Hateration Is Validation

Luke 6:22
Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Everybody wants to be loved and respected. You want to know that people appreciate you. If you are the kind of person that needs a daily dose of this kind of validation then fulltime ministry may not be for you. When you really live out what it means to be a Christ follower and live out the true meaning of a radical gospel you will not be liked or loved by everybody.

Biggie Smalls said, “You’re nobody 'til somebody kills you.” Jesus said it another way, “you’re nobody until somebody hates you.” You’re probably not doing anything significant for the Kingdom if people are not hating on you. I’m not talking about people critiquing you for moral failure or ethical improprieties or even being addicted to mediocrity. I’m talking about people just being mean because you are outside the box and don’t conform to their paradigm of what they understand to be normal.

Hating is when people don’t like your light because they have no shine. Hating is when people assassinate a person’s character with no substantial proof of misgivings. Hating is when you cannot celebrate someone else’s achievement because they did it before you. You are a hater if you are reading this right now and wondering, “Is he talking about me?” (I see you, hi hater…LOL).

Not everyone is a hater just those who hate you and don’t even know why they don’t like you. There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism. Nothing wrong with people holding you accountable, but there is something wrong when people hate you for simply doing right and helping people.

Jesus was hated. He said, “No student is above his teacher. If they hated on me they are going to hate you too.” Jesus also said that there are three ways they hate on you and you are blessed when it happens:

1. When they exclude you. You may wonder why you are not invited into certain circles. You are not supposed to fit in. That’s why you are excluded. Your anointing will not allow the wrong people to be comfortable around you.

2. Insult you. They say ugly things about you to tarnish your name, whether it be your name, your business, or your organization. They try to demonize you so that it is easier for people to join in their hatred of you.

3. Reject your name as evil. They try to associate the mention of your name with everything bad. They can’t even stand for people to mention your name. “Oh you go over there?!” “Yeah I know him/her.” What is sad is that they don’t even know you. They’ve never sit down to have a conversation with you but they “know you.”
They do this not because the negative things they say are true but because of your relationship with the radical nature of Jesus. Jesus was a revolutionary who loved the marginalized, the poor, the tax collectors, prostitutes and the sick. His ministry methods were unorthodox; healing on the Sabbath, touching lepers, talking with women in public, drinking and eating with sinners. He couldn’t be contained in traditional boxes and traditional/religious people hated him.

When you operate in this pattern, people are going to hate you. What you need to be worried about is when everybody speaks well of you. V. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated false prophets.

Like NAS said, “you can hate me now but I won’t stop now!” the sooner you realize how blessed you are for being hated as a follower/disciple of Christ the more effective you will be. You’re not supposed to fit in. Your ‘Hateration’ is only Validation that God is using you.

Dear God, thank you for setting me apart for your service. It’s been lonely at times but the reward of seeing your people blessed has been worth the hits and the isolation. I know you sent me after those nobody else wanted and to say what nobody else would say and do what nobody else would do so we could live like nobody else has lived. We are blessed in the city, we are blessed in the field, we are blessed when we come and when we go. Thank you for blessing me when I’m hated on. I love my Haters.

In Jesus Name,
Amen