Life is filled with choices and every choice has consequences. In grammar school, a student who befriends an unpopular boy or girl will lose friends and be made fun of. In high school, a student who refuses to give up his or her virginity will lose dates and be laughed at. In the workplace, if you live a life of integrity you’ll be passed over for a promotion. In the senior years, if you invest your time and money in the church you’ll miss out on various memories and material possessions. In the political realm, if you’re vocal about your favorite candidate, there will be those who disagree with you. In the spiritual realm, if you follow Jesus Christ, you will be hated. That’s right: HATED! Whether you like it or not, the Bible is clear that Christians will be hated and rejected by the world.
In John 15:18-16:4,1 Jesus explains why the world hates Christians. Naturally, I recognize that this will not be welcomed as a “feel-good sermon.” However, it does feel good to know that Jesus warned us in advance. As you reflect on Jesus’ words, ask yourself: Have I adopted a cultural Christianity or a cross-centered Christianity? Today, Jesus will say: It’s better to be loved than liked. In other words, it’s better to experience Jesus’ unconditional and eternal love than to win a popularity contest and be liked by the world.
In 15:18 Jesus declares, “If the world2 hates you, you know that it has hated Me3 before it hated you.”4The particular form of the word “if” assumes something is true. Jesus is saying, “If the world hates you—and it does.”5 There is a certainty in Jesus’ words: “You will be hated! You can count on it!” Jesus then reminds His disciples that the world hated Him first. Jesus is commanding His disciples to remember that He was hated from the time of His birth to the time of His death. Think about this: Jesus’ life began with King Herod attempting to kill Him. Jesus’ life ended in a death of sheer hatred. He was crucified at the wishes of His own people—the Jews. Thus, we must not be surprised by hatred.6 The word “hate” (miseo) is used seven times in the first eight verses (15:18-25).7 It is the dominant word in this passage. Jesus’ point is: Friendship with Me comes with a hefty price tag—the world’s hatred.8 Jesus wants you to be forewarned. In some circles, you will be public enemy number one.
Here are the reasons why your haters hate you
1. Because you have something that they don’t.
Whether is it your new decision you want to take, not staying with them again , your new house, or your life in general, you possess something they don’t — and that upsets them. Because they realize that life can be unfair, and that some people can have things or do things in life that others can’t. Perhaps they even desire what you have but don’t quite know how they themselves can achieve those things. When haters can’t figure why they lack the things they lack, or how they can get the things they lack, they become very angry individuals. To help themselves cope with this sense of frustration, they hate. This is how they deal with their feelings of inadequacy and inferiority after comparing themselves with others — by putting it on you. I say God will with them , like He did to Pharoah in Exodus.
2. Because they think you don’t deserve it.
They look at your fame, your popularity, your friends, your career, etc., and think that you are not worthy of these things, because they are only looking at things at surface level. They don’t care about the hard work you had put in behind the scenes — your sacrifices, your worries, your fears and the pains you’d gone through. Because they are superficial like that. I say God will destroy your haters.
3. Because they don’t want to lose to you.
They see life as some kind of competition — who’s more popular, who’s richer, who has more friends, who has more victories, who has the better job, - and they want to win. Their eagerness to do better than you is not based on their zeal towards life, but stems from their fear of losing to you and being seen as failure in their own eyes. They sort of made you their goal, and the further the distance between you and them, the more they hate. That’s why your haters never want to hear that you are doing well in anything.God will definitely deal with them.
4. Because they can’t get over the past.
You two had a thing in the past. Perhaps you were close friends but unfortunately fell out. Perhaps you were lovers but things didn’t turn out as planned or expected. Perhaps there was no closure for whatever issue there was between the two of you. Whatever it is, this hater of yours is still bitter about the past. He/she still can’t get over it; he/she is unable to forgive, yet. Well maybe after some time that troubling affair had quietly slipped off his/her mind, but because of the grudge still buried deep inside, whenever he/she gets reminded of you, emotions can run wild all over again. And there go the nasty comments and passive aggressive posts, again.
5. Because they can’t get over you.
You were important to this person and you broke his/her heart. And even after all this time, the wounds never really heal completely, and perhaps, never will. Maybe cognitive dissonance has a part to play in this as well. It is natural instinct to undermine the significance of the things we lose, so as to help us cope with loss and the grief that follows after. Haters overcompensate this aspect — the deeper they loved, the stronger they hate. Haters are people who (still) care, but they do so far too much. Sometimes you could feel that they care more about you and the things you do than you care about yourself, and they care about what other people think of you more than you actually do. All my haters what are you waiting for, die by fire in Jesus ,name.
6. Because they have nothing better to do in life.
All these activities give them that momentary sense of purpose and achievement in life. Perhaps your haters don’t even really dislike you that much. They just like hating on other people. Hating has sort of become a lifestyle for them. We can only wish them the best.
7. Because their life just ain’t as great and exciting as yours.
It’s true.
8. Because they need attention.
What haters are most afraid of is silence. They feel their existence when they know that you heard their voice. So don’t talk back or argue with them. They would only get more excited. Don’t try to reason with them. Don’t. Even. They won’t bother listening. They just need your response to know that someone actually cares about what they think or what they have to say.
9. Because they can.
Because anonymity allows them to spew nonsense without taking responsibility for it. It is convenient. It is easy. It is cowardice at its finest.
10. Because they are such bigots.
It’s not you. It’s them.
11. Because they are such self-righteous, moral high priests.
No matter, they will always think of themselves as the better person compared to you. They would use your past against you, judge and criticize you using their own morals and values, and dismiss any good that you do. They don’t feel the need for humility when talking to you because they believe that they will always be (more) right. But we all know that such beings do make the biggest hypocrites around.
12. Because they are big green-eyed monsters.
They are jealous people. They curse and wish for your downfall because they want you to lose the things you have that they don’t. They see life as a zero-sum game. They think, perhaps if you lose a couple of friends/fans, they could gain some themselves. And if they can’t have the things you have, they rather you not have them at all as well. They are basically pretty fucked-up human beings.
13. Because they are unhappy with some things in their own life.
And they try to make someone else unhappy too — by being the nuisance that they are. They want to pull you down to their level of unhappiness. They want you to be disturbed and not have peace. If they can’t enjoy their life, they make sure you can’t enjoy yours too.
14. Because they need to put someone down to feel good about themselves.
15. Because they are, in general, just losers.
But losers who need much love.
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