We’re talking about a couple of verses that really hit hard if you’re trying to follow Jesus. In John 15:18-19, Jesus says, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. If you were part of it, it would love you. Because you are not part of it, I chose you out of it, so the world hates you.”
This is what Jesus says to His closest friends right before the cross. As soon as He finishes talking about staying connected to Him like branches on a vine, He drops the reality check: the world will hate you. Not maybe, not if you mess up, just straight up, expect it.
When He says “the world,” He’s not talking about the planet or everyone. He’s talking about the whole system that’s set up against God, the mindset that runs on pride, selfishness, and ignoring what God wants. Jesus represents the biggest challenge ever to that system, as it doesn’t like anyone who challenges it.
The cool part? He says, “It hated me first.” That’s huge. If you’re getting pushback because you are following Jesus, you’re actually right where He was. People rejected Him, lied about Him, and ultimately killed Him. So if people mock you, exclude you, or worse because of your faith, you’re in good company. He suffered from the same thing, and it was worse.
His next point is to explain why this happens. The world would be fine with you if you lived by the same rules, chased the same things everyone else chased, and followed the same rules. The world loves its own. It cheers for people who fit in, who don’t upset the status quo, who follow what is popular or comfortable.
But here’s the thing: if you follow Jesus for real, you don’t belong anymore. You don’t belong to that system. Why? Because Jesus says, “I chose you out of the world.” He chose you. He pulled you out of that old way of life, and he brought you to something totally different. You’re not stuck in the same current as everyone else anymore. You’re swimming upstream.
There are times when people feel judged even if you don’t say a word about it. When you live differently, care about things differently, and say no to stuff others say yes to, it bothers them. You just highlight the fact that there is another way to live, and the world is uncomfortable with that. That’s why it pushes back. You might get rolled eyed, cancelled, argued with, or worse in some places.
But Jesus doesn’t say this to scare them. He says it so they’ll get it, so they won’t be shocked when trouble comes. He wants them to be prepared. He wants them to recall: this hate isn’t about you being weird or annoying; it’s about you belonging to Him.
The fact that people don’t always understand or like what you’re doing isn’t automatically proof that you need to change everything about yourself. Sometimes it’s just evidence that you’re not blending in anymore. You’re marked as His.
This doesn’t mean we try to fight or act superior. We are also taught by Jesus to love people, serve them, bless those who curse us, and to be kind, patient, and full of grace. Even when we do that, some pushback still occurs, because light and darkness do not mix peacefully.
You may experience friends drifting away when you begin to take your faith seriously, or coworkers staring at you for not joining certain conversations, or family members who cannot understand why you live by different standards. In essence, Jesus is saying, “Yeah, I know. I went through it. And I chose you anyway.”
Immediately after this, He promises that the Holy Spirit will help us, give us words when we need them, and strengthen us when we are weak. And in the end, He wins. He has the last word.
Take heart if you sometimes feel that tension, that sense of not fitting in the way you used to. We aren’t just strays. Jesus warned us ahead of time. He reminds us we are chosen, pulled out, and brought close by Him. The hate doesn’t mean we’re off track. It often means we’re exactly where He wants us to be.
Living like this takes guts. It means choosing Him over being liked every time. But it’s worth it because we’re not just avoiding conflict for a comfortable life; we’re living for the One who already faced the worst of it for us. He says we’re His. That’s better than fitting in anywhere else.
