Do they hate us for the right reason?

John 15:18-25

18 “If the world hates you, [a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [b]sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have [c]sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’"

I've heard the above passage used as a defense for people hating those who call themselves Christian. It's an interesting defense because it seems true on the surface. The trouble is, most of us who either claim the name or to whom the name is applied, fail to "slaves" to Christ. Oh, certainly, we give lip-service to the idea, but when it comes down to brass tacks, our service to Christ often falls to the side so we can feed whatever lust may be the flavor of the day. We see something that strikes our fancy and we put all our time and energy into it. We all do it.

And eventually those things eat away at us. We become prideful, disdainful, all the things the Apostle Paul warned us are fruits of the flesh in Galatians 5. But before that, in verses 13-15 (NASB), he says the following:

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

We spend so much time being cantankerous and finding ways to tear down other people that the message of Christ is lost. Not only do people hate us because we come across as jerks, they come to hate Christ and all that He stands for. This is a horrible thing and must not be.

Let us be like Christ. Let us love our neighbors, that being everyone we come across to the end that Christ is glorified, then, if people still hate us, that is for God to sort out. We will have done right.

The psalmist wrote about a tree planted by flowing streams of water which never dies and just keeps growing. Let us plant ourselves in the knowledge of the Word of God, in prayer and in meditation. Let us do good for those around us and love them as the Father has loved us. Let us not be that tree that dies away leaving only a gnarled trunk and branches behind.