Jesus was Hated

Everyone wants to be loved. Sometimes the temptation to be a people-pleaser is almost overbearing. But the Bible says that we will be hated for not being like the world. It's almost inevitable. Jesus was despised and rejected by the world. They nailed him on the cross for goodness sake! So who better to look to, than Jesus, the One who was hated the most?

John 15:18-19
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it has hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Now, I don't think that Jesus was the most popular person in his day. I think that he was misunderstood and hated. The Pharisees hated Jesus. Jesus spoke with the authority that was from God and He was not like them. Jesus wasn't rich nor did he hang out with the Pharisees. Jesus spent his time with the lowly sinners. People in general hated Jesus; they thought he was a hypocrite. Jesus died because people hated him, not to mention that we hated him as well at some point.

If we are not of the world, we will be hated. If we don't do the things that our peers do, we will be hated. If we don't conform, we will be hated.

So, is it worth it? Is God worth being hated and teased? Is He worth losing our popularity and acceptance from others? Wasn't Jesus hated for us? The path that Jesus took was uncomfortable. We have to choose whether we are willing to be uncomfortable in order to give God all the glory that he rightly deserves. It all comes down to what is more important: Christ or acceptance.