Love & Hate

A few years ago I became very serious about not just reading the Bible, but about studying it in its cultural and linguistical context. After-all, what I have is a translation and I live in a different time and culture. I hear that the Bible is full of ‘contradictions’ but when I study those passages in context I have found the seeming contradictions usually disappear. Oftentimes the Hebrew or Greek have many words translated into one English word; sometimes the Hebrew or Greek word has multiple meanings but because translations are word by word and not necessarily meaning, the word used in English is not the best translation for meaning. An example of each kind follows: one for the word translated “Love” and one for “hate.”

LOVE

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “ Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “ Tend My sheep. John 21: 15-17

In Greek there are three main words which are translates into English as Love:

Agapao – or agape: unconditional love

Phileo: brotherly love

Eros : sexual love

In this passage, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you agape Me more than these?” Peter responds that he phileos Jesus. That is a different picture than the one painted by use of a single word “love.” Perhaps Peter did not feel he could say agape as a sinful man; we don’t know, but Jesus gives him a second chance by asking again, “Do you agape Me?” and Peter again replies that he phileos Jesus. So finally, Jeusus concedes and says, “Do you phileo Me?” So Peter was grieved that Jesus asked if he phileo Him. Peter replies that yes he phileos Jesus. The meaning of the words in the original document alter our perception of the meaning of the verses and the lessons it has for us.

HATE

In Luke 14:26 Jesus tells the crowds ‘If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.’

Then in I John 2:11 John tells us “But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

In English the word “hate” means to detest or dislike. The word “hate” usually is associated with fairly strong emotions like anger. Yesterday I watched a rerun of MASH where a fourth grader said he hated the doctors because they fixed his brother just so he could return to the war to get killed. Hawkeye responded with touching words, “Dear Ronnie, it's a shame to let the love you have for your brother turn to hate for others. Hate makes war, and war is what killed Keith.”

It is pretty obvious that hating someone is a dark place, so why would Jesus say to hate other people, and not just anyone, but He purposefully chooses those closest to us like fathers, mothers, siblings, and children. That slaps us in the face and gets our attention. These are the people we would die for, or even kill for – “blood is thicker than water” and all that. I know when I had kids I truly learned what unconditional love is, and what I am capable of if need-be to protect them. Even when I want to pull-out my (ever-graying) hair, I love, love LOVE my kids with probably the closest thing to agape I have ever known. Hate them? Never!

The Greek for “hate” in both verses is miseo, which has two different meanings – one is “detest” and one is “to love less.”

So in Luke, Jesus is not telling us to be filled with hatred or to detest anyone, He is saying that if we do not love others, even the most important people in our lives or ourselves less than we love Him, then we cannot be His true disciples.