Jesus had been warning His disciples about the persecution which would come to Him and to them. It would not be random acts of hatefulness but part of a coordinated assault on the Kingdom of God. The religious leaders and their followers were being manipulated and deceived, and they behaved in the way their master ordered. And the head of their ungodly clan was Satan himself - the prince of this world, the prince of demons - the deceiver. He was so deceptive that they did not even know He was using them against God and his kingdom.
 
It was a terrible perversion of the truth. Jesus was the rightful head of the household of faith in Israel; but as John 1:11 says, "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." Instead, the religious leaders claimed that it was Jesus who was demonised (John 8:48-46) and that his power to cast out demons came from Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24).
 
Of course, much of the rebellion against the truth is already hardwired into each person: sinful resistance against submission to God is endemic. But the physical presence of God the Son stirred up Satan's fury particularly, emboldening those who should have welcomed Him, to reject Him. And those who followed Jesus would receive the same treatment. The Evil One would bring hatred against Christians into their families and communities, making it difficult for them to witness to the saving grace of Christ; trying to prevent the growth of God's kingdom.
 
Those who hate you, because you love the Lord Jesus, do not have a personal vendetta; they are simply carrying out their evil master's instructions. And you, if you are a true disciple of Jesus, should be carrying out His instructions. The two sets of instructions have totally different objectives: Satan's is to destroy God's kingdom, and Christ's is to build it. So we should not be surprised that difficulties and persecution are normal in the church. Around the world today, more believers are being persecuted for their faith in Christ than at any other time in history. If persecution comes to you, do not be surprised (1 Peter 4:12-14): it shows who your Master is.