Importance of Mark xiii.13

In Mark xiii.13 is a powerful statement by Christ, which is not just for those people at that time. His words are as true today as they were all those centuries ago. εσεσθε μισουμενοι υπο παντων δια το ονομα μου. His followers will be hated (μισουμενοι, misoumenoi) by all because of His name.

One of the earliest historians, Herodotus, gives us a glimpse into the meaning of this word, μισεω, from which we get μισουμενοι. In his Histories he recorded an instance in Menelaus' stint in Egypt.

Yet, although getting this, Menelaus was guilty of injustice towards the Egyptians. For adverse weather detained him when he tried to sail away; after this continued for some time, he carried out something impious, taking two native children and sacrificing them. When it became known that he had done this, he fled with his ships straight to Libya, hated (μισηθεις) and hunted. Herod., Hist., 2.119.2-3

What is most interesting about this early example is the reason for the hatred. The hatred of the object, in this case Menelaus, was based on a judgement that he was a criminal, guilty in the eyes of the people. Bring that into the first century AD, and look at the hatred of Jesus. Do we not see the same situation from the perspective of those who hated Him? Their hatred was based on their judgement that He was a criminal, guilty. And as Jesus said, they hated Him first:

If the world hates (μισειν) you, be aware that it hated (μισει) me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. The one who hates me hates my Father too. If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me, and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. Jo. xv.18-27

Christians are criminals in the eyes of the world, no different than that of Menelaus except for one fact: we are hated because of the name of our Master. We will suffer because we embrace His name. Our identity in this world is in and with Christ, the hated One; naturally, we too will be hated. As Christ said, we "will be hated by all." Our calling into a life of suffering for His name begins with Christ's warning. If you want safety and security in this world, enough wealth to keep you happy, everyone as your best friend, and everyone to openly and readily listen to you, than do not choose the way of Christ.

That is why Mark xiii.13 is so powerful. The message is so clear in so few words. We will be hated by all because of Christ's name. What will you do with that? Will you endure to the end? Or will you give up on Him and go the way of the world? If you take the latter, at least the world will not hate you. And that's what you want, right? The world's love, the world's embrace. Go ahead, just please do not mix the two. The world's love and the world's embrace have nothing to do with the way of the hated Christ.