Righteousness Has Never Been Popular

Righteousness has never been popular.

Some people think Jesus was popular with everyone except self-righteous religious leaders.

It's true that Jesus was hated by religious leaders (Matthew 26:3-4), but He was also rejected, mocked, and/or hated by:

1. His family (John 7:2-5).

2. His disciples (John 6:53-66).

3. His hometown (Matthew 13:54-57).

4. People in general (John 7:7).

Even though large crowds came to listen to Him, some came for food, not faith (John 6:22-26).

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world...” John 15:18-19

It's easy to share God's love if we only tell half the story and say nothing about repentance, self-denial, purity, and righteousness. These things weren't popular when Jesus preached them, and they aren't popular today.

Let's pray that we can share the whole gospel as graciously, lovingly, and boldly as Jesus did, without concern for our popularity (Matthew 10:22).
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For more on this subject check out these 1-minute devotions:
This devotion shares the full text of more than 10 passages of Scripture: Why Following Christ Will Never Make Us Popular. 
This devotion addresses Paul's warning about people worshiping "another Jesus" instead of the real Jesus: False Views of Jesus.
This devotion answers the question "Is Jesus Likable?"

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