hatred

Pilate was quite frustrated with Jesus. In John 18:34-38, Jesus offered no defense when the Jews demanded He be crucified. Pilate was used to raving anarchists and snarling murderers before him, but Jesus was gentle and showed no hint of hate or outrage. What startled Pilate even more was Jesus’ statement, “If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Jesus would not fight or hate.

Jesus lived what he taught. He had instructed His followers to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Lk 6:27-28). In Pilate’s mean world, he had never seen godly behaviour. History claims it changed the man forever. Continue reading →

This week the world once again witnessed the twisted combination of religion and hatred. Innocent lives were lost and many others felt threatened. The immediate reaction of the world was defiance.

Jesus warned us that we would sometimes be hated. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the son of Man.” (Lk.6:22) Hatred isn’t always violent; it can manifest itself by insults and giving people the cold shoulder. Nobody likes to be hated; we all want people to like us. But we can’t control what other people do. Sometimes hatred happens because people lump us together in their minds with abusive religions that have hurt them, or maybe people are simply afraid of what they don’t understand. Whatever the reasons, we need to expect that people will occasionally hate us. Continue reading →

Finding strength through meaningful fellowship

Pilate’s Problem

Blessed Are You When Men Hate You