Pulling Out the Weeds of Hate

I have never understood how the Bible can be used to justify hate. We were faced with it again this past week in the aftermath of the Orlando shootings -- and by Christian pastors, at that! This sermon is my response to those who use the Bible to justify their hatred for our GLBTQ brothers and sisters -- or for anyone else, for that matter!


Just a week ago, when our worship was focused on God’s grace, I asked for prayers for the victims of a shooting in Orlando, Florida. I didn’t know the details at that time; but now I do. We all do. A young man burst into the Pulse nightclub in the wee hours of last Sunday morning, murdered 50 people in cold blood, and wounded 53 others. I am horrified by yet one more mass shooting in our country; and so are most other people. Condolences to the family members of the victims and messages of encouragement to the survivors have poured in from all over the world. The National Council of Churches in Korea, for example, sent this message: “This incident is a horrific crime of terrorism based on groundless hatred. For the victims of this appalling violence and their families, and [for] those whose hearts are sick from this disaster, we pray along with the U.S. church and society that God's comfort and history of healing will be with them.”

But not everyone was horrified by those shootings. Last Sunday, even as I was preaching that God’s grace is given to everyone through Jesus Christ, Pastor Roger Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California was preaching this: “I think that [this massacre] helps society. I think Orlando, Florida is a little safer tonight. The tragedy is that more of [the nightclub patrons] didn’t die. I’m kind of upset that [the shooter] didn’t finish the job.” His sermon title, by the way, was “The Christian Response to the Orlando Murders.” Just a few hours later, another pastor, Steven Anderson from Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona added his own thoughts. “Homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and pedophiles,” he announced. “The Bible says in Leviticus 20:13 that homosexuals should be put to death. The bad news is that a lot of the homos in the bar are still alive.” If I was appalled by the massacre in the Pulse nightclub, I was sickened by the responses of these pastors who call themselves Christians. It is true that the vast majority of Christians have shown nothing but love and compassion for the victims of the nightclub shooting and for their families. Comments like these are, thankfully, in the minority. But the fact that they exist at all is a sobering reminder that the Bible is often used to sow the seeds of hatred that mature into the weeds of intolerance and violence. This morning, I want to start pulling out some of those weeds.

Let’s begin by asking whether the Bible allows us to hate anyone. Some parts of the Old Testament certainly come close to saying that, and we might as well admit it. Leviticus 20:13 clearly says, “If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death.” And the Bible condemns other folks, too. “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation,” says Deuteronomy (23:3). That’s clear enough; Ammonites and Moabites are bums. It also says this: “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord” (23:1). No eunuchs are allowed in church – ever! They can’t even come through the doors. And Jeremiah reports that God’s wrath is directed towards a long list of foreign nations, among which is  the country of Uz (25:15-26). Oh, yes; those folks in Uz are absolutely detestable!

But it’s a funny thing about the Bible. You have to read all of it if you’re going to interpret it faithfully; because the voices that I’ve just mentioned aren’t the only ones there. Even though Deuteronomy condemns the Moabites, guess who turns out to be the great-grandmother of King David – you know, the one whose son Solomon built the Temple? Ruth. She was a Moabite. Hmmm. That puts things in a different light, doesn’t it? And even though Jeremiah says that God condemned the nation of Uz, you might remember the story of someone named Job. Job was from Uz; and Job was “blameless and upright.” In fact, according to the Old Testament, Job was the most righteous man who ever lived! Maybe we should think twice about hating all those Uzzites.

And let’s take a close look at the eunuchs – the ones who can’t come to church because they’re physically imperfect. God has something to say about that through the prophet Isaiah (56:5): “To [the eunuchs] I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.” Well, that’s quite a reversal! And the promise continues in the New Testament book of Acts. Who is one of the very first people to ask for baptism into the church of Jesus Christ? A eunuch; and an Ethiopian at that – a foreigner! After Phillip explains the Old Testament prophecy of the Messiah to that eunuch, he asks, “Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Well, the “right answer” is “because Deuteronomy says you can’t!” But Phillip knows that the days of the new covenant are here; the one that God was talking about when he said through Jeremiah (31:31, 33): “The time is coming… when I will make a new covenant with [my people]… I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” And Philip baptizes that eunuch without any hesitation at all.

You see, in the end, the Bible doesn’t let us hate anybody, because the people who are condemned in one place are liable to be blessed in another! And when we get to the New Testament, it should be crystal clear that God’s people should have nothing to do with hate! Jesus hung out with “sinners,” people who were condemned by the religious establishment because they broke all kinds of Old Testament laws. He ate dinner with prostitutes. Why, Jesus even called a crooked businessman as one of his disciples. (That was Matthew, a tax collector.) And what was it Jesus said about hating your brother? Oh, that’s right… Jesus never said anything about hating other people. In fact, Jesus said that we should love our brother! The clearest statement about love in the whole Bible is this morning’s scripture reading (I John 4:7-12, 19-21): “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar! God has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

The Bible does not allow the seeds of hate to grow into the weeds of violence because it pulls them out itself. But the reality is that it is very easy for us to find verses here and there that condemn people we don’t like. Now, I don’t know any Moabites; and all the people from Uz are long gone. There aren’t many eunuchs around, either. But we are surrounded by members of the gay and lesbian community. We don’t always understand their behavior. Some people find them offensive. Many others are threatened by them. And so, the seeds of hate that lie buried in the Old Testament texts are ripe to grow into weeds of violence against the gay and lesbian community. And when they do, those weeds are liable to lead to a tragedy like the one at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

So here’s my take-home message for today; and I want to make it crystal clear. You are absolutely free to dislike gays or lesbians or transgender folks if they make you uncomfortable. Actually, you can dislike anybody you want to dislike! If you are offended by gays and by their behavior, that’s up to you. I am offended by some folks, too. And it’s your right to avoid their company and the places that they frequent. But, as a Christian, you may not hate them and then justify that hate by pulling out a scripture or two and claiming that God hates them, too. Those who claim that God hates a whole group of people are misusing the Scriptures to justify their own prejudice. Actually, if you hate anybody, the Scriptures can’t help you – you’re on your own. This morning, I invite you to join me in pulling out the weeds of hate that have grown so tall in our society. I encourage you to speak up on behalf of people who are vilified by others. Let’s join together in drowning out the voices of hate, and spread the good news of God’s love for everyone! “Let us love one another,” begs John in his letter, “for love comes from God.” To that, I can only echo, “Amen, and amen!”