If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wire, and children, and brethren, and sisters, year, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
This scripture must be one of the hard sayings Jesus spoke to those who followed Him. I imagine them looking back and forth at one another, confused and shaking their heads.
"Did He say what I think He said?"
Jesus called them to follow Him ... and now He was saying if they wanted to follow Him they needed to hate their fathers and mothers. They knew the law, the fifth commandment instructed God's children to honor their father and mother in order to live long on the earth.
Now Jesus is saying they should hate them and their own lives,as well. The law stated they should love their neighbor as they loved themselves (Lev.19:18) So how could they love themselves and hate themselves, too? Again, the confused faces, "What?"
You and I know that Jesus had no intention of our hating anyone. He commands … Read the Rest
More Kingdom Living
