Prepare; verb, pre·pare, pri-ˆper 1) to make or get something or someone ready for something that will happen in the future 2) to expect that something will happen and to be ready for it.
As a former coastal resident of Florida, preparing for hurricane season was vitally important. The goal was to be hurricane-ready by Memorial Day, but the procrastinating often hindered the progress, and the checklist wasn't complete until the 4th of July. Fortunately, I did not experience anything more than a few tropical storms, but the preparations were still helpful. It seems there is always something that we are, or should be, preparing for; graduation, college, career, wedding, severe weather, your workday, vacation . . . the list is unending. I get tired just thinking about it, and come to think of it, there is even preparation to do before going to bed.
Benjamin Franklin said it well, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.†Well, my friends, it’s coming, it’s already here, and it’s time to be prepared. You’re probably wondering, “what†is coming, “what†do I need to be prepared for? Hate. Opposition. Animosity. Persecution. Rejection. I like Ben’s quote about preparing, but Jesus, he wrote the book on it!
Before we dive into today’s scripture, allow me to set the stage. Jesus had been at the last supper with his disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem, and at some point, they left the upper room and began a journey which would ultimately lead them to the Garden of Gethsemane. In his last hours prior to the cross, he tells the eleven remaining disciples that abiding in him is the source of their life, explains of their purposeful fruit-bearing, and about their fellowship and connection with God and with their fellow Believers. Jesus then spotlights the importance of love in John 15:17, “This is my command: Love each other.†Oh, it’s so wonderful to love and be loved, but buckle up my friends, and don’t be too surprised to find out that the world is NOT going to love us. As a matter of fact, the world will treat Christians more like the Grinch treated others, . . . “Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!â€
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If 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. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.†John 15:18-25
Following Christ is not a smooth and comfortable life, and Jesus is preparing them, and us, to be ready for opposition and to expect persecution from those who don’t believe in God. The exclusivity of Christ is the dividing line. When we encounter the words and works of Jesus, we cannot be neutral, we cannot claim ignorance, or just be “meh†about him. Jesus’ words are so clear, and how we respond to Jesus reveals whether we love or hate the Father.
Let us not forget that there are so many people around us who desperately need Jesus. They need to know of the real hope, joy, and peace that is offered in the gift of salvation and redemption through Christ. Are you prepared to share Christ with others? Are you prepared to love? Are you prepared for rejection, opposition, and hate?
Be prepared, it’s coming.
As a former coastal resident of Florida, preparing for hurricane season was vitally important. The goal was to be hurricane-ready by Memorial Day, but the procrastinating often hindered the progress, and the checklist wasn't complete until the 4th of July. Fortunately, I did not experience anything more than a few tropical storms, but the preparations were still helpful. It seems there is always something that we are, or should be, preparing for; graduation, college, career, wedding, severe weather, your workday, vacation . . . the list is unending. I get tired just thinking about it, and come to think of it, there is even preparation to do before going to bed.
Benjamin Franklin said it well, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.†Well, my friends, it’s coming, it’s already here, and it’s time to be prepared. You’re probably wondering, “what†is coming, “what†do I need to be prepared for? Hate. Opposition. Animosity. Persecution. Rejection. I like Ben’s quote about preparing, but Jesus, he wrote the book on it!
Before we dive into today’s scripture, allow me to set the stage. Jesus had been at the last supper with his disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem, and at some point, they left the upper room and began a journey which would ultimately lead them to the Garden of Gethsemane. In his last hours prior to the cross, he tells the eleven remaining disciples that abiding in him is the source of their life, explains of their purposeful fruit-bearing, and about their fellowship and connection with God and with their fellow Believers. Jesus then spotlights the importance of love in John 15:17, “This is my command: Love each other.†Oh, it’s so wonderful to love and be loved, but buckle up my friends, and don’t be too surprised to find out that the world is NOT going to love us. As a matter of fact, the world will treat Christians more like the Grinch treated others, . . . “Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. LOATHE ENTIRELY!â€
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If 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. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.†John 15:18-25
Following Christ is not a smooth and comfortable life, and Jesus is preparing them, and us, to be ready for opposition and to expect persecution from those who don’t believe in God. The exclusivity of Christ is the dividing line. When we encounter the words and works of Jesus, we cannot be neutral, we cannot claim ignorance, or just be “meh†about him. Jesus’ words are so clear, and how we respond to Jesus reveals whether we love or hate the Father.
Let us not forget that there are so many people around us who desperately need Jesus. They need to know of the real hope, joy, and peace that is offered in the gift of salvation and redemption through Christ. Are you prepared to share Christ with others? Are you prepared to love? Are you prepared for rejection, opposition, and hate?
Be prepared, it’s coming.