In the Gospel today Jesus talks about hate instead of love. He says the world will hate us. The world will hate us for loving Jesus, because it hated Jesus first. The world tortured and killed him. So what will it do to us for loving and following him?  Especially if we do it right. If we stand up for the poor and marginalized. If we do what’s right for others, not for our own profit. If we follow Jesus instead of following the world, the world will not love us. This world will not reward us. In following him, we do not belong to this world but to the next.

The slave is not greater than the master. The followers will not be treated better than the leader. Following Jesus is not easy. It’s not always popular. It’s not necessarily profitable or rewarding in the conventional sense. The same world that persecuted Jesus will not treat his followers any better. But in truly following Jesus, we do what is right. We treat people decently. We seek true justice for all. We love others even when they do not love us. Even when they hate us.

In choosing to follow Jesus we have been chosen by him. We are not of this world, and do not concern ourselves with the machinations of this world. If we were of this world, this world would love us and we would love worldly things, but in following Jesus we are of the next world.  In following Jesus, we do what’s right, not always what’s popular. We don’t get rewarded here, but will find our reward in the next.