But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. (Genesis 37:4 ESV)
Hated
I hate to be hated. When I find out that someone dislikes me, it hurts. So, I resonate with Joseph, whose own brothers hated him.
When people hate me, it can be overwhelming. I do not really know how to take it. Usually, I become even more self-centered in response. But Joseph seems to have done ok. While we do not find recorded Joseph’s every emotion or word, we do know that He saw God’s hand in even the most unjust hatred (Genesis 50:20).
And of course, Christ, even more than Joseph, was hated. He was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3). In fact, He is hated by the world with more hatred than we have ever experienced (John 15:18).
And Jesus does know how to take it. He endured it. He bears it. He looks hatred in the eye and defeats it on the cross.
When I am hated, Jesus takes that hatred for me. Particularly when I am hated because of things I might say or do regarding Him (Matthew 5:10-12).
I cannot bear hatred, but Jesus can.