THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT

Why Are Jesus' True Followers Hated?

"People will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name." -MATTHEW 24:9. 

JESUS spoke those words just  few days before he was brutally killed.  On the night before his death, he said to his faithful apostles:  "If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:20, 21)  But why would people hate those who obey Jesus and try to be like him?  After all, he expended himself in behalf of others, comforting the poor and giving hope to the downtrodden.

The Bible reveals specific reasons for that hatred.  When we examine these, we see why people today who follow Christ face much of the same opposition that he did.

Opposers May Act in Ignorance

Jesus said to his followers:  "The hour is coming when everyone that kills you will imagine he has rendered a sacred service to God.  But they will do these things because they have not come to know either the Father or me." (John 16:2, 3)  To be sure, many persecutors professed  to serve the same God Jesus served, but they were influenced by false  religious beliefs and traditions. Yes, they had "a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge." (Romans 10:2) One such opposer was Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Christian apostle Paul.

Saul belonged to a group known as the Pharisees, a politically powerful and influential Jewish sect that opposed Christianity.  "I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man," Saul later acknowledged. He also said:  "I was ignorant and acted with a lack of faith." (1 Timothy 1:12, 13)   However, once he learned the truth about God and His Son, he immediately changed his ways. 

The same has happened to many former persecutors today. What is more, some of these, like Saul, have become objects of persecution themselves. Nevertheless, they have not returned evil for evil but have followed Jesus' exhortation:  "Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you." (Matthew 5:44) Jehovah's Witnesses strive to apply those words, hopeful that at least some opposers will have a change of heart, as Saul did. 

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT/ Why Are Jesus' True Followers Hated? -Some Opposers are Envious

From the Awake! magazine