John 15:17-20
New International Version (NIV)
17 This is my command: Love each other.
The World Hates the Disciples
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
I have been thinking about these verses a lot lately.
Number one: Should I care if people hate me?
Number two: Do people hate Christians because they follow Christ, or do they hate them because they truly are hypocritical unloving monsters who, like the Pharisees, love to judge others and point out their sin?
Number three: If I SHOULD care, what should my reasons be?
It is undeniable that Christians as a general mass have created a somewhat sordid and imperfect past and present. There have been many things done and said in the name of Christ that, from my armchair viewpoint, should not have been said or done. You can fill in the blank with whatever comes to mind. There are plenty of things to choose from. Christians can be a pretty easy target to show imperfection. I personally think that is because the devil loves to create reasons for the world to see Christians as hypocritical undesirables. And it is also because Christians ARE imperfect. We are sanctified by Christ and transformed by our faith. That does not mean that we always do the right thing. It does not mean that we always have the right words, or that we always walk in wisdom. It clearly does not mean that our opinions are popular, and we clearly don’t always express those unpopular opinions in ways that would glorify God. I can’t tell you how many times I have talked to my husband about the fine line between standing up for what we believe in and wisely keeping our traps shut. We have both muddied that line.
Another thing, which I think is a complete travesty, is that Christianity has become (or always has been?) a political weapon. I am not for one second saying that Christians should stay out of politics, or that they shouldn’t be activists, or that they shouldn’t run for office. What I am saying is that God so greatly transcends any political debate that we have here on Earth that it is almost laughable that our faith in Him could become a pawn in a comparatively insignificant game. Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. He knew that the people were trying to trap him into a political debate. He also knew that the business that he was accomplishing on Earth was infinitely more important than whether or not Caesar collected taxes (Mark 12: 14-17).
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| Photo credit: NDK |
Conservative, fundamentalist Christian. Kind of sounds like a swear word, doesn’t it? And why shouldn’t it be? When was the last time you watched, or read, something – the news, films, books, articles, tv shows – in which a Christian was portrayed as an actually decent person? Politicians touting on about conservative moral ideals generally come across as tight-lipped-big-business-severely-judgemental-war-monger-environment-killing-anti-poor-women-gay-black-hispanic… you get the picture. If there’s a Christian on a show of predominantly non-Christian folk, watch out. That Christian is at best going to come across as some ultra-naïve dumb girl who will someday be sexually liberated. At worst the character will be an extremely severe, annoying kill-joy who secretly wants to join in any kind of sin-filled outing everyone else is partaking in. Or better yet –the Christian spinster woman. She’s awful. She comes to the main character’s door and tells them that their Buddhist statue on the lawn is a blight on an otherwise wonderful community. Good thing we as the viewers know she’s just a nasty old hag that no one loves.
And why should I be concerned about people hating Christians? Why should I be concerned if they (we) are mocked? Is it because my pride is hurt? Is it because I want everyone to think I have the best answers to all of the world’s problems? No. Obviously. No. (Even if my prideful side desires it). Is it because I want to see conservative right-wing agendas passed through congress? As stated earlier: No. My main concern should be how Christ is represented – and about the people of the world that are lost souls.
I am sure it sounds like a cliché to be concerned about the “lost of the world.” After the above description of Christians it is hard to imagine that we have any room left in our hearts to actually love people. But, at least speaking for myself, that is a HUGE concern of my heart. When I was in college I got into a conversation with a friend who was not a Christian. We were in a horror film study class and we were discussing Invasion of the Body Snatchers for a class project. The main character in that book realized that something horrible was happening to the townsfolk. When he tried to warn the people in the town, they thought he was crazy. I told my friend that that’s what being a Christian is like sometimes.
Sometimes it can be extremely discouraging to be a Christian. Not because I feel like the victim of the media, but because I see the harm in such a distasteful portrayal. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian has the right intention in their heart, but I have had the privilege of knowing quite a few of them.
Imagine knowing something so important that you feel like if you don’t share it, you might actually explode. Imagine feeling that if you don’t share it – you’re actually being an extremely selfish human being.
Now imagine a great feast (I love food, I hope this analogy works for you like it does for me). At this feast are all of your favorite foods – for me it would be like, a salad with feta cheese for starters, and then olives, rice, lemon chicken, fresh mozzarella and delicious out of the oven baked bread. I would also have a tasty mixed drink. This feast would be relaxed. We would have wonderful conversation. At the end of it – after we have finished our tiramisu – we would sit back and sip hot drinks and simply enjoy each other’s company. Meanwhile, there are people outside of our warm little glowing cottage who are eating dirt. They’re also freezing. We know they’re outside eating dirt. We know they’re cold. One time we lamely invited them inside, but mostly we keep to ourselves. They don’t ask to come in, and we don’t offer. We figure it’s better that way because it is better to keep out of their business. If they want to eat dirt, that’s up to them. We have our Turkish Delights and that’s good enough for us. This would be my definition of neutrality.
1 Corinthians 9: 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
