Does Jesus teach hatred toward gay people?

Direct answer

No. The Gospels do not record Jesus addressing sexual orientation as a modern category, but they do record commands to love, show mercy, avoid condemnation, and reject destructive hostility.

A Gospels-only answer should begin with a limit: the recorded sayings of Jesus do not directly discuss gay identity or sexual orientation in modern terms. This framework therefore cannot turn silence into a detailed ruling that the texts themselves do not provide.

The Gospels are not silent about hatred. In Matthew 5 and Luke 6, Jesus commands love, prayer, and active good even toward enemies and people who mistreat his followers. Luke continues with a command to be merciful and not to condemn. These are demanding instructions precisely because they are not limited to people the hearer already approves of.

When asked “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus tells a story in which the model neighbor is a Samaritan who crosses a hostile social boundary to show concrete mercy. The story is not about sexual orientation, but its stated conclusion is clear: the neighbor is the one who shows mercy, and Jesus says to do likewise. In Luke 9, Jesus also rebukes disciples who want fire to destroy a Samaritan village that rejected him.

These passages answer the question about hatred: hostility toward gay people cannot be presented as obedience to Jesus’s commands in the Gospels. They do not, by themselves, settle every Christian theological dispute about sexuality, and this entry does not pretend that they do.

Sources and supporting excerpts

• Matthew 5:43-48 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  Love beyond the friendly circle

  Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

• Luke 6:25-32 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  Love and active good

  Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets. “But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also. Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again. “As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

• Luke 6:33-40 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  Mercy and non-condemnation

  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. “Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful. Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.” He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

• Luke 10:25-32 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  The neighbor question

  Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

• Luke 10:33-40 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  The neighbor who showed mercy

  But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

• Luke 9:49-56 (WEB) · Gospels (World English Bible)

  Jesus rejects destructive retaliation

  John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.” Jesus said to him, “Don’t forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.” It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face. They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him. They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky and destroy them, just as Elijah did?” But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.

  The World English Bible is in the public domain. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org. Text from eBible.org.

Provenance and limits

Editorially rewritten from a previously shared Gospels Only answer. Loaded wording and truncated excerpts were removed, and every displayed passage was rechecked against the current World English Bible corpus on August 20, 2026.

This entry answers a question about hatred from the four Gospels. It is not a complete account of Christian sexual ethics or of every church’s teaching.