What Does It Mean To Follow Jesus, 1?

REV GOH YONG KUANG

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,

his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciples.”

(LUKE 14: 26)

I wonder what was left of the large crowd that had gathered around Jesus, after He had made the above announcement! Many must have felt disturbed by what He said. With those words, Jesus must have reduced the size of the crowd to just a faithful few. 

Religious cults often interpret this verse literally - just to suit their own purpose. They would often demand that their followers separate themselves from their loved ones or severe their family ties in order to stay loyal to the cults. They would attempt to distance their followers from their family members who might cause them to leave the cults.

Jesus did not mean that if we follow Him, it would be the end of our relationship with our family! No! Jesus did not come to destroy our relationships but to put them in the right place!

When Jesus used the word “hate” (Greek “miseo”) – He didn’t mean it literally. He was using a hyperbole, which is common in the ancient world, particularly in the Jewish culture. It is a form of exaggeration normally used to emphasize a point. We can find Jesus’ use of hyperbolic language in other places in the Bible, such as resorting to body dismemberment to avoid stumbling others and causing them to sin (Matthew 5:29-30) and the lesson from the camel and the needle’s eye to teach about the danger of wealth getting in the way of one’s salvation (Mark 10:25).

Hence, when Jesus tells us to “hate” our parents – He is merely contrasting our love for Him with other loves in our lives. Our love for Jesus must be so great that it makes our love for others looks like “hatred” by comparison. He must come first before anyone else! No earthly ties and relationships, however close, must take precedence over our love and allegiance to Him.

Of course, loving our family is a good thing and a biblical thing to do.  However, sometimes the very “good” things in life can become rivals to the “best!” Family and loved ones can become a stumbling block to a person’s relationship with God. Family and children have often become a lame excuse for not giving our self and our service to God!

Although we do not “hate” our parents in a literal sense – this is how a mother or father will perceive when we choose the Lord above them (especially true with non-Christian parents).

But we must persevere - even though we are seen as “hating” our family. After all, our unbelieving relatives are part of the world and Jesus said, “If the world hates you, it is because they hated me first” (John 15:18).

Dear friends, if we are to examine ourselves right now, can we earnestly and truthfully say that our love and devotion to Jesus comes before that of even our closest and dearest of family?  

Following Jesus demands our undivided, unrivalled love for Jesus!