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There's no doubt that for the early Christians,
opposition and persecution were a fact of life. We only
have to read a few chapters into the history of the early
Church, as we find it in Acts and we discover Peter and
John being arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin to
explain why they're proclaiming Jesus as Lord. A few
chapters on we find Stephen being stoned to death. As we
follow Paul on his missionary journeys, he's subjected to
beatings, stoning, gaol, arrest, he's thrown into prison
and probably ends his life in chains. So the words of
Jesus, as he begins to talk about the world hating them
and about persecution are brought into sharp focus by
what we now know of their immediate future. |
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But as we
move further into history, past the early centuries, we
find that, in the west at least, the danger of
persecution diminishes as Christianity is adopted as the
official religion of the empire. And by the time we get
to or own age, it seems that the prospect of harm coming
to any of us in the developed world for our faith is
negligible. So as we read these words the focus seems to
blur a little. We ask ourselves whether these words are
relevant any more. |
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Well, let
me suggest that yes, they are still relevant. Even though
we're probably not going to be subject to physical
persecution, Jesus' statement that the world will hate
us, is as true today as it was in his day. Why, because
we follow Jesus, and the world takes the same attitude to
Jesus today as it did back then. You see, Jesus' death
and resurrection are the climax of Jesus' mission on
earth. The Kingdom of God is about to be born. That means
that there can be no more sitting on the fence. As Jesus
said "From now on, you're either for me or you're
against me." From now on there will only be two
types of people in the world: those who love Jesus, and
those who hate him. And those two groups of people will
be at enmity with each other. He says: "If you
belonged to the world, the world would love you as its
own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have
chosen you out of the world -- therefore the world hates
you." |
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The
picture he's using is of us being gathered in the midst
of a world that's opposed to God, to form a new world, of
those who are his followers. But we're not physically
removed from that world. Rather we're called to live
within it, to be salt and light, a purifying and
enlightening influence on it. So we're left to live in a
world that's opposed to us, just as it's opposed to Jesus
and it's not going to be easy. In the context of first
century Judaism, the opposition they're going to face
will be opposition from the Jews who saw them as
undermining their Jewish faith, of denying the one true
God through their claim that Jesus is God's only begotten
Son. But, he says, that's no more than I've experienced.
You can't expect them to understand you or accept you any
more than they've understood and accepted me. If you take
my name you'll be treated the same way I was. And why?
Because they don't know the one who sent me. There's such
an irony there isn't there? The Jews thought they knew
God. They thought they were doing the right thing,
defending the honour of the only true God. But they
didn't know God at all. Why? Because they had rejected
his only Son. Remember what Jesus said to Philip back in
Jn 14:9: (John 14:9-10 NRSV) "Have I been with you
all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say,
'Show us the Father'? 10Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" If
they'd known Jesus, they would have known the one who
sent him. And this failure of the Jews to know Jesus, to
believe in Jesus is compounded by the fact that he's come
and lived among them, taught in their midst and done the
amazing works that he did, works that no-one else has
ever done. |
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So there
are two types of people in the world. Those who know and
love Jesus Christ as Lord, and those who are opposed to
him, and therefore to his followers. Well, that was
clearly true in the first century, but what about now?
How does that dichotomy manifest itself in our situation?
Where do we see Christians at odds with the world? |
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Andrew
Bolt who's a journalist with the Herald-Sun spoke at the
Whitehorse Mayoral Breakfast the other day, and he began
by listing some of the de facto religions of our day. He
spoke of environmentalists and animal rights advocates
who place the welfare of animals and even plants on an
equal footing with that of human beings, of those who
make aboriginal rights into a religion, of those who
advocate sexual liberation, he spoke of new age
religions, witchcraft and crystals and mother-earth
religion. |
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But the
religion that perhaps shows up this difference the most
is the new religion of tolerance, what I think he called
the new fundamentalism. This perhaps more than anything
else is the place where Christians will find themselves
opposed by those of the world. From what I've read, the
new "Racial and Religious Tolerance Bill"
that's about to go before the State parliament, which is
based on these ideas of tolerance above everything else,
could mean that a Christian could be tried for making a
statement about the uniqueness of Christ if it could be
construed by a disaffected person as
"intolerance" and offensive to their rights and
beliefs. But even without a Bill like that, we'll find
ourselves looked down upon if we talk about Jesus being
"way the truth and the life, no-one comes to the
Father except through him." The world doesn't want
to be told that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Nor
does it want to be subject to the moral standards that
God wants for his world. It wants everyone to be able to
decide on their own moral standards. In 16:2 Jesus says:
"an hour is coming when those who kill you will
think that by doing so they are offering worship to
God." Now I'm not sure that people today think of
this as worship of God, but I am sure they think they're
doing a service to society, when they push tolerance at
all costs. There's nothing malicious about this you see.
People who push for tolerance in all things, except
intolerance of course, think they're doing it for the
good of others. But irrespective of whether they think
they're doing a good thing, they're doing it out of
ignorance of the Father and of Jesus. (v3) |
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It's also
true, as Jesus points out in 15:22-24, that there are
many who even when they see the works that Jesus has
done, refuse to believe in him. In fact, one of the sad
things about that talk by Andrew Bolt, was that after
listing the many positive influences and contributions
that the Christian faith has made to our society, he
finished by admitting that he wasn't himself a believer.
He could see what an influence the Christian faith had
had on civilisation, on our nation and culture, yet he
wasn't prepared to accept the need for commitment to it's
Lord. |
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So how
are we going to stand against the sort of opposition that
the world will offer. This was obviously in the minds of
the disciples. Remember they were feeling like Jesus'
going would leave them abandoned, like orphans, without
anyone to support or defend them. So, again, Jesus seeks
to reassure them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. |
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He says:
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the
Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27You
also are to testify because you have been with me from
the beginning." The solution to our dilemma is
twofold. You see, the picture is in fact bigger than we
first thought. There aren't just 2 types of people
involved. There's actually a third party who has a
significant effect on the other two. The Spirit of Truth
is sent to speak to those who are opposed to Jesus. We'll
see more of how he does that in a moment. But first
notice that we're called to testify on Jesus' behalf.
Actually it's the disciples in the first instance who are
to testify of what they've seen and heard. Back in 14:26
they're told that the Spirit will remind them of all that
Jesus has said to them. In 16:13-15 they're told that the
Spirit will guide them into all truth, that he'll reveal
what's yet to come and that he'll make known to them what
Jesus wants them to know. But the Spirit is given to us
as well to remind us of what we've learnt of Jesus. To
bring back to us the things we've read in God's word. To
give us words to speak, so we can be witnesses to Jesus
Christ, witnesses of the gospel. |
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So we
have a part to play, but in a sense it's a secondary
part. Or at least it's a role that we play as a partner
with the Holy Spirit. Jesus goes on in vs5-11 to speak
about the way the Holy Spirit helps us in facing
opposition from the world. In fact, he says, it's far
better for us that Jesus has left, than if he'd stayed.
Far more will be achieved by the presence of the Holy
Spirit with the disciples, than ever would have been if
Jesus had remained with them. When Jesus was with them,
their number maybe reached a couple of hundred at it's
peak, and even then, most gave up after a while, leaving
a mere handful of followers. But think about what
happened with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost. 3,000 were converted the first time the gospel
was preached, and then we're told the Lord added to their
number daily, those who were being saved. A few days
later there are 5,000. So what does the Spirit do that
makes such a difference? |
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Well, he
says: "If I do not go away, the Advocate will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And
when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin
and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin,
because they do not believe in me; 10about
righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you
will see me no longer; 11about judgment,
because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
The word Advocate, or Counsellor as you'll find it in
some translations, is the word that was used for someone
who was called in to assist you, particularly in a legal
proceeding. So he might be a witness in your defence, or
he might be your lawyer. |
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So when
Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit in this context as
being the Advocate, that's the idea he has in mind. The
Spirit acts as defence counsel on our behalf. And what
does he do? |
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He says:
"He will prove the world wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgment." That is, he'll act like
a defence counsel, cross-examining the witness to show up
the error of their testimony. And how will he do it? |
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He'll
prove them wrong about sin, first of all, because they do
not believe in Jesus. You see, there's a new focus for
the definition of sin here. Sin is no longer centred in
the transgression of God's law. Nor can sin be seen as a
mere snicker word. ("I'm such a sinner! Said
jokingly.) No, sin, now, is centred in the rejection of
Jesus as Lord. In the end it's the failure to believe in
Jesus that defines sin, that leads to judgement. That's
why it's so important for us to be proclaiming Jesus as
Lord when we preach the gospel, not just a new set of
rules. |
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Secondly,
he'll prove them wrong about righteousness, because Jesus
is going to the Father and they will see him no longer.
Jesus' resurrection and ascension, his exaltation to the
right hand of the Father, not only vindicates his
righteousness, but in fact it guarantees the triumph of
goodness in the world. I think lots of people ask whether
it's possible to find lasting goodness in this fallen
world? When everywhere we look we see good things spoilt
and polluted it's easy to wonder whether that's the
inevitable end for everything. But no, in Jesus we
discover a lifestyle, an obedience to God, that lasts.
And he rises as the first fruits of those that love God.
What's more, Jesus shows them to be wrong about the means
to righteousness. The only way we'll achieve
righteousness before God is through the finished work of
Jesus on the cross. Only through faith in his
righteousness will we be made righteous. |
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Thirdly,
he'll prove them wrong about judgment, because the ruler
of this world has been condemned. If they think that the
idea of judgement is old hat; if they think God isn't
going to judge, they've got it wrong. In Jesus' death,
Satan has been overthrown. Satan has done his worst and
Jesus has triumphed. You see, Satan thought that he had
Jesus where he wanted him. If Jesus was willing to take
on himself the judgement of the world, then so be it. Let
Jesus die. But Jesus didn't stay dead, did he? He came
back to life, and in so doing he defeated death. He
removed for all time the fear of condemnation and in so
doing, he took away Satan's power. In rising to new life,
he showed that God was right, that Jesus was the
righteous Son of God and that Satan had it wrong. So
Jesus' death and resurrection is like an acted out
judgement on Satan. Jesus' resurrection and ascension is
the sign that the Kingdom is here. The time has come to
decide one way or the other which side you're on. The
work of the Spirit is to inject that imperative for
decision making into our consciousness. |
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So yes,
we will find ourselves at odds with the world, faced with
opposition as Christians, witnessing to a hostile
audience. But when that happens we're not on our own. We
can take great heart from the knowledge that the Holy
Spirit is there with us, convicting people of their sin,
showing them the way to righteousness before God and
warning them of the judgement to come. |
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I don't
know about you, but I find that a great encouragement
when I'm talking to people about Jesus. I was talking to
someone this week who'd been rung up by a local newspaper
who were doing an article on the meaning of Easter. After
the reporter had finished asking her questions, she said,
"I think I should get out a bible and read it for
myself." That's the work of the Holy Spirit,
prompting her to take it further. |
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It's also
a great encouragement when I come each week to prepare my
sermon, to know that it's the Holy Spirit who works
through my words to convict people of the truth of the
gospel. It's the Holy Spirit who will move in people's
hearts to accept the word of God, to change their lives,
to accept the need to decide for Jesus. My words on their
own aren't going to convince people of anything. But as I
testify about Jesus, the Spirit of Truth who comes from
the Father joins with me in testifying of Jesus. |
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Let's
pray that that would be true for each one of us as we
proclaim the risen Lord to those around us. |
