John 7:6-7 (ESV Strong's)
Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
Tell the World the Truth and They Will Hate You
Jesus was being told He needed to reveal Himself to the crowds during the Passover Feast. The disciples were begging Him to show the world He was the Messiah. Jesus, on the other hand, knows that His time is not yet, as He knows He must die for them. His statement, above, gives us insight into the dynamic of the day. Jesus had repeatedly told the Pharisees and other religious leaders, as well as the crowds of people, the truth. In this section (chapters seven and eight) He is even more blunt. He tells the Pharisees that they are just like their father, the devil:
John 8:44 (ESV Strong's)
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
That is the blunt truth. This is what Jesus is saying when, above, He says the world hates Him because He points out that they are evil. The same is true of this world. We will be liked by this world if we tell them lies. We will be hated by this world if we tell them the truth. That is the the truth. Jesus’ very life made others feel uncomfortable because of His holiness. But, it was His words of truth that caused them to hate Him. The same is true for us today. Christianity fits right into this world, today. We are not offensive to the world, because we are like them and not different.
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