A favorite gift my grandmother gave me was a book entitled "A Lover's Quarrel with the World." I don't remember much about the book, but I loved the title, because I believe it sums up the balance that it takes to follow Jesus in our daily lives. We are called to love each other and love the world the way Jesus loves. At the same time, we are not of this world and the kingdom movement we are in is a direct challenge to the way the world operates. The contrasts are vivid: "Might makes right" vs. "Turn the other cheek"; "Bigger is better" vs. "give away all you have to those who have less"; "Pre-emptive strikes and self-preservation vs. the Golden Rule; "He who has the gold rules" vs. the Golden rule; majority rule vs. the righteous remnant; etc, etc. The kingdom movement of Jesus Christ is as intensely counter-cultural as it is intensely loving. That's why the world hates true Christianity and why the cross is the symbol of our movement. Yes, it wins in the end, but at a horrendous price.
There is a caution, forever. True Christianity will make you controversial, but being controversial doesn't necessarily make you Christian! Some people just enjoy creating a ruckus and that is not what Jesus is talking about.
But how do we respond when people misunderstand, reject, and set us up for the fall? My normal response is to personalize it, see it as a personal attack and respond by becoming defensive, isolated and isolating. By isolating, I mean that I tend to isolate the offender. And the truth is those who do "hate us" or attack are being personal, but they are doing so because they have been offended, exposed or made uncomfortable (which none of us likes). When we show those around us the power-hungry and manipulative, selfish, dishonest and deceitful, oppressive and bigoted motivations of people and group processes, they will react in denial and anger. Even if we do it properly by "speaking the truth in love." But the reaction is not so much to us as the message and confrontation we have lovingly brought. For me, that means that I must remember that making disciples for the transformation of the world is God's gig, and I am just a player in it. Just because people don't like the music doesn't make it bad or wrong. Jesus says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
Jesus tells this to his disciples and to us so that when the reaction comes we will not lose heart. This is very much like the class session we had about "the backside of the mountain" and about being the church not being easy in this century (or any century for that matter). It is a fantastic and amazing privilege to be a Jesus follower and there are times when it is just plain tough and painful. The key to surviving those challenges is realizing that there is a bigger work going on. We need not personalize, but we do need to stay prayed up.
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