I find it very difficult to answer hate with love. The worldly way is blow-for-blow, dog-eat-dog, and tit-for-tat. Jesus’ way is so much higher. If we can go there, we will be world-changers in the name of the one who loved us all so much he sacrificed his life…
For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:11-15 NIV
Love and hate are tied closely to good and evil. Just like Jesus in the sermon on the mount, John wants us to know that if we think we are righteous, the proof is in the pudding. It isn’t enough to not murder. We need to stop hating.
It is a sign of our discipleship to love each other and our neighbours. And just to remind us from John 13, Jesus wasn’t talking about some human version of love in which we love people back and in which we only respect if we are not being disrespected. That’s some 21st century tit-for-tat attitude that is mostly used to justify hating and less respect for the lives of others.
We are, instead, to love like Jesus loved us. In case you missed it, this is a sacrificial love that was enacted for us while we still hated him. So while someone hates you, you should love them. This is sad news, isn’t it? Messes with our whole vengeance thing we have going on up in here….
The practical demonstration of our redemption and our eternal life is loving our brothers and sisters. The world can hate you all it wants. They’ll do them. You do you, in light of Jesus dying for everyone. The world won’t know what to do with you if you love like this, but Jesus will open doors to change this world for good if we are willing to be like him.
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 