Most of us do not want to be hated-- in fact we would prefer to be liked. And yet, Jesus assures His disciples (and through them us!) that if they are "abiding in Him", the world will hate them as it did Him. And what naturally follows hatred is oppression and persecution. As Christians, we are faced with the dilemma of what to do in the face of such hatred. Do we hide from it? Do we compromise our beliefs so not to offend anyone? Do we collude with the world we have been chosen out of? Or do we boldly accept it and set about the work of the Kingdom regardless? In our passage for this study, Jesus expresses the reality of this hatred, explains why it must exist, and subtly shows His disciples that it is ONLY by facing the hatred of the world that we will truly be effective witnesses for Him.