Have you ever been hated by someone? If you have, you know that it is not a very good feeling, especially if you’ve done nothing to deserve it. Being a black man in the United States, I can attest that I have been hated because of the color of my skin. I’ve heard racial slurs, I’ve been ostracized and I’ve been excluded because of my ethnicity. But being rejected as “less than” can’t be as bad as being rejected as evil. In recent years it has become more and more politically incorrect to hate me because of my race. But it has become more and more accepted to hate me because of my Christian belief. When I first read Luke, chapter 6, verse 22, I never thought I would see it played out in my lifetime. But things have changed, and Jesus warned us by saying:
“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”
Within recent years, some Americans may have felt a little of what Jesus warns about in this verse. You may have even experience it yourself. If you have, I would encourage you to remember that even though being “hated” doesn’t feel good, Jesus also says that you will be blessed because of it. You see, God considers it a badge of honor to suffer because of your allegiance to Christ. Many have been beaten, imprisoned, excommunicated, mistreated and have even died for their belief in Jesus. And their reward in heaven will be great. You and I may have never felt this level of persecution, but things are changing. I didn’t expect that our culture would hate, or vilify, those who boldly proclaim their faith in my lifetime, but it is happening. Even still, the Bible encourages us not to despair. On the contrary, we are to consider ourselves blessed. In fact, in the very next verse Jesus says, “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”
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If you hold to the Christian faith; if you fearlessly and boldly proclaim what you believe you will be hated, even if your proclamation is done in love. But that shouldn’t discourage us. In fact, we should be encourage. Jesus says that we should “leap for joy” if we are rejected as evil because great is our reward in heaven. Though I don’t think we are called to seek out persecution, we certainly shouldn’t avoid it. Because if we are living a life for Christ, some level of persecution is inevitable. It is inevitable in a way that it has not been seen in my lifetime. So when we are hated we shouldn’t be surprised. Are you willing to be hated? Are you willing to be excluded, insulted and to have your name rejected as evil because of Jesus? You may want to consider the answer to those questions before it happens. It is my prayer for you and for me that we are ready and willing to be hated, because no matter the level of persecution you face, your reward will make it all worth it.
