto testreligion. "Come and see."
IV. Another wrap is, "I AM TRYING TO BE A CHRISTIAN IN A QUIET
WAY. I don't believe in talking about it." As wellmight our soldiers have said
in the late war, "We are trying to be loyal, but we don't think that the order to
wearblue uniforms and carry the stars and stripes and organize into
regiments is essential."
V. Another wraps a cloak of mingled humility and pride over his sin as he
says, "I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGHTO BE A CHRISTIAN. I'm very
conscientious andI couldn't be a Christian without being a perfect one." Hear
that sick man saying, "I'm not well enough yet to send for the Great
Physician."
VI. Or do you say, "I TRIED THIS THING ONCE AND FAILED?" As well
say, "I tried to wearan overcoatbut I didn't have it made carefully and it
came to pieces in a little while, and so I'll never try to wearanother, however
cold the winds may blow." Throw away that shivering cloak ofpast failures as
an excuse for sin and have another robe made more thoroughly than your
first — the robe of Christ's righteousness.
VII. Another cloak is, "I FEAR I SHOULD FAIL AND NOT LIVE UP TO
MY PROFESSION. Ihave very unfavourable surroundings and a peculiar
temperament." Exchange that miserable cloak for the swordof Divine help
and defence and "the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:11). As to
unfavourable surroundings, there were" saints in Caesar'shousehold," and
also in the households of Ahab, Pharaoh, and other famous foes of God.
Abraham reared his altar in the very midst of idolaters.
VIII. Or do you frankly say, "I COULDN'T BE A CHRISTIAN AND
CONTINUE IN MY BUSINESS, andI can't give that up, for a man must
live?" Mark you, when every man gives an accountof himself to God, church
records will never appearin evidence. What is wrong is wrong, whether a
man's name is on the church book or not, and it is simply ridiculous to

suppose you have a cloak forsin that will wash, because youcan say, "My
name is not on the church book" (James 5:2).
IX. Or do you wave that "cloak forsin" aloft? — "I WANT TO HAVE FUN
AND FREEDOM ALITTLE LONGER." "Onlyuse not liberty as a cloak of
maliciousness"(1 Peter2:16). Joseph, when tempted by the wife of Potiphar,
left the outer robs she had seizedupon in her hand and fled, saying, "How
can! do this greatwickednessand sin againstGod?"
X. Or do you offer the excuse, "CAN'T AFFORD TO BE A CHRISTIAN?"
The church of Elijah and John the Baptist, with their rough camel's hair
coats, and of the widow who gave the two mites, is surely a place for the
poorest. Think less of pews and pennies and appearance and more of the
penitence and the inward adorning of the hearts.
XI. Or do you sayby way of excuse, "I'M TOO BUSY TO THINK OF
RELIGIOUS MATTERS?The care of the body is about all I can attend to
just now." That was Dives'mistake. He was so busy in robing himself and
family in purple and fine linen that he left his soul in rags and at last brought
himself to hell's robe of fire.
XII. OTHER EXCUSES —
1. "Too old." "He is able to save unto the uttermost."
2. Too young? As Samuel wore the ephod of a priest at three years of age, so
in early life any child may wearthe robe of righteousness.
3. Don't feel enough? When you have feeling the tempter will suggestthe
opposite excuse, "You feeltoo much excitement." Betweenthese two halves of
his shears he is striving to cut in twain your offeredrobe of
righteousness.Conclusion:
1. What comedies are these excuses!To be frank and honest, most are mere
quibbling, dilatory motions, talking againsttime. Such shallow excuses for
absence from a business engagementwould not be accepted— not even
offered, and instead of providing a cloak forour sin, weave another scarlet
robe of mockeryfor the Crucified (Matthew 27:28). When Josephwas called

before Pharaoh, he "changedhis raiment" (Genesis 41:14). We must all
appear before the judgment seatof Christ. Are you willing to appearthere
with no change of raiment, wrapped in these raggedexcuses? Thank Godthat
a change of raiment, a wedding garment is provided — a realcloak for sin
(Isaiah 61:10). With this robe of Christ's righteousness offeredto us a real
cloak to cover sin, shall we not, like the returning prodigal, throw awayour
raggedexcuses andaccede to that plan of God's infinite love, "bring forth the
best robe and put it on him." As Peterthrew off his outer robe when he
plunged into the sea, that he might the quicker swim to Christ who stood upon
the shore;as Lazarus was loosedfrom the grave clothes, so let us, lay aside
every weight and the cloaks ofexcuse for sin that keepus back from God and
Heaven, and let us first hastento Christ, and run with patience the race that is
setbefore us. As Lord Raleighgallantly threw his beautiful robe upon the
muddy ground for Queen Elizabeth to walk upon, so let us throw all our
excusing cloaks ofat the feetof Jesus and take insteadChrist's cloaks ofzeal
(Isaiah 59:17).
(W. F. Crafts.)
The pleas of gospelimpenitents examined and refuted
T. Foxcroft.
Gospelimpenitents who finally rejectChrist have no cloak for their sin —
I. FROM ANY PLEAS OR PRENTENCES THEYCAN MAKE RELATING
TO GOD THEIR MAKER. They cannotplead —
1. That they are not invited to believe in Christ for salvation. The gospel
invitation runs in indefinite terms, "Whosoeverwill, let him come."
2. That they are not elected. It is not the undiscovereddecree, but the revealed
precept, that is our rule, according to which we are to conduct ourselves, and
by which we shall finally be judged (Deuteronomy 29:29)
3. That God uses any compulsion, or exerts any positive influence, to keep
them in unbelief and harden them in sin (James 1:13).

4. That there is any deficiencyof suitable means on God's part, or that He
does not afford them necessaryexternal helps for their believing in Christ
(Isaiah 5:4). He has given men the Bible, the Church, pastors and teachers,
sabbaths, etc.
5. That there is a want of internal assistances, and a defectof necessary
influences from God to make the means effectual. The factis —(1) Sinners do
not realise whatGod tells them of the necessityofHis grace, and of their own
impotency, but are apt vainly to magnify their own abilities, and to think
every man of himself more highly than he ought to think.(2) Sinners do not
pray to God for His Spirit as they ought, although they confess their own
impotency.(3) Sinners under the gospel, whetherthey pray for the Spirit or
not, do actually experience those assistances ofcommon grace, whichare a
full vindication of God, and leave them without all excuse. The Spirit of God is
often at work in their consciences. He convinces them of sin, admonishes them
of duty, and stirs up their affections, desires, fears, andhopes. But here is the
misery and folly of sinners: they do always resistand vex the Holy Ghost.
II. FROM ANY PLEAS THEY CAN MAKE REFERRINGTO SATAN, AND
AN EVIL WORLD, THEIR SPIRITUAL ADVERSARIES. They suffer no
violence from external causes, norwill any impediments they met with in the
way of duty, afford them a plea sufficient to justify their not repenting and
receiving Christ. What or who should compelthe sinner to refuse Christ?
They may persuade and entice, but they cannotforce. They may indeed use a
violence upon the body, and hinder that from external duties; but they cannot
reachthe soul, to hinder repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ (James 4:7). It is the fault and folly of sinners, they do not resistthe
devil. And then, if Satan has gained a powerover any, which seems almost
irresistible (2 Timothy 2:26), they have brought this upon themselves (Psalm
81:11, 12).
III. IT REMAINS, THEREFORE, THAT SIINNERS TAKE ALL THE
BLAME OF THEIR SIN AND RUIN TO THEMSELVES (James 1:14;John
3:19). Gospelimpenitents —

1. Neglectto use, or trifle in using, those means which are in their own power,
and which they might probably hope God would bless, in order to their
salvation(John 6:27; Luke 13:24;Philippians 2:12).
2. Resistthe methods of grace, whichthe blessedGod uses with them, and
quench the Holy Spirit striving in them (Isaiah 63:10;Acts 7:51).
3. Do actually commit those sins, which, as they have a natural tendency to
hinder their conversion, so they provoke God to withhold His specialgrace
from them (Zechariah 7:11, 12;Ezekiel24:13).
4. Do all this in a free and voluntary manner, and upon motives which, at the
time, appearto them founded in reason.Conclusion:Have gospelimpenitents
no cloak for their sin?
1. Hence we may learn the justice of God in the eternalcondemnation of such
in a future state.
2. Hence the awfulness ofour standing under the gospel, and the miserable
delusion of such as trust to mere privileges and externals in religion.
3. Hence the folly of delay in the grand affair of conversion.
4. If gospelimpenitents are inexusable, who perish in their own iniquity; how
much more such sinners as are voluntarily instrumental to the sin and ruin of
others!
5. What abundant reasonhave they to admire the grace of God toward them,
who after a course of greatsin, under gospellight, have been converted!
(T. Foxcroft.)
They hated Me without a cause.
Hatred without cause
C. H. Spurgeon.

It is usually understood that the quotation is from Psalm35:19. No being was
ever more lovely than the Saviour; it would seemalmostimpossible not to
have affectionfor Him. And yet, loveable as He was, from His first moment to
the cross, save the temporary lull while He was a child, it seemedas if all men
sought to destroy Him. In different ways that hatred displayed itself, in overt
deeds, in words of slander, or in looks ofcontempt. At other times that hatred
dwelt in their thoughts, and they thought within themselves, "This man
blasphemeth." All grades of men hated Him. Mostmen have to meet with
some opposition; but then it is frequently a class opposition. The demagogue
must expect to be despisedby the rich, and he who labours for the aristocracy
of course meets with the contempt of the many. But here was a man who
walkedamong the people, who loved them, who spoke to the rich and poor as
though they were on one level in His blessedsight; and yet all classes
conspiredto hate Him.
I. LET US JUSTIFY WHAT THE SAVIOUR SAID.
1. In Christ's person there was an absence ofalmost everything which excites
hatred betweenman and man.(1) There was no greatrank in Christ to excite
envy. Let a man be everso good, if he be at all lifted above his fellow creatures
the many often speak againsthim. Now, Christ had none of the outward
circumstances ofrank. Instead of being lifted above men, He did, in some
sense, seemto be below them, for foxes had holes, etc.(2)Many persons envy
those who exercise rule or government over them. If authorities were changed
every month, in some countries there would be revolutions as much under one
as under another. But this did not operate in Christ's case:He did not assume
swayover the multitude. In fact, instead of binding laws upon them which
were severe, He loosenedthe rigidity of their system.(3)Some men make
others dislike them because they are proud. Somehow orother the human
mind cannot bear pride; we always kick againstit. But there was nothing of
that in our Saviour. How humble He was!He would washHis disciples'
feet.(4)There are others that you cannot help disliking, because theyare so
snappish, and waspish, and angry. But you cannotfind that Christ spake one
angry word, save those words of holy wrath againstPharasaic pride. Such a
loving, kind, gentle spirit, one would have thought would have gone through
the world as easyas possible.(5)Another setyou can scarcelyhelp disliking —

selfishpeople. But whatever Christ did, He did for others. "He savedothers;
Himself He did not save." Self-sacrificewas the life of Christ; but He did it
with such an ease that it seemed no sacrifice.(6)Another sort of people there
are that I do not like, viz. the hypocritical. But there never was a more
unvarnished man than Christ. Among all the slanders men brought against
Christ they never disputed His sincerity.
2. Was there anything in Christ's errand which could make people hate Him?
He came —(1) To explain mysteries, to tell them what was meant by the
sacrificiallamb. Should they have hated one who made dark things light.(2)
To reclaim the wanderer;and is there anything in that that should make men
hate Christ?(3) To heal the diseases ofthe body. Shall I hate the physician
who goes aboutgratuitously healing all manner of diseases?Surely, He might
well say, "Forwhich of the works do ye stone Me."(4)To die, that sinners
might not die? Ought I to hate the substitute who takes my sins and griefs
upon Him, and carries my sorrows?
3. Was there anything in Christ's doctrine that that should have made us hate
Him?(1) Take His preceptive doctrines. Did He not teachus to do to others as
we would they should do to us?(2)Was it the ethical part of His doctrines that
men bated? He taught that rich and poor must stand on one level; He taught
that His gospelwas to be gloriously expansive. This, perhaps, was one
principal reasonof their hating Him; but surely there was no justifiable cause
for their indignation in this.
II. MAN'S SIN, THAT HE SHOULD HAVE HATED THE SAVIOUR
WITHOUT A CAUSE.
1. I will not tell you of man's adulteries, murders, wars, cruelties, and
rebellions; if I want to tell you man's sin, I must tell you that man is a deicide
— that he put to death his God, and slew his Saviour; and when I have told
you that I have given you the essenceofall sin. In every other case, whenman
has hated goodness,there have always been some extenuating circumstances.
We never do see goodnessin this world without alloy. But because the Saviour
had no inconsistenciesorinfirmities, men were stripped of all their excuses for

hating Him, and it came out that man naturally hates goodness,becausehe is
so evil that he cannot but detest it.
2. And now let me appeal to every sinner, and ask him whether he ever had
any cause forhating Christ. But someone says, "Ido not hate Him; if He were
to come to my house I would love Him very much." But Christ lives next door
to you, in the person of poor Betty there. Why don't you like Betty? She is one
of Christ's members, and "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least
of these ye have done it unto Me." Don't you know a very holy man you
cannot bear because he told you of your faults once? Ah! sir, if you loved
Christ you would love His members. I must suppose you to be hostile to
Christ, unless you love Him; for I know there are only two opinions of Him.
You must either hate Him or love Him. Indifference with regard to Christ is a
clearimpossibility. A man might as well say, "I am indifferent towards
honesty."
3. And now, Christian men, I must preach at you. Sure ye have greatreasonto
love Christ now, for ye once hated Him without a cause. Didye ever treat a
friend ill, and did not know it.
III. LESSONS:
1. If your Masterwas hated without a cause, do not you expect to getoff very
easilyin this world.
2. Take care, ifthe world does hate you, that it hates you without a cause.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible

The works which none other man did - The miracles of Jesus surpassedthose
of Moses andthe prophets:
1.In their number. He healed greatmultitudes, and no small part of his life
was occupiedin doing goodby miraculous power.
2.In their nature. They involved a greaterexertion of power. He healed all
forms of disease.He showedthat his powerwas superior to all kinds of pain.
He raised Lazarus after he had been four days dead. He probably refers also
to the fact that he had performed miracles of a different kind from all the
prophets.
3.He did all this by his own power; Mosesand the prophets by the invoked
powerof God. Jesus spake and it was done, showing that he had power of
himself to do more than all the ancient prophets had done. It may be added
that his miracles were done in a short time. They were constant, rapid,
continued, in all places. Wherever he was, he showedthat he had this power,
and in the short space ofthree years and a half it is probable that he
performed more miracles than are recordedof Moses andElijah, and all the
prophets put together.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
If I had not done among them the works which none other did, they had not
had sin: but now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father.
Beginning at John 15:18 and through John 15:25, Jesus warnedthe little band
of the attitude of the "world" towardthem and their holy mission. It would be
one of unyielding hostility and animosity, for there could never be any way by
which the carnalmind would love and acceptthe teachings ofJesus. As
Hunter noted:
The WORLD bears its characteristicallyJohannine meaning - "human society
as it organizes itself apart from God." The world's attitude to his disciples, he

forecasts,will be a continuation of its attitude to himself - hatred, not love ....
True then, it is true still, and always will be.[8]
ENDNOTE:
[8] A. M. Hunter, The Gospelaccording to John (Cambridge: University
Press, 1965), p. 151.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
If I had not done among them the works,.... This is another, and a new
argument, evincing the inexcusablenessoftheir ignorance, and infidelity, and
sin, takenfrom the works that Christ did; such as healing the sick, raising the
dead, giving sight to the blind, causing the dumb to speak, the deafto hear,
and the lame to walk, cleansing lepers, and casting out devils; which were
clearproofs, and full demonstrations of his deity, and of his being the true
Messiah:
and which none other man did; in his own name, and by his own power; and
which none of the men of God ever did; as Moses, Elijah, Elisha, or others;
and particularly that of giving sight to one that was born blind: now if these
works had not been done among them, openly, visibly, and publicly,
they had not had sin; or so much sin; or their sin of unbelief would not have
been so great, or attended with such aggravating circumstances;or they
would not have been guilty of the sin againstthe Holy Ghost, as many of them
were;who saw his works and miracles, and were convicted in their own
consciencesthat he was the Messiah, and yet rejectedhim, againstall the light
and evidence which the Spirit of God gave by them, and by whom Christ
wrought his miracles:
but now have they both seen; the works which were done, and the Messiah,
whose missionfrom the Father they proved;

and hated both me and my Father; for their rejectionof him as the Messiah,
notwithstanding the doctrines he taught, and the miracles he wrought, plainly
arose from obstinacy, malice, and inveterate hatred againstChrist, and
againstthe Father that sent him.
People's New Testament
If I had not done, etc. The proof of his divine missionwas such that they were
left without excuse.
Hated both me and my Father. The Jews claimedto love God, but when God,
manifest in the flesh, appeared, they hated him. The hatred of Christ is the
hate of God.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
They have both seenand hated (και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν — kai
heōrakasinkaimemisēkasin). Perfectactive indicative of οραω — horaō and
μισεω — miseō permanent attitude and responsibility. The “world” and the
ecclesiastics(Sanhedrin) had united in this attitude of hostility to Christ and
in reality to God.
The Fourfold Gospel
had sin1: but now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father2.
had sin. See .

But now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father. Though the
greatproof of the hatred of Christ was yet to come, it is spokenof as if it had
passed.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
24.If I had not done among them the works Under the word works he
includes, in my opinion, all the proofs which he gave of his Divine glory; for
by miracles, and by the powerof the Holy Spirit, and by other
demonstrations, he clearly proved that he was the Son of God, so that in him
was plainly seenthe majesty of the Only-begottenSon, as we have seenunder
John 1:14 (91) It is commonly objected, that he did not perform more
miracles or greatermiracles than Moses andthe Prophets. The answeris well
known, that Christ is more eminent in miracles in this respect, that he was not
merely a minister, like the rest, but was strictly the Author of them; for he
employed his own name, his own authority, and his own power, in performing
miracles. But, as I have said, he includes in generalall the testimonies of
heavenly and spiritual power by which his Divinity was displayed.
They have seenand hated. He concludes that his enemies cannot escape by
any shifts to which they may have recourse, since they despisedhis power,
which evidently was altogetherDivine; for God had openly manifestedhis
Divinity in the Son; and therefore it would serve no purpose for them to say
that they had only to do with a mortal man. This passagereminds us to
considerattentively the works of God, in which, by displaying his power, he
wishes us to render the honor which is due to him. Hence it follows, that all
who obscure the gifts of God, or who contemptuously overlook them, are
ungrateful to God, and malicious.

Ver. 24. If the testimony which Jesus bore to Himself did not succeedin
enlightening them, His works oughtat leastto have procured credence for His
testimony. The one who did not have a consciousness sufficientlydeveloped to
apprehend the divine characterofHis teachings, had at leasteyes to behold
His miracles.
For the first two καί, see John6:36 : they have causedthings which seemed
incompatible to move together:seeing and hating;and this at once (the two
following καί) with reference to me and my Father: these last two καί are
additive, not adversative
John Trapp Complete Commentary
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they
had not had sin: but now have they both seenand hated both me and my
Father.
Ver. 24. Works which none other man did] More stupendous, because by my
own power, and all to the people’s profit. These were of use in the Church’s
infancy, and Papists boastof them still; but those are the devil’s lying
wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9. As for our religion, Pudet diabolum Lutheri
doctrinam miraculis confirmare, It is shameful that the devil confirms the
traching of Luther, saith Gretserthe Jesuit. But we answerwith Augustine,
He that now looks for a miracle is himself a greatmiracle: Qui adhuc prodigia
quaerit magnum estipse prodigium. Christ was the only Thaumaturgus or
wonder worker. This is attestedby Josephus the Jew, and confessedby
Mahomet.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible

John 15:24. If I had not done among them— "If I had not done among them
such extraordinary works as no other person everdid,—not even their
prophets, or Moses himself,—theyhad not had any degree of sin, comparable
to that which they now lie under: but now, as they have rejectedmy superior
miracles, which they have seenwith their own eyes, at the same time that they
acknowledge the evidence of those which Moses wrought, ofwhich they have
heard only by distant report, they manifest such an obdurate perverseness of
temper, that I may truly say, they have both seenand hated both me and my
Father; and my Father himself will justly resentand punish it as an indignity
which shews their enmity to him." The words ofthe blind man, ch. John 9:32
are a fine comment on the first part of this verse: Since the world began, was
it not heard that any man openedthe eyes of one that was born blind.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
24.]He refers to the testimony of His works among them also, as leaving them
againwithout excuse;—they had had ocular witness of His mission.
ἐν αὐτοῖς—notto them (as Aug(220)), but as Acts 2:22, ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν.
ἐποίησεν is, not only by external evidence, but also by internal, the right
reading. πεποίηκεν(as Lücke remarks, ii. 643)would imply that the ἄλλοι
referred to were contemporaries of our Lord,—or, at all events, that their
works still lasted.
ἑωράκασινdoes not refer to the works (as Lücke), but to καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν
πατέρα μου, see ch. John 14:9.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Our Saviour often appeals to his works, both to own his mission from God,
and also to prove the Jews inexcusable in their not receiving and embracing
him; for which latter purpose he mentions them here, and saith, that he had
done such works as no man did, and by his own powerand virtue. Christ did
some works such as we do not read that ever man did; as the multiplying of

the loaves, the giving sight to those that were born blind, the healing of so
many desperate diseases:and for such as he did which God had also given
men a powerto do, he did them in a quite different manner from that in
which men did them. Elisha raised the Shunammite’s child to life; but it was
by prayer. Petercured the lame man, Acts 3:6; but it was in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth. We read indeed of Christ’s praying at the raising of
Lazarus; but his ordinary waywas by his word of command, which was a
quite different way than that used by those men by whom miracles had been
wrought. Besides, itis manifest that the generality of the Jews did not look
upon Christ as one sentfrom God, though many of them did: and admit that
there had been nothing in the miracles wrought by Christ, more than Elijah,
or Elisha, or the prophets had done; yet it had been sufficient for to have
convinced them, that he actedby a Divine power, and must be sent and
authorized by and from God to do what he did. Now saith our Saviour, If I
had not done before their faces suchworks as no man could do but by a power
derived from God, and some such as God never authorized men to do, their
sin had been nothing to what now it is: but now they have understood that I
am sentfrom my Father; and knowing this, yet going on in their most
malicious designs againstme, they both declare a hatred and malice against
my Fatherwho sent me, and me as sentby him.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Such is the union betweenChrist and the Father, that as men treat the one, so
they treat the other; and the greaterthe light which any have as to the
characterand will of God, the greaterwill be their guilt and condemnation, if
they do not love and obey him.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
24. τὰ ἔργα. If they did not perceive that His words were Divine, they might at
leasthave recognisedHis works as such (John 10:38, John 14:11, John 5:36).
Here againtheir sin was againstlight: they admitted the works (John 11:47)

as such that none other did (John 9:32), and like Philip they had seen, without
recognising, the Father (John 14:9-10).
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
24. If—There is another if enforcing and expanding the if of John 15:22.
Had not done… works—Notby his word only, but by his works, attesting the
superhuman power of his word, had he revealedto them the truth. His word,
like original right and truth, attesteditself to the conscience. His work, such as
none other man did, attestedhis superhuman nature to their reason. With
conscienceandreasoncombining to attesthis superhuman excellence, itwas
an excuselessfolly for human beings to rejectand hate him, claiming to be the
Son and MessengerofGod.
Seenand hated… me and my Father—His works were not merely in
themselves separate evidences.Theywere a part of his characterand of
himself. They were the attributes going to make up his divine person, as it
appearedbefore them. He walkedbefore them an Omnipotent. He passedin
the scene before their eyes visible God. The curtain was uplifted, and upon the
level stage ofearth Godincarnate passedbefore their view, as the visible
Jehovahpassedbefore the eyes of Moses.Hence he could truly say, now have
they both seenand hated both me and my Father.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
John 15:24. If I had not done among them the works which none other did,
they would not have sin; but now have they both seenand hated both me and
my Father. Jesus had spokenin John 15:22 of his ‘words’ as sufficient to
deprive the world of all excuse in rejecting and hating Him. He now turns to
His ‘works’as effecting the same end. The words of Jesus were the Father’s
words as well as His own (chap. John 3:34); of the same characterare the
‘works,’which here, as elsewhere,are not to be confined to miracles. They
include all that Jesus did, and their appeal had been to the same internal eye

which ought to have seenthe force and beauty of the ‘word.’ But that eye the
world had closed, and for the same reasonas before, so that it was again
without excuse.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
John 15:24. εἰ τὰ ἔργα … οὐκ εἶχον. This repeats in a slightly varied form the
statementof John 15:22. He had not only come and spoken, but had done
works which none other had done, cf. John 3:2; John 9:32; John 7:31. The
miracles wrought by Christ were themselves of a kind fitted to produce faith.
In them men were meant to see God, John 5:17; John 5:19-20. So that He
could say, νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑωράκασι … μου. This is their guilt, that they have both
seenand hated both me and my Father. This does not imply that they had
been conscious ofseeing the Fatherin Christ, but only that in point of fact
they had done so. Cf. John 14:9; John 1:18.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
can this be true, that Christ wrought greaterwonders than any one else had
ever done? We find recountedin the Old Testament, the miracles of Elias and
Eliseus, who raised the dead to life, healedthe sick, and brought down fire
from heaven; of Moses, who afflictedEgypt with plagues, divided the RedSea,
for the passageofthe Israelites, andbrought water from the rock; of Josue,
who stopped the waters of the Jordan, for the passageofthe children of Israel,
and in the battle of Gabaon, made the sun and moon stand still; in all which
miracles, there appeareda greatermanifestation of power, than in any of the
miracles wrought by our Saviour, during his ministry. But to this may be
answered, that the miracles of our Saviour were much more numerous than
those of any of the saints of the Old Testament, evenof Moses himself;
particularly when we compare the few years which he preached, and
manifested the glory of his Father by his miracles, with the long life of Moses:
Christ did not preachfull four years, whereas Moses governedthe people
forty years. Again, if the miracles of Jesus were not of so astonishing a nature,
at leastthey always had for their object, the healing of the sick, and the good
of the people; which the prophets have given us, as the distinguishing

characteristicsofthe miracles of the Messias.Add to this, the ease and
authority with which he performs them, which are most sensible proofs of
their superiority. But what chiefly distinguishes his miracles, from those of the
other saints, is, that he performed them in proof of his divinity, and of his
mission, as the deliverer of Israel:whereas the prophets only perform
miracles, as the ministers of the Lord, and as so many voices, which foretold
the Messias.Besides, if the ancient saints could work miracles, they never
could confer that powerupon others, as Christ did upon his disciples, of which
the Jews themselves were witnesses, in al the places whither Christ sent his
disciples. We omit mentioning his resurrection, which at this time he had not
performed, but had already foretold, and which was the greatestmiracle that
has ever been performed. (Calmet)
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
among. Greek. en. App-104.
none other man = no one else. Greek oudeis altos. App-124. Compare John
5:36; John 9:30.
they had not, &c. Same as in John 15:22. Notice the different negatives me
and ou in the two clauses ofthe verse as in John 15:22.
seen. Greek horao. App-133.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had
not had sin: but now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father.
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did , [
epoieesen(Greek #4160)is beyond doubt the true reading: the receivedtext -
pepoieeken(Greek #4160), 'hath done'-has but inferior support].
They had not had sin - rather as before, 'would not have sin,' comparatively:

But now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father: they saw His
Father revealedin Him, and in Him they hated both the Father and the Son.
In John 15:22 He places the specialaggravationoftheir guilt in His having
"come and spokento them;" here He makes it consistin their having seen
Him do the works which none other man did. See the notes at John 14:10-11,
where we have the same associationof His works and His words, as either of
them sufficient to show that the Father was in Him and He in the Father.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(24) If I had not done among them the works.—Comp. Note onJohn 15:22,
and for the evidence of our Lord’s works, seeJohn5:36; John 9:3-4; John
9:24; John 10:21; John 10:37;John 14:10. They met the evidence of works by
the assertionthat He was a sinner, and possesseda devil. Their hatred led
them to ascribe the highestgoodto the power of evil. To such hearts there are
no channels by which goodness canapproach. (Comp. especiallyNotes on
Matthew 12:31-32.)
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had
not had sin: but now have they both seenand hated both me and my Father.
If
3:2; 5:36; 7:31; 9:32; 10:32,37;11:47-50;12:10,37-40;Matthew 9:33; 11:5;
Matthew 11:20-24;Mark 2:12; Luke 10:12-16;19:37-40;24:19;Acts 2:22;
10:38;Hebrews 2:3,4
but
6:36; 12:45; 14:9; Matthew 21:32
hated

Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9; Psalms 81:15;Proverbs 8:36; Romans 1:30;
8:7,8; 2 Timothy 3:4; James 4:4
Ver. 24. "If I had not done among them the works whichnone other man did,
they had not had sin: but now have they both seenand hated both Me and My
Father."
We have here the secondproof of the proposition, that the Jews by their
hatred of Christ had displayed their ignorance ofthe Father, and their hatred
of Him. It lay in this, that Christ by His works had most amply declared
Himself to be the Sent of the Father. That the Jews hatedHim, in spite of His
works, was a sin in comparisonof which all former sin sank into
insignificance. "Whichnone other man did" may be comparedwith Matthew
9:33, where the multitudes cried on accountof the healing a dumb and deaf
man under demoniac influence, "It was never so seenin Israel." The miracles
of Jesus acquired, through their connectionwith the dignity of His person, an
absolute supremacy over all that had been wrought under the Old Testament;
apart from the fact that some individual miracles—suchas the healing of the
man born blind (ch. John 9:32), and the raising of Lazarus—hadno parallel
or approximation in the Old Testament.
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Bible > Sermons > John 15:21-25
The World's Hatred, as Christ Saw It

A. Maclaren, D. D.
John 15:21-25
But all these things will they do to you for my name's sake, becausethey know
not him that sent me.…
I. THE WORLD'S IGNORANCE (ver. 21). "The world," in Christ's
language, is the aggregateofGodless men. There is no mincing of the matter
in the antithesis which Christ here draws; no hesitation, as if there were a
greatcentral mass, too bad for a blessing perhaps, but too goodfor a curse.
No I however it may be with the masses beyond the reach of the truth, the
men that come into contactwith Him, like a heap of metal filings brought into
contactwith a magnet mass themselves into two bunches, the one, those that
yield to the attraction, and the other those that do not. The one is "My
disciples," and the other is "the world." And now, says Jesus Christ, all that
mass that stands apart from Him, have, as the underlying motive of their
conduct and their feelings, a real ignorance of God.
2. Our Lord assumes that He is so completely the revealerof the Divine nature
as that any man that looks upon Him has had the opportunity of becoming
acquainted with God, and that any man who turns awayfrom Him has lost
that opportunity. Out of Him God is not known, and they that turn awayfrom
His beneficentmanifestation turn their faces to the black North, from which
no light can shine.
3. But there is a deepermeaning than simply the possessionoftrue thoughts
concerning the Divine nature. We know God as we know one another; because
God is a Person, as we are persons. And the only wayto know persons is
through familiar acquaintance and sympathy. And so the world which turns

awayfrom Christ has no acquaintance with God. This is the surface fact. Our
Lord goes onto show what lies below it.
II. THE WORLD'S IGNORANCE IN THE FACE OF CHRIST'S LIGHT IS
WORSE THAN IGNORANCE:IT IS SIN.
1. Mark how He speaks (vers. 22, 24). He puts before us two forms of His
manifestation of the Divine nature by His words and His works. And of these
two He puts His words foremost, as being a deeperand more precious and
brilliant revelation. Miracles are subordinate, they come as a secondsource of
illumination. The miracle to the word is but like the picture in the child's book
to the text, fit for feeble eyes and infantile judgments, but containing far less
of the revelationof Godthan the sacredwords.
2. But notice, too, how decisively, and yet sorrowfully, our Lord here makes a
claim which, on the lips of any but Himself, would have been mere madness of
presumption. Think of any of us saying that our words made all the difference
betweeninnocence, ignorance, andcriminality! Think of any of us pointing to
our actions and saying, in these God is so manifest that not to see Him augurs
wickedness, andis condemnation! And yet Jesus Christ says all this. And what
is more wonderful, nobody wonders that He says it, and the world believes
that He is saying the truth when He says it. How does that come? There is only
one answer. He Himself was Divine.
3. But, notice how our Lord here declares that in comparisonwith the sin of
not listening to His words, and being taught by His manifestation, all other
sins dwindle into nothing. "If I had not spoken, they had not had sin." That
does not mean, of course, that these men would have been clearof all moral
delinquency. There were men committing all the ordinary forms of human
transgressionamongstthem. And yet, says Christ, black as these natures are,

they are white in comparisonwith the blacknessofthe man that, looking into
His face, seesnothing there that he should desire.
4. As light grows responsibility grows. The truth that the measure of light is
the measure of guilt turns a face of alleviation to the dark place of the earth;
but adds weightto the condemnation of you, who are bathed in the light of
Christianity. No shadows are so black as those which the intersestsunshine at
the tropics casts.
III. THE IGNORANCE WHICH IS SIN IS THE MANIFESTATION OF
HATRED.
1. Observe our Lord's indentification of Himself with the Father, so that the
feelings with which men regard Him are, ipso facto, the feelings with which
they regard God.
2. You say, "I do not pretend to be a Christian, but I do not hate God. Take
the ordinary run of people round about us in the world; if you sayGod is not
in all their thoughts I agree with you, but if you saythat they hate God, I do
not believe it." Well, do you think it would be possible for a man that loved
God to go on for a twelvemonth and never think of the objectthat he loved?
And inasmuch as, deep down in our moral being, there is no such thing as
indifference in reference to God, it is clear, that although the word must not
be pressedas if it meant conscious andactive antagonism — where there is no
love there is hate. If a man does not love God, he does not care to please Him.
And if obedience is the very life breath of love, disobedience or non-obedience
are the manifestation of antagonism, and antagonismis the same thing as
hate. There is no neutrality in a man's relation to God. It is one thing or other.
"Ye cannotserve God and Mammon." "The friendship of the world is enmity
againstGod."

IV. THIS IGNORANCE, WHICH IS SIN AND HATRED, IS UTTERLY
IRRATIONAL. (ver. 25). One hears sighing through these words the Master's
meek wonder that His love should be so met. The most mysterious and
irrational thing in men's whole history and experience is the way in which
they recompense Godin Christ for what He has done for them. Think of that
Cross!Do we not stand ashamed at the absurdity as well as at the criminality
of our requital? Causelesslove on the one side, and causelessindifference on
the other, are the two powers that meet in this mystery — men's rejectionof
the infinite love of God.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
"'They hated me without reason.'" (John 15:25)
"But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without
reason.'" (John15:25)
This part of Jesus'confidential discussionwith his close disciples afterthe last
supper discussesthe rejectionof God's representative by the those who did
not see Jesus'authority.
'Law' or 'instruction'?
The first element of Jesus'statementcontains a slight mistranslation.* The
Greek word νόμος (nomos) has been translated to "law," yet this is not
preciselyits meaning in this context, and thus the translation confuses the
meaning of Jesus'statement.

The word νόμος (nomos) may well be translated to "law" in some contexts,
but it canalso be translatedto something that is establishedor commonly
accepted. This canapply to a widely acceptedcustom, a command, an
instruction, or even a written statement.
In this context, the word is being applied to an acceptedscripture, in
particular, David's Psalms. Jesus is discussing a part of those acceptedPsalms
as he quotes an elementwithin them. Below is an excerptof the two Psalms
containing the reference Jesus used(see bold):
O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my
precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the greatassembly;
among throngs of people I will praise You. Let not those gloatover me who
are my enemies without cause;let not those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye. They do not speak peaceably, but devise false
accusationsagainstthose who live quietly in the land. They gape at me and
say, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seenit." O LORD, you have seen
this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord. (Psalms 36:17-22)
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry
depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters;the
floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My
eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reasonoutnumber
the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to
destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You know my folly, O
God; my guilt is not hidden from You. May those who hope in You not be
disgracedbecause ofme, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek
You not be put to shame because ofme, O God of Israel. For I endure scorn
for your sake,and shame covers my face. (Psalms 69:1-7)
We cansee from both of these Psalms that David is praying for and relying
upon the Supreme Being to provide protection as he faces those who hate him
without reason:Those who sought to destroy him and thus lodged false

complaints againsthim. This is documented elsewhere, as Davidwas faced
with many challenges during his lifetime, especiallyfrom those who did not
subscribe to a faith and reliance on God.
And Jesus was confirming that this tendency of those who are faithless,
including those who claim membership in or leadership over ecclesiastical
religious institutions, to have contempt and hatred towards God's
representative. This was David's position, as was Jesus'position:They were
both representing the Supreme Being in their teachings and their service
towards Him, and both contending with offensive unbelievers.
David's devotion to God
Yet ironically, ecclesiasticalsectarianinstitutions today will deny David,
claiming that David was merely predicting the coming of Jesus.
This interpretation of the life and purpose of David is offensive. Jesus utilizes
the word πληρόω (plēroō), which is translatedhere into the word "fulfill."
While certainly this word can mean "fulfill," it is disingenuous to contend that
Jesus was meaning that David was not talking about his own life within these
and other Psalms.
David was certainly discussing his ownlife as he said, "My eyes fail, looking
for my God. Those who hate me without reasonoutnumber the hairs of my
head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroyme."
Why would David utilize the word "me" if he was talking about Jesus?Was
Jesus'eyes failing him?

Those who twist David's words here and elsewhere are simply trying to create
false authority in Jesus. Theydo not realize that Jesus does not require such
false authority. Jesus is God's representative and God's perfectloving servant.
No other false authority is necessary. No twisting of scripture is necessary.
The meaning of the word πληρόω (plēroō) in this context applies to something
being carried into effector being brought to realization. Or consummating
something. But this is not an exclusive consummation, as even the lexicon
admits that it canbe applied as "to cause to abound, to furnish or supply
liberally." "Liberally" is the opposite of exclusion. To have something
supplied liberally means that more than one person can carry out that
application.
This means that what occurred in David's life - of the faithless condemning
him and hating him - also occurredin Jesus'life on the planet, as well as John
the Baptist's, some of Jesus'students and others.
There are many who try to create mysteries out of scripture. They do this
because they seek to provide speculative theories about some of the content of
scripture. For this reasonthere are so many imaginative theories about how
the Biblicalscriptures discuss aliens and the like. As a result there have been
so many different sects that have sprung up, eachsectbeing borne from a
particular speculative interpretation of the scriptures.
'Inheriting the earth'?
For example, in one of these, there is a modern sectthat goes doorto door
proclaiming that the scriptures are teaching that if a personjoins their sect,
they will inherit the earth after Jesus'secondcoming.

This sectdepicts this "inheritance" as people living on earth as though it is a
vacation. They depict people relaxing on their lawn chairs sipping lemonade,
with lions sitting next to them - yet the Supreme Being is nowhere to be found.
They state that all the evil of the world will be wiped out by the second
coming, and all those who joined their sectwill rise out of their graves to
inherit this earth.
The weird thing about this sect's speculative philosophy is that they claim that
after death there is nothing. They claim that the bodies rise up after the
secondcoming, but who is rising up? Is it the decomposedbody that is by that
time eatenby bacteria and worms? Is it fragments of bone? Is it the dirt that
those bodies become after decomposition? And if there is nothing after death,
how do the sect members rise up again?
What is sad about their philosophy is that throughout their marketing
pamphlets they will put scriptural verse numbers in parentheses, as if that
speculative position is somehow confirmed by a scriptural passage. Butwhen
you look up the passage, the verse is not proving their speculative point at all,
and any reference to the statementis out of context with the text around the
verse.
What we are seeing is misguidance. Some person has thought they had some
sort of specialability to understand scripture and createda new speculative
philosophy, and others beganfollowing that person. As soonas a few beganto
follow, others followedjust because they saw others following. This is called
herd mentality.
This can be compared to how animals will often arbitrarily chose one of their
flock to follow around. Once a few people follow, the rest of the flock thinks

there must be a goodreasonthose others are following the leader. As others
follow, more follow because ofthe same reason. They think that because so
many are following, there must be a good reason. In reality, there is no good
reasonthey are following that leader. And the leaderis often surprised by the
big following.
In fact, sometimes in these herds, the leader will start acting erraticallyas a
result. The famous example is the lemmings, who will sometimes follow its
crazed leaderover a cliff (often exaggerated, but it does occur).
Claiming false authority
When a person finds they have arrived at a position of authority for some
reason, attracting the attention of others, they may take advantage ofthat
temporary authority with the desire to become a spiritual leader. This desire
to be a spiritual leaderis no different than similar materialistic desires for
authority and fame - including becoming a political leader, becoming a
famous actor, becoming a sports star or becoming a rock star. It is the same
desire. It comes from our original desire that gotus kickedout of the spiritual
realm - our envy of the Supreme Being. We want to be like God, as clarified
by the serpent to Eve with regardto the forbidden fruit:
"ForGod knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God..." (Genesis 3:5)
This desire to "be like God" is the basis for our seeking fame and fortune in
the physical world. It is the fundamental reasonwe are here in this physical
world in the first place. The Supreme Being createdthis physical world as a
virtual rehabilitation center, allowing us to exercise our desires to "be like
God" by pretending to have authority while pretending God does not exist or
seeing Godas our servant - expecting Him to give us whateverwe want as if
He was our genie or super-waiter.

So the Supreme Being gave us temporary physical bodies (The LORD God
made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothedthem. (Gen. 3:21))
and this temporary physical universe to exercise ourdesires for false lordship.
And the epitome of this is the desire to be a spiritual leader.
This is position is preciselycontrastedby the real representative of God, who
is sent specificallyby the Supreme Being to the physical world to bring those
who wish to return to God back to the spiritual realm. Their desires are
focusedon serving the Supreme Being.
History has confirmed that those who are sentby God on this mission have
been largely rejectedby the masses andby some ecclesiasticalinstitutions of
their times. This took place over and over with many of the Saints of the Old
Testamentincluding David, Job, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Noahand others. This
also took place for Jesus (as he states here), as well as Jesus'teacherJohnthe
Baptist, and for many of Jesus'disciples, including Peterand James.
This consistentrejectionof God's representatives by some who claim
membership in ecclesiasticalinstitutions occurs repeatedlybecause God's
representatives rejectthe misinterpretation of scripture and herd mentality of
those institutions. They rejectthe teachings ofthose who have misused and
speculatedupon the scriptures.
Speculative interpretation of the scriptures is condemned because the mind is
limited. The mind is like a recording device that records what comes in from
the sensesand becomes mixed with the desires and concoctions ofthe

individual operating the mind. Spiritual knowledge does notcome from the
mind.
Spiritual knowledge comes fromGod. God is the Source of all spiritual
knowledge. And God passes onthis knowledge through His representatives.
Those who have committed their lives to Him become His instruments.
Those who represent the Supreme Being are seenby the fact that they did not
make anything up. They eachaccepteda spiritual teacherand passeddown
knowledge consistentwith the teachings oftheir teacher. This is why Jesus
acceptedJohnthe Baptist as his teacher(the meaning of baptism) and Jesus'
teachings were linked to John's. This is also why Jesus oftenquoted the
writings of those representatives of God before him, as he does in the
statementabove.
We cansee how Jesus'teachings reflectedJohn's, and how he passedthese
same teachings on to his students:
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desertof Judea and
saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heavenis near." (Matt. 3:1-2)
From that time on Jesus beganto preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is near." (Matt. 4:17)
[Jesus speaking to his disciples] "As you go, preach this message:'The
kingdom of heaven is near.'" (Matt. 10:7)
We canthus see how they passeddownthe same teachings. Theywere
consistentin their messagebecausenone of them were making things up. They
were teaching what their teachertaught. They had heard from their teacher,
understood those teachings to be from God, and then passedon those
teachings.

This lies acutelycontrary to those 'spiritual leaders'that have come after
Jesus who have createdspeculative interpretations about Jesus and the
scriptures - creating many of the different ecclesiasticalsects. We find that
many of them broke from the teachings oftheir teachers because theydid not
acceptthose teachings. Theycreateda new philosophy because they didn't
want to be a student: they wantedto be master.
This is not intended to define everyone - as there have been sincere students of
Jesus and his disciples that have carried on those teachings. This is also not to
say that a person who has joined an ecclesiasticalinstitution cannot sincerely
apply the teachings ofGod's representative.
The true representative of God sees himselfnot as a master, but as a servant
of God and a student of God's representative. And by virtue of passing on
their teacher's teaching, providing a service to all. This is why Jesus described
himself as the servantof humanity (mistranslated to "sonof man").
Being a student before being a teacher
The representative of God sees himselfas servantand student first. We saw
this betweenMoses andJoshua;betweenEli and Samuel; Samuel and David;
David and Solomon; John the Baptist and Jesus;Jesus and his disciples;and
many others in between.
These representatives ofthe Supreme Being setthe example for everyone:
They did not see themselves as above others. They did not think they could
concocta better speculationabout scripture. Their teachings were consistent
with their teacher, their teacher's teacherand so on, ultimately leading back
to the Supreme Being. They are feeling humble in their relationship with God.

This is communicated clearly by David in the above quotes - David never felt
qualified or substantial. Whatever abilities he had, he attributed to God, and
receivedthe scornof others as part of his service ("ForI endure scornfor
your sake").
Spiritual life is not about joining a group or institution. It is about having a
humble relationship with God. When a person follows their teacherthey come
to develop a relationship with that teacher. And should that teacherhave a
relationship with the Supreme Being, the student gains accessto the teacher's
relationship with the Supreme Being. This gives the sincere student the ability
to also achieve a relationship with the Supreme Being. And it is this
relationship that re-establishes the student's eternal position with the
Supreme Being as one of His humble loving caregivers.
This focus on relationship in the spiritual realm is why Jesus'and Moses'
teachings focusedon loving God. Loving the Supreme Being requires a
relationship of humility and dedication. We cannot love someone we do not
know, and we cannot know someone without sincerelyand humbly reaching
out to them. This is why Jesus'and Moses'mostimportant instruction was:
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength and with all your mind'" (Luke 10:27 and Deuteronomy6:5)
http://www.whatjesusreallysaid.com/2013/01/but-this-is-to-fulfill-what-is-
written.html
They Hated Him Without a Cause
David Wilkerson
June 15, 2009

“This cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their
law, They hated me without a cause” (John15:25, my italics).
Jesus saidhe came to seek outand save the lost. This was the same man who
had powerto subdue the very winds and waves. At any time Christ could have
sent fire down from heaven to destroy the wicked. Yet instead Jesus came as a
humble servant.
The Gospels tellus he listened patiently to people’s heartbreaking cries.
Multitudes pleaded with Christ to deliver them from their afflictions. And he
met their needs:He healedthe sick, openedblind eyes, unstopped deafears,
loosedtied tongues, and made cripples to walk. Jesus setcaptives free from
every form of bondage. He even raisedtheir dead.
Even some nonbelievers agree:No one ever loved humankind more than Jesus
did. He grieved overthe multitudes before him, seeing them as lostsheep in
need of a shepherd.
The truth is, nobody in history should be more revered, respectedand loved
than Jesus Christ. He should be honored and highly esteemedby all the world.
He performed works of compassionforthe people he met, he wept over the
world’s spiritual blindness and he poured out his life for all.
In spite of the goodness Jesus performed, the world hated him without cause.
There were ten thousand or more reasons forpeople to love Jesus and not one
reasonto hate him. The four Gospels portray him as kind, patient, long-
suffering, full of tenderness, forgiving, willing that no person should perish.
He is calleda shepherd, a teacher, a brother, a light in darkness, a physician,
an advocate, a reconciler. Jesus gave no cause whatsoeverthat he should be
hated by anyone.
So, what did Christ do that he should be so despised, both in his own day and
today? Simply put, the world hated him because he came as a light to deliver
them from darkness.
Jesus declaredhimself to be the light of the world: “I am the light of the
world: he that followethme shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light

of life” (John 8:12). Yet Christ also tells us, “Every one that doeth evil hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (3:20).
Christ’s gospelincludes the call to “castoff the works of darkness, and…put
on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).
Here is the reasonthe world has for hating Christ, both then and now. Jesus
promised to deliver people from their chains of darkness. He pledged to set
men everywhere free from all satanic power.
However, what we Christians see as a holy gift of deliverance and liberty, the
world sees as a form of bondage. They love their sins and have no desire to be
free from them.
“You call that freedom?” the nonbeliever asks. “No,here is freedom. We can
do as we please with our bodies and minds. We declare ourselves free from all
restrictions. We are already free — free from the bondage of the Bible, free
from all sexual taboos, free to worship a god of our own choosing, including
no god at all.”
Simply put, the world loves the things of this world. The ungodly relish the
pleasures of sin. Jesus saidthese prefer the darkness to the light.
“This is the condemnation [their reasonfor hating him], that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil” (John 3:19).
Jesus warnedhis disciples clearly: “BecauseI have chosenyou out of this
world, the world will hate you, just as they hated me.”
Christ tells his followers, “Ifye were of the world, the world would love his
own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosenyou out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).
Jesus adds in the same passage, “Ifthe world hate you, ye know that it hated
me before it hated you” (15:18).
In short, if you are of Christ — if God chose you out of a worldly life to follow
his Son, Jesus — you will never be loved or acceptedby this world. Why?

Just as Christ said he is the light of the world, he declares us also to be the
light of the world: “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
Think back for a moment to the time when you were born againin Christ.
When you first saw the Light — that is, Jesus — you fell in love with him. The
things of the world you once loved now seemeddespicable to you. And the
holy things you had hated you now loved. You believed the Light.
If Jesus brings such light, why is there so much rejectionof him? Why so
much mockeryof his Word and ridicule of his church? Why does societygo to
such lengths to stamp out everything pertaining to Christ? Foryears courts
have tried to outlaw the very mention of his name. Why such abhorrence of
Jesus and of those who hold to his Word as their moral compass?
Think of how strange suchhatred is. People don’t usually hate those who love
them. And true Christians exhibit love to the world. Those who walk
wholeheartedlywith Jesus are meek, friendly, forgiving, kind and even self-
sacrificing. Theyrespond to the human need all around them.
Indeed, Christian groups are often the first responders in times of disaster.
We bless the world both with our helping hands and with our prayers of
comfort. Yet still we are hated. We who call ourselves by the name of Christ
are sons of peace, yetwe are hated by the very world to which we offer help.
This hatred towardfollowers of Jesus has to do with our mission as light
bearers.
As Christ’s witnesses, we are calledto a seemingly impossible task. Think
about it: We are asking worldly people to give up those things that are
absolutely dear to them. And we call them to a life that looks to their eyes like
some form of slavery. What is heaven to us seems to them a kind of hell.
Considerwhat we are called to do in witnessing to the world:
We are asking people to forsake andturn awayfrom the very sins they love.
We are calling people to repent for having rejectedthe love and mercy of God,
who demonstrated his love by giving up his Sonon a cross. Thesepeople have
struggledfor years to silence the very consciencewe appealto. They don’t

want to hear some message aboutguilt. They’ve spent their lives trying to put
to death any thought of a day of reckoning.
We are called to tell sinful men and women that their own personalgoodness
— their moral uprightness and goodworks — cannot merit any right
standing with God.
We are called to persuade self-made people that they must die to their own
desires in order to give their lives for others.
We are called to tell the worldly personthat his integrity is as dirty rags in
God’s sight. In telling him this, we are taking from him his pearl of great
price, the thing he workedso hard to obtain. And when we tell him no amount
of self-earnedrighteousness canamount to salvation, he will despise us.
Some say the preaching of the cross is too intolerant, as so-called“new
evangelicals” seek accommodationforpeople’s flesh.
Many voices in the church today sayChristians must acceptand show a new
kind of love. They’re talking about a love in which biblical truth must bend
with the times.
According to this gospel, no personalchanges are necessarywhen one accepts
Christ. Indeed, no repentance is needed. Rather, the goalin presenting this
gospelis simple: to break down any barrier that could be considereda
stumbling block to a person’s acceptanceofChrist.
I ask you: Is it possible we have allowedthe fullness of Christ’s light to
become partly darkened?
Jesus warnedabout the danger that comes when our light becomes darkness.
“Take heedtherefore that the light which is in you be not darkness” (John
12:35). He’s saying, in other words, “Let no part become dark.”
Tell me, has our light darkened when polls show that 20 percent of evangelical
youth acceptsame-sexmarriage? Has our light become darkness whenmore
and more Christians want to be loved and acceptedby the world? According
to Jesus, any desire for worldly acceptance causesour light to darken.

I want to pose a question to all Christians reading this.
Tell me, are you tired of the shame of the cross? Are you fed up with being
mocked, dismissed, seenas the off-scouring of the earth? Are you weary of
being rejectedand ridiculed?
You can easilyfind acceptance.You can have the world callyou friend,
associate withyou, admire you, even love the kind of gospelyou preach. How?
It happens when you allow the ways of the world to seepinto your soul. You
castoff the reproachof Christ, convincing yourself you can mix with darkness
and still be a light to the world.
No, it does not work!If you succumb to such friendship with the world, your
light will become darkness. Jesus describesthe process:
“If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the
light that is in thee be darkness, how greatis that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23).
Such is the condition of your soul when something of the world has taken
hold.
At the Last Supper, Christ warned his disciples, “Some of you will be killed,
some will be imprisoned, and all will be persecuted.”
At this point, Jesus gave the disciples a word of direction. It was meant to
teachthem how to reach their generationafterhe was gone. He told them, “A
new commandment I give unto you” (John 13:34).
This new commandment was not about methods of evangelism. Jesus had
already told them they were to go into all the world preaching his gospel. He
had also instructed them they would need the Holy Ghost to fulfill that
command. Now he was giving them a totally different commandment, one
they hadn’t heard before.
Jesus told these men plainly:
“If you will obey this new commandment, all men will know who you are. It
will cause them to know exactlywhere you stand. They may hate you, callyou
a fanatic, accuse you of bigotry. They may kick you out of their synagogues.
But they will see and know that you are mine.”

What was this new commandment? Jesus told them, “A new commandment I
give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another” (13:34, my italics).
This commandment is not an option but is directed to every followerof
Christ.
This one commandment is where all evangelistic efforts begin. Yes, we are to
feed the poor, do many goodworks and preach Christ boldly. But if we are to
penetrate the “gross darkness”that increasinglycovers the world, we need to
lay hold of this new commandment. Through it, we will be totally identified as
being “of the light.”
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another” (John 13:35).
Our love for one another in the church must be not merely in word but
demonstrated in deed. Only love in actionwill getthe attention of a lost
generation. It will cause the world to recognize this is the same love that Jesus
has towardhis people.
This love is the only way to penetrate the darkness. And it is our only response
to the world’s hatred. “Love one another; as I have loved you” (13:34).
We don’t need a book or a list to show us how to love as Christ loved us. I can
sum it all up in one sentence:It means laying down your life for those of like
faith. In fact, I can name it in a single word: martyrdom.
“Greaterlove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends” (15:13).
The author of Hebrews tells us, “Others were tortured, not accepting
deliverance” (Hebrews 11:35, my italics).
When this testimony was recorded, the church of Jesus Christwas still mostly
an underground movement. The persecutors who tormented these Christians
demanded to know, “Who are your pastors? Where do you meet? Tell us the
names of the people you worship with.”

But these believers loved their brethren evenas Christ had loved them. So
they suffered for the sake oftheir fellow saints, to the point they laid down
their very lives for them. “They were stoned, they were sawnasunder…were
slain with the sword” (Hebrews 11:37).
Let me tell you what I know about modern-day martyrs. I know some of their
names. These people are destitute, afflicted, tormented. Many endure torment
of mind, soul and body on a daily basis. Some suffer such pain and anguish
they would welcome death.
These precious believers are laying down their lives every day by keeping
faith in their time of great anguish and testing. Surviving, they go on, holding
onto faith one day at a time.
We who live in free nations also “lay down our lives” in a sense. It happens
eachtime we trust God through another day, praising him in our adversities.
All the while, many eyes are watching us. Nonbelievers who have heard us
testify of God’s keeping powerexamine our actions closely. And baby
believers monitor our faith as they struggle through their own doubts.
The fact is, no other kind of love gets the attention of “all men” as does
sacrificiallove for our brethren.
Why is this “new commandment” from Jesus so important today?
It is urgently important because the Holy Spirit has brought to our generation
a greatsense of need. Consider: Why are drinking and alcoholismon the rise?
Why are increasing numbers of people turning to drugs? Why are there so
many suicides?
The answeris simple: People everywhere are hurting. There is “sinsickness”
all over the world, with multitudes facing empty days and anguished nights.
They find so little to trust in. To whom can they turn? Where will they find
someone who can show them hope? Where is there a source of real
compassion, someone who himself has endured pain and suffering?

The hurting and bewildered of the world aren’t going to turn to people who
question their own faith. They won’t seek out a people who think God has
placed more on them than they can bear.
Of course, it’s true that all believers have their “crying times.” Even the
godliestChristian can be overwhelmed by sorrows and trials. Formany
saints, personalpain has grownso powerful they have succumbed to
weariness,feeling utterly helpless.
Yet amid their sorrows, theycontinue to cry out to the Lord. In their grief,
they lay hold of the Father’s comforting promises. And daily they rise up
againand fight on with renewedfaith.
These believers simply do not quit. They trust the Holy Spirit to keeptheir
light of faith burning, for Christ’s sake and for the sake ofhis church.
Dearsaint, this is where true love begins:with laying down our dreams, hopes
and plans, to share in the sufferings of Christ and yield willingly to our cross.
That is the love all men can see. “Bythis shall all men know that ye are my
disciples” (John 13:35).
3 ReasonsWhy Jesus Was Hated
By Dr. JoshBuice -
November 14, 2017
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Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why Jesus is so hated in our culture?
We must remember, hating Jesus has always beena popular position by many
different cultures. In fact, any societythat rejects Godultimately rejects
Jesus. This has been the case from the beginning of time.
As we read through the Bible, we see three main reasons whythe people of
Jesus’day hated him. That same hatred continues to compound from
generationto generation.
Jesus ConfrontedEmpty Religion
One glance at the 23rd chapter of Matthew’s Gospelwill reveal the polemical
style of Jesus’ministry. While Jesus was notalways polemicalin his approach
to preaching and teaching, he certainly did confront the empty religiosityof
the scribes and Pharisees.On one chapter alone (Matthew 23), Jesus is
recordedas having used the “woe to you” bombshell seventimes. In Matthew
23:27-28, Jesussaid:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,hypocrites!For you are like whitewashed
tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s
bones and all uncleanness. So youalso outwardly appear righteous to others,
but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
It was John Calvin who said, “A pastorneeds two voices, one for gathering
the sheepand the other for driving awaywolves and thieves.” [1] Jesus
certainly possessedboth voices. As the GoodShepherd, Jesus calledhis sheep
to him and they heard his voice clearly. As the Prophet greaterthan Moses,
Jesus spoke with authority and defended the truth of God’s Word from the
hypocrisy of the legalists and false teachers ofhis day. For that, Jesus was
hated.

Jesus Loved the Outcasts
The religious leaders of the day hated Jesus. He did not spend time with them
nor did Jesus show them honor as they were accustomedto receiving from the
community at large. Instead, Jesus spent time with the outcasts, the poor, the
lowly, the sick, the needy and the helpless. Considerthe factthat Jesus called
a group of disciples togetherfrom the fishing industry and tax collection.
Those people were lookeddown upon greatly—yetJesus calledthem to
himself, and after discipling them—he sent them out on a mission. Their
mission turned the world upside down.
According to Matthew 11:19, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors
and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” The religious
establishment did not know what to do with Jesus—he broke their categories
and confounded their minds. Since the rabbinical societywas the highest
ranking class in the Jewishsociety—forJesus to be a powerful teacherand to
associate withthe lowly and sinful was taboo. While it was consideredout of
bounds by cultural standards, Jesus literally exemplified how the church of
Jesus should engage allclassesofsociety. Forthat, Jesus was hated.
Jesus Forgave Sinners
Out of all of Jesus’miracles including turning water into wine, walking on
water, feeding the 5,000, raising Lazarus from the dead, causing the lame to
walk, the dumb to speak and the deafto hear—the greatestmiracle was when
Jesus revealedhis powerand authority to forgive sin.
Luke, in his Gospel, records a story about Jesus healing a paralyzed man who
was brought to Jesus on his bed. Becausethe crowd was so dense, the friends
took the man onto the roof and took apart the roof and loweredthe man in
before the presence ofJesus. Sitting around on the peripheral were scribes

and Pharisees watching the whole scene unfold. When Jesus saw their faith,
Jesus saidto the man, “Your sins are forgiven.” Immediately, the scribes and
Pharisees protested. Theysaid, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who
can forgive sins but God alone? (Luke 5:21)” As everyone was intently
watching the whole drama-filled scene unfold, Jesus respondedto the religious
leaders.
Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are
forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son
of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he said to the man who was
paralyzed—’I sayto you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.’ And
immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on
and went home, glorifying God (Luke 5:22-25).
Jesus was hatedfor many things, but at the heart of the religious community
was an intense hatred for Jesus’authority to forgive sins—anauthority that
transcendedtheir own and it causedjealousy. Theydidn’t believe Jesus
lookedlike the promised Messiah. And when Jesus taught, he did so with
authority—unlike the scribes (Mark 1:22). The reasonJesus was eventually
nailed to a Romancross was basedon a fundamental rejection and hatred of
Jesus’divine authority.
When Jesus died, they thought their problem was finally gone. When they
heard news of the resurrection, they were greatly troubled. Their only
response was to lie.
While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told
the chief priests all that had takenplace. And when they had assembledwith
the elders and takencounsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the
soldiers and said, “Tellpeople, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him
awaywhile we were asleep.’And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will
satisfy him and keepyou out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as
they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day
(Matthew 28:11-15).

The world continues to find Jesus’authority troubling. They continue to
spread and believe lies about Jesus ignorantof the reality of what will happen
before the throne of God in the near future.
Therefore Godhas highly exaltedhim and bestowedon him the name that is
above every name, so that at the name of Jesus everyknee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
William Minta Wiafe
So true today as the church follows old covenant as againstnew covenant.
Some even mixing old with new covenantvalues to meet fleshy needs. This is
why most Christians are lost though following Christ. New course by Jesus,
Love for all outcasts and forgiveness forall who come to Jesus.
Like · Reply · 1y · Edited
EdgarBualan
They hated Jesus because oftheir wrong teachings... "Youhave let go of the
commands of God and are holding on to the tradition of men" " You have a
fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own
tradition!' --Mark 7:8-9. And this thing continued until now by other major
denomination, anyway, "Thus by their fruit you will recognize them." --
Matthew 7:20. True Christians are recognizedby the genuine teachings of
Christ.
Like · Reply · 1y
Jack Russell

He is the truth. People will always hate the truth. It’s like having cold water
thrown in your face.
3 ReasonsWhy Jesus Was HatedBy Dr. JoshBuice
They Hated Me Without A Cause
By David J. Stewart
"They compassedme about also with words of hatred; and fought againstme
without a cause." -Psalm109:3
Photo to Right: Daniel, who was conspiredagainstby evil men and castinto
the lion's den. Danielwas hated without a cause.
Jesus quoted Psalm109:3 in John 15:25 concerning Himself... "But this
cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law,
They hated me without a cause." Jesuswas hatedwithout a cause. Very few
people are honest enoughto admit that they simply hate someone. Most
people who are hateful look for a reason, any reason, to justify their hatred.
In Matthew 12:10 we read, "And, behold, there was a man which had his
hand withered. And they askedhim, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath
days? that they might accuse him." The Pharisees were a hypocritical bunch
I'll tell you. In Matthew 12:10 they were trying to find a reasonto accuse
Jesus. Theyhated Jesus'goodness, andtherefore wanted to find fault in Him.
The world is filled with such people today, who seek to justify their hatred of
the righteous. We work beside them in the workplace. We meetthem in
public. We even find them in our churches. They hate without a cause!
The Pharisees andthe lawyers of Jesus'time were no different than the same
cut-throat type of people today. In Luke 7:33-34 Jesus said, "ForJohn the
Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a
devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a

gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!" No
matter what we do as Christians, some people will hate us without cause, and
will searchdiligently to find excuses to justify their hatred. We'll be damned
if we do, and damned if we don't. The hypocrites of Jesus'day were always
looking for reasons to discredit, attack, and embarrass Him. This is the sinful
nature of man. Again, in John 8:5-6 we read concerning the maliciousness of
the scribes and Pharisees ... "Now Mosesin the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned: but what sayestthou? This they said, tempting him, that
they might have to accusehim." Over and over in the Bible, we read about
those who were hated without cause. In Genesis 37:5, we read concerning
Joseph... "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and
they hated him yet the more." Josephdid nothing wrong; yet he was hated
fiercely by his jealous brothers.
We read also of the prophet Daniel, in Daniel6:3-5, who was hated without a
cause ... "Thenthis Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes,
because anexcellentspirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over
the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes soughtto find occasion
againstDanielconcerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasionnor
fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found
in him. Then saidthese men, We shall not find any occasionagainstthis
Daniel, except we find it againsthim concerning the law of his God."
I know what it is like to be hated without a cause. I know what it's like for a
small group of instigators to go out of their way to harass me on the job. I had
complained at my job about employees bringing pornography into the
workplace. Itold managementthat it was offensive to me as a Christian. My
co-workerswere deliberatelyleaving porn centerfolds lying out in the break
area to antagonize and disrespectme. So I complained about it. The
employees were told not to bring anymore pornography to work. So the men
started bringing in Maxim magazine instead, which is very close to Playboy. I
also complained about that, and my boss argued with me whether it was
"porn" or not. I went over his head to his boss, and it became a sexual
harassmentissue. The Maxim magazines disappearedfast. As you can
imagine, my co-workershad even more contempt for me after that (and they
started the whole thing in the first place). As months went by, there was a big

meeting with all the employees, the union president, my boss, and the big guy
in charge. Theybasically roastedme in the meeting. I felt like Josephbeing
sold into slaveryby his ten brothers. One guy said I neededa psychiatrist.
The union president saidI needed to "grow thickerskin." The top guy said
there was something wrong with me. I kid you not. Another employee
suggestedthat I "swallow my pride." It was a witch-hunt.
I had been the victim of repeatedharassmentby a few individuals over a
period of a couple years, and managementblindly took their side. I had
perfect attendance for over 2-years. I had never been written-up or scolded
for poor job performance. I did my job. I never messedwith anybody. I was
an excellent employ--but they hated me without a cause. They'd harass me in
subtle ways, such that if I complained to management it made me look bad.
Day after day, month after month, year after year ... being harassed. The
truth behind their hatred came out in the big meeting, when one of the men
pulled out 3 GospelChick Tracts he had found in the workplace andhanded
them over to management, saying ... "We were told we couldn't bring
pornography into the workplace anymore;but these things offend me as much
as pornography." Ironically, one of the Gospeltracts was "THIS WAS
YOUR LIFE!" Jesus saidin Luke 7:23, "And blessedis he, whosoevershall
not be offended in me." Canyou imagine that man's face on judgment day,
when God shows him his past, on the day that he said a Gospeltract was as
offensive to him as pornography? I wouldn't want to be in that man's shoes. I
know what it means to be hated without a cause.
"The wickedplotteth againstthe just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth."
-Psalm 37:12
"Then saidhe unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences willcome:
but woe unto him, through whom they come!" -Luke 17:1
JewishHatred Against Jesus Christ

WesternWall
Was there an organized Jewishconspiracyagainstthe life and ministry of our
Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ? Let the Scriptures speak for themselves!
". . . of the Jews:Who both killed the Lord Jesus, andtheir own prophets, and
have persecutedus; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their
sin alway:For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost."
I Thessalonians 2:14-16
In the earthly life and ministry of our Lord, He encounteredmuch opposition
as He traveled throughout the ancient land of Palestine in doing the work that
His Fathersent Him to do. During the first century the land of Palestine
where Jesus lived and ministered was divided into three Roman provinces.
They were Galilee to the north where Jesus lived as a child and beganHis
ministry; Samaria locatedin central Palestine where He ministered to the
woman at the wellin John chapter 4; and Judea to the south where He
encounteredmost of His opposition from the leadership of the Jewishnation
and was eventually illegally tried, falselyconvicted and crucified as a result of
the scheming efforts of the Jews and their manipulation of the Roman civil
authorities.
In the Gospelof John the Apostle records the masterful discourse of Jesus
that He gave concerning His equality with God and His manifestation as being
the living bread sent down from heaven (chapters 5-6). After giving this
discourse and seeing the open anger of the Jews in response to His message,
He left Judea where JewishPhariseeismwas in total control, and returned to
Galilee which offered Him more personalsafety. John records:
"After these things Jesus walkedin Galilee:For He would not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews soughtto kill Him."

Jesus was hated

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