The Reality of Hate

March 20

Readings – JER 11:18-20; JN 7:40-53

Today’s readings are not easy ones.  They are filled with the toxicity that can arise within the human heart.  While we are creatures that can rise to amazing goodness, humans can also get pretty nasty.  Today we hear stories of angry people plotting against Jeremiah and Jesus.  Nicodemus (the religious leader who visited Jesus at night) tries to defend Jesus only to become a similar target.

I often think of the Mark Twain saying, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Especially in the gospel, the Pharisees are convinced that nothing good can come from Galilee (where Jesus is from) and that he CANNOT be the Christ.  No way.  Absolutely not. Impossible.  They have made up their minds and damn anyone who gets in their way (even one of their own).  There is a future emerging that they refuse to support because it is not what they thought it was going to be.  And so they decide to oppose it and, ultimately, try to destroy it.

We witness hate like this all around us in the world.  We saw it right here in our country on January 6 and one of the most notable people of the insurrection in the Capitol was from the Rochester area (lest we think that “those people” live elsewhere).  We see it in the attacks against Asian-Americans that have risen during the pandemic and that we saw just this week in Atlanta.  We see it in the killings of trans women of color across the United States and the disappearance of Indigenous women across this country.  And we only have to listen to the daily headlines for more examples…

I find two things emerging out of my reading of today’s scriptures, and both unsettle me a bit.

First, the scriptures name the reality that some people are going to hate and harm others.  The readings, however, do not tell us to stop what we are doing because of this reality. We are instead invited to remain firm in our conviction in spite of the hate that is brought against us.  This takes a lot of courage (meaning heart and bravery).

While I in no way see the scriptures as telling us to accept or tolerate the hate, they may be offering some subtle guidance as to how to overcome it. When we try to eliminate hate, we risk becoming that which we seek to eliminate.  Martin Luther King Jr. knew that it took a lot of energy to hate and that the energy of hatred corrupted the human soul.  He said that only love can drive out hate and that we cannot allow ourselves to be “taken possession of by hatred in face of the hatred directed at” us.   

Secondly, I think we’re all called to be like Nicodemus. Broadly defined, Nicodemus is an “ally” to Jesus.  I often hear people say, “While I am appreciative of what you say and do when I am in the room, I want to know what you say and do when I am NOT around.”  Nicodemus doesn’t have to speak up, but he does.  He challenges their hate and sides with Jesus.  And, of course, they now turn on him.  Nicodemus models a way that we can use our privilege and influence in whatever circles we move in to challenge hate.  But don’t expect to be spared the consequences.

So as we move through our day today, let’s look for opportunities to counter hate with love in big and small ways. And may we also not be deterred from the good that we seek to do by those who oppose us.