Love and Hate
Thursday in Easter Week:
AM Psalm 146, 147 • PM Psalm 148, 149
Ezek. 37:1-14 • Acts 3:11-26 or 1 Cor. 15:41-50 • John 15:12-27
In our gospel reading today, we have love, hate, and the whole trinity mentioned. We begin with a paragraph on love, with the first and last sentences hitting me the hardest. Both contain “love one another”. In this passage we are chosen, called to bear fruit, and challenged to do one of the hardest things we humans can do, which is love eachother with Jesus’ unconditional, radical love.
Then we get a whole paragraph on being “hated”. For me, hate is an extremely strong word. It is so easy to attach to small things (I hate bell peppers), but the idea of being hated for following Christ (especially in America) feels like a stretch. If the goal is to love, and our actions are informed by love, the hate others may have for that finds no purchase. It consumes the hater, and has no impact on sacrificial love. What we have to remember is that Jesus was proposing things that were so contradictory to the mentalities of the time, that it would spawn hate in those that were threatened by it. This is the dynamic that we continue to face two thousand years later. When we choose to love those who others do not understand, and therefore fear, we are still met with hate by those who can not comprehend the love.
Which brings us to the trinity dynamic in this reading. Jesus is making it clear that he is doing his father’s bidding, and what people are hating is the love that he shared and has called us to share on behalf of the father. Jesus mentions the “advocate”, the “spirit of truth” that will testify on his behalf. We have the Father’s love as the source, Jesus’ example as a teacher, and the spirit of truth to guide us in this challenging work. The “hate” that we may encounter pales in comparison to the love that we are offered and can offer. Love wins.
Written by Dan Robinson
Dan Robinson is the Media Ministries specialist at St. Paul’s, overseeing the streaming of services online.