How to not be a hater

I would say Jesus was having a hard day. First he got it from his brothers: "'Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.' For not even his brothers believed in him" (John 7:3-5).

Other than this vignette, we don't know much about the family dynamics of the Joseph bar Jacob household in the little limestone village of Nazareth, except that Jesus' relatives at some point thought him mad (Mark 3:21). With only these two anecdotes to represent 30 "lost" years, one can just imagine what it was like to be the Anointed One coming to consciousness of his Sonship amidst your average snotty siblings.

That was early in the day. Later, among the town rabble, it was worse: Superficial bemusement (John 7:14-15) quickly burned off to expose seething hatred. Take note of how Jesus handles being called a "demon" (John 7:20). What man among us would not reflexively defend himself against such a charge? Jesus, never into self-defense (Matthew 27:14; Mark 15:5), overlooks the murderous remark and continues pressing his plea for faith in the gospel.

This equanimity is available to all of us. Jesus was Son of God, it's true. But the way he kept loving people under withering criticism and persecution is the same way you and I may---by believing in the love the Father has for us.

"The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments . . ." and washed the disciples' feet . . . (John 13:3-5).

There is a cause and effect relationship in verses 3 and 4 of John 13. Jesus' abiding awareness of the Father's love made him rich---a secretly wealthy person disguised as a beggar; the quintessential man who found hidden treasure in a field.

But does the Father love us as he loved Jesus? We must be clear on this point: Middling conviction yields middling joy. The answer is absolutely liberating: ". . . you . . . loved them even as you loved me" (John 17:23).

Here are some of the things we can do when we believe in the love God has for us:

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