The World May Not Understand You
Month 10: The Upper Room · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 15:18-21
18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. 20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. 21 But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
Memory Verse
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!””— John 16:33 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Matthew 20-23
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Jesus rides into Jerusalem, tells sharp parables, and warns the proud religious leaders — the King has come.)The Heart of It
Still seated in the upper room, Jesus tells His friends something hard but loving. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." He doesn't promise that following Him will make us popular. He says the very opposite. Because we now belong to Him, the world that turned against Him may turn against us too. That is not a sign something has gone wrong. Sometimes it's a sign we're truly walking with Jesus. He wanted His disciples warned ahead of time. Then they wouldn't be shocked or shaken when it came.
But look at why Jesus says this. He isn't trying to scare them. He's trying to anchor them. "Remember the word that I said to you," He tells them. When unkindness comes our way for loving Jesus, we don't have to wonder if He forgot us. He told us it might happen. And notice why He says the world hates Him. It's "because they do not know Him who sent Me." People who push back against Jesus are often pushing back against a God they have not yet met. That's not a reason to push back harder. It's a reason to keep loving, keep praying, and keep shining. The next person who mocks us might be the next person to meet Jesus.
Around the Table
Sometimes people might be unkind because we love Jesus. That doesn't mean we did anything wrong. Jesus stays right with us!
Let's do it: Give a thumbs-up and say, "I love Jesus, even if someone teases me!"
Jesus said the world treated Him this way first. He knows exactly how we feel. How does that help when someone is unkind to us?
Let's talk: What's a kind way to act when someone makes fun of your faith?
Jesus says the world hates Him because it doesn't know the Father. So being disliked for Jesus is not the same as being disliked for being rude or weird.
Let's go deeper: How can you tell the difference between suffering for Christ and just being unkind yourself?
💬 Conversation Starter
Has anyone ever thought your family was weird for something you do because you love Jesus? How did that feel? And how did you respond?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Jesus told His followers ahead of time that they would be hated. That is a mark of honesty. Made-up religions promise comfort and crowds, not opposition. And Christians have faced rejection in every century, exactly as Jesus said (). That fits a Teacher who told the truth instead of selling a fantasy.
For Dad · Go Deeper
It is tempting to raise kids to be liked. Jesus raises His disciples to be faithful. The "world" here doesn't mean people. We're sent to love people. It means the whole system that is set up in rebellion against God. And your children will feel its friction earlier than you think, online and in classrooms. Don't teach them to be combative. Don't let them wear a persecution complex like a badge. Teach them instead that being misunderstood for Jesus places them in the best company in history, alongside the prophets, the apostles, and the Lord Himself. Then model it. Let them see you take a quiet, kind stand and keep loving the very people who don't get it.
Draws on: D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You that You warned us. And thank You that You never leave us. When people are unkind because we love You, help us stay kind. Help us stay close to You. And help us keep praying for them to know You too. In Jesus' name, amen."
If the world doesn't understand me for loving Jesus, I'm in good company. He was loved by the Father all along.