The other day, my pastor said that if we are not being hated then we are not being Christian. Now, I think I understand where he is coming from, but....

I think he is referencing the following passage:

The World Hates the Disciples

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I think that this statement needs quite a bit of unpacking before we can make general statements about being hated by the world. What did Jesus mean when He said these words? Frankly, I don't really feel hated by the world due my being Christian. Does this mean I'm not being Christian? Would being like Jesus cause the world to hate me? Obviously it did in Jesus time and also in the time of persecution of the early church. But what about today? The people I have come across are generally kind to Christians. Does that mean we (I) are not actually living like Jesus? I'm struggling with this.

I worry that some Christians take this as, "well I gotta make sure I'm hated by the world, cuz that means I'm doing right." And unfortunately, the reason they are hated by the world isn't because of anything having to do with being like Jesus. This reasoning seems backwards to me.

If I'm hated because I love unconditionally (still working on that), then fine. But, I don't want to be hated for being rude or arrogant, or acting superior or perfect or being a cheapskate. I think what Jesus would want us to do is follow Him, be like Him, and I think these words are a warning. Kind of like, "Hey, follow me, but just beware, alot of people weren't to thrilled with me, I pretty much turned things upside down. So don't be surprised if you get the same response as I did. But, just follow me."