The World Hates You

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

No one likes to be hated. Sure, it may seem as though some enjoy perturbing others to such an extent that they desire to be disliked and disdained. There have always been, and always will be, shock jocks and public displays of vulgarity. But everyone wants and needs to be liked, to be loved by someone. But that is not what you can expect from the world around you, according to today's Gospel lesson.

Today, you have heard Jesus say, “I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them.” The first half of that sentence is great, wonderful news. You have indeed received the Word of the Lord which Jesus Himself came down from heaven to give to you. And you have not received it once, or briefly, but over and over, in many ways and various forms.

You first received the Word wrapped in the waters of your Baptism. There, by water and the Word, you were regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The old Adam in you was drowned and died together with all sins and evil desires. God pulled you back out of that watery grave and into new life, filled with the Spirit and the Word. By His gracious work, the Word of faith was emblazoned upon your heart. The God-shaped void in your soul was filled with the Word of God. The very Name of God was given to you to be your own name. The holy name of Jesus Christ the Crucified was engraved upon your forehead and upon your heart, to mark you forever and indelibly as one redeemed by Christ our Lord. His Word makes you God's beloved child.

Since that blessed washing, you have received the Word of God in your faithful hearing of the Word. Throughout your life, you have read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested the Word, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you might take it to heart and make it your life and light. You have heard the preaching of God's ministers when they convict you of your sins and call you to repentance for your transgressions. You have clung to the life-giving words of the Absolution: I forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God spoken and preached has entered your ears and lodged in your heart.

Furthermore, you have received the Word of God placed upon your tongue and poured across your lips. Jesus Christ our Lord gave His Body and Blood to be your food and drink, that by taking and eating the very Word of God made flesh, enclosed in the bread and wine, you might receive the forgiveness of your sins and the regeneration of your faith. The Word is not static or bound to the pages of a dusty old book, but is living and active, and is given into your mouth to eat and to drink today, from this altar.

All that sounds wonderful and grand. God loves you, and He gave His Word so that you may believe as much. But now the world hates you on account of that Word which you have received. The world around you hates the Word of God, and therefore, since you are filled with that Word, it hates you.

You see, the world lives in misery. Just look around you. Death and destruction seem to reign from every corner and quadrant of the earth. Open up a newspaper, turn on the TV, or log onto the internet, and you will shortly find out how terrible this world is for those who live in it. People die in car crashes. Soldiers and civilians get killed in wars. Cancer, AIDS, and a whole host of other diseases claim the lives of loved ones. It seems that everyday some new and previously innocuous thing is now today's portent of imminent doom.

Your lives, and the lives of all people, are perilous and fragile. An accident can instantly snuff out a vibrant life. Illness or injury kills or disables. Life is hard, and suffering is common to all in this world.

On top of it all, those who inhabit this world live a lie. The citizens of this world are engaged in chasing after false gods. Millions upon billions chase after the gods of the pagans, whether it be Allah or Buddha or Brahma. Idols fill the land from sea to sea. Or, if you prefer, there are the gods that the people of this world make in their own hearts. Wealth, power, fame, fortune, pleasure, free will, political strategy. All these things are turned into the siren song which draws many a man to run aground in the shoals of his own heart and mind in the search for the divine, for meaning.

So many in our midst would like to solve their own problems. Just get the right party elected to power. Just get the right legislation through into law. Just get the right amount of spending happening in the right places. Just make those bills hold off for another month. Of course, many would deny that they have any real problems. Sure, there are minor snafus or hang-ups along life's road. Who does not stumble from time to time, right? But generally, we are good people and we all want to do the right thing and get along, right?

All these things conspire together, under the orchestration of the prince of this world, to rob you of the joy which comes from being filled with the Word of God.

The world's residents see your joy. How could they not? After all the light of Christ dwells richly in you and shines forth through you. Your love for your neighbor is evident for all to see. You have the peace of God which passes all understanding to keep your heart and mind focused on Christ Jesus. You have the freedom of the Gospel, that freedom from sin, guilt, and shame, which frees you simply to love and serve in humble obedience and joy.

The world sees this, and hates you, because you have that for which it so desperately longs. The devil hates you because you have that which he forsook – you have the love of God, the very image of God. The world hates you because you have joy, peace, and freedom. You have the joy of sins forgiven. You have the peace of communion with God. You have the freedom of your salvation accomplished. But the world hates you because it sees your joy, while its people labor in vain, chasing lies and wind. It hates you, because it wants what you have.

Christ our Lord says that all of this comes about because you “are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” There is no denying that Jesus is not of this world. After all, He is the very Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds. He brings a message of repentance and forgiveness to all who would believe. But the world does not want to repent. And because of His Word, our Lord was hated, reviled, and scorned.

Jesus was beaten, crucified, and buried because the world and its prince could not abide His Word, even His presence. He was handed over into death, even death upon a cross, because of His Word of truth.

However, because Jesus is not of this world, the world could not defeat Him. He was handed over, by His own will. He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, but laid down His own life. He was buried, but death could not contain Him. That three-day tomb was burst open, and out stepped forth the Lord of Life. Death's sting is vanquished, its seal broken open, its power destroyed forever.

And now, Jesus has left this world, but He has not left you alone. He has left you His Word and His Spirit. For you, Jesus prayed to the Father, “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” On Thursday, we celebrated the blessed ascension of our Lord into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father.

But He has sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, to be with you. The Spirit bears witness to Christ for you, to His blessed work of salvation, to forgive your sins. He bears witness to the faith which He nourishes and grows within you, that you may be called a child of God, that you may be called righteous and holy.

And our Lord Christ has united you to Himself in Holy Baptism. You were buried with Him into death, in order that you may be raised again to newness of life, and at the last be raised up to heaven, to join the host who surround His throne forever.

Jesus has indeed ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, reigning for all eternity. That is glorious news for you, because it means that He has secured your entrance into heaven. It means that a man, with the flesh and blood of humanity, is sitting on the throne of God. It means that Jesus is there, interceding for you and for all people with the Father. He is pleading for you, that your sins are forgiven and you are declared righteous, holy, and acceptable to God.

Jesus has gone up to heaven, but you remain here. You remain here to live in His grace for the days of life given to you, that you may share His love with your neighbor. You remain here, not because of your sin, but because God has need of you in His creation.

You will incur the wrath of the devil and his minions. Receiving the Gifts of God draws a battle-line in front of you. That cross which marks your forehead and heart makes you an enemy of Satan. He will try to keep you from receiving the gifts of God, from hearing the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. He will tempt your still-sinful flesh to cooperate with him in his evil schemes.

But take heart. Even thought the battle still rages, the war has been won. Jesus has defeated sin, death, and Satan once and for all. His death paid the price for your sins, redeeming your life from the pit.

So, when the devil assails you, cling to Christ. From Him can nothing move you. Nothing can sever you from Him and His Word. Nothing can remove His Spirit from your heart or His Name from upon you. Take courage, because the fight is decided. Christ has won, for you.

Satan, hear this proclamation:

I am baptized into Christ!

Drop your ugly accusation,

I am not so soon enticed.

Now that to the font I've traveled,

All your might has come unraveled,

And against your tyranny,

God, my Lord, unites with me! (LSB 594.3)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!