Tolerance is a virtue in our culture. We hear about it a lot, and when we are said to lack it, it's all we hear about. "You're being intolerant, why can't you be more tolerant?" My brethren, those who tell you that you should be more tolerant are being very intolerant of you. They are trying to force their own religion on you, and it is a very cold religion indeed. No Christian should ever be tolerant.
Find me one place in the Bible that speaks of tolerance as a virtue. Tolerance is nowhere to be found in the Bible, because tolerance is not a Biblical concept. In fact, it is a very bad thing. The Bible presents something much greater: love!
Tolerance, quite frankly, is pathetic. It is far greater than hatred, for sure, but tolerance is defined as the ability to just put up with that which one finds disagreeable. Tolerance is just the adult version of "like it or lump it." To tolerate others is to be willing to endure their existence, but not be especially pleased with it. Really? Is this what we see in the Bible?
Take a look at the famous Sermon on the Mount. Did Jesus say "tolerate your enemies"? No, He said that if you want to be like God, you have to love your enemies. God treats the wicked just like He treats the righteous. When it rains, it rains on the wicked and righteous alike. And what else does God do for the wicked? Well, were you not once wicked too? There was a time when you were God's enemy, and He showed His love to you because in spite of this, He died for you.
If that is the length to which Jesus went to reconcile you, should you not also be willing to reconcile with your enemies? Perhaps they are not willing. That's unfortunate. I know that sting. Not every enemy can be turned into a friend, and worst of all, friends can turn into enemies. But I'm not the only one who knows that sting. Who knows it more than Christ Himself?
Judas Iscariot is perhaps the most infamous figure in the entire Bible. He is so notorious for his treachery that if someone betrays us today, we might call them Judas. All it took to convince him to betray Jesus was a little silver. Yet how do we see Jesus treat Judas?
The whole time Judas was with Jesus, Jesus knew who he was. He knew what he was going to do, and the closer the time came, Jesus made that knowledge more and more obvious. "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." "behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table." "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me." Jesus knew who Judas was. He even said that this betrayal was written in scripture (John 13:18), which is found in Psalm 41:9: "Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me."
So Jesus knew this betrayal would happen. He knew Judas was a devil (John 6:70), and yet still He chose him to be one of His 12. Did Jesus merely tolerate Judas? Far from it. Jesus showed Judas great love. He even washed his feet (John 13:1-5). If we are to be like Jesus, tolerance of those with whom we disagree is simply not good enough. We need to look at the greatest of all the scoundrels, someone whom we just can't see any feasible way to reconcile with, someone who might even be guaranteed to go to Hell, and be willing to love that person. If Jesus can love His Judas, you can love yours.