S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

First, we must take this verse in the context of the chapter. Jesus is teaching His disciples, and like any good teacher, He begins with a truth statement that is hard to understand in order to get...

Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.

July 01 2013 • 5 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

D W Supporter

He meant that in order for the 12 plus the 70 or so, plus the 120 at Pentecost, plus the 18 language groups gathered there, that if they could not take up His Cross and follow Him without looking back, they would serve no useful purpose.

September 10 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

James Kraft Supporter 74 year old retired pipeline worker

First of all Jesus is talking about discipleship, not salvation which is a free gift from God.

A disciple should love Jesus more that his parents. Not hate his parents. 

It was the same way with Jacob and Esau. God loved both of them but loved Jacob more than Esau. Jacob was his choice to be the line that Jesus would be born into. 

God commanded us to love our father and mother that our days may be long on the earth. A command with a promise. But we are a child of God. John 1:12 When we leave our father and mother God is now our heavenly Father.

August 24 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College & Dallas Seminary graduate, Pentair

Jesus instructs concerning discipleship in Luke 14:25-27), in regard to the candidate's family (Luke 14:25-26)—a discipleship proof: He or she must place Jesus above them; and in regard to the candidate himself (Luke 14:27): He or she must carry his or her cross and follow Jesus. HW

When our nearest and dearest relationships prove to be positive obstacles in coming to Christ, then all natural affections must be flung aside; comp. Deuteronomy 13:6-9; 21:19-21; 33:8-9. A reference to Matthew 10:37 will show that ‘hate’ means hate by comparison. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Our Lord purposely stated great principles in their most audacious (boldest) and even most paradoxical form by which He alone has succeeded in impressing them forever as principles on the hearts of His disciples. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

One of the Amplified Bibles, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC), it has: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [[a]in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters—[yes] and even his own life also—he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26)

NLT: “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.”

I.e., unless you love less your nearest and dearest loved ones than you love Christ, you cannot be His disciple. 

"Hate" doesn't justify malice or ill will toward one's family, but it means that devotion to the family must take 2nd place.

October 18 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What did Jesus mean when He instructed us hate our father and mother (Luke 14:26)?

Luke 14:26 ESV: "If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

In the Scriptures the word "hate" has several shades of meaning. It may denote intense hostility and sustained ill will, often accompanied by malice. Such hate may become a consuming emotion that seeks to harm its object. "Hate" may also signify a strong dislike but without any intent to bring harm to the object, seeking instead to avoid it because of a feeling of loathing toward it. The Bible also employs the word "hate" to mean loving to a lesser degree. Ge 29:31, 33; De 21:15, 16

Jesus did not mean that his followers were to feel hostility or loathing toward their families and themselves, as this would not agree with the rest of the Scriptures.​—Compare Mr 12:29-31; Eph 5:28, 29, 33.

When Jesus said a disciple must "hate" father and mother, He used a Hebrew expression that communicates preference, not hostility. Scripture often uses "hate" to describe choosing one person or priority above another when loyalties collide. It is a relational contrast, not an emotional command. The term can mean to love less, as seen when Leah is described as "hated," meaning Jacob's affection for her was less than for Rachel.

Jesus upheld the command to honour parents, so His words cannot instruct contempt or mistreatment. Instead, He confronts the reality that following Him demands the highest allegiance. When family expectations conflict with His call, the disciple must choose Him. This choice may look like rejection to those who oppose His way, but it is loyalty to the One who defines true life.

The surrounding teaching in Luke 14 shows Jesus emphasising the seriousness of discipleship. He speaks of carrying the cross, counting the cost, and surrendering competing claims. His language highlights that discipleship cannot be divided. Christ must come before every relationship, possession, and personal desire.

This "hate" is therefore a decisive prioritising of Christ. It is the willingness to follow Him even when doing so brings tension, misunderstanding, or sacrifice. Jesus uses strong words to make clear that devotion to Him must exceed the deepest natural bonds. He calls His followers to a commitment to love Him most, trust Him most, and obey Him most, even when the path is costly.

5 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report