Meaning of Luke 14:26

[coolcatholicguy]

"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 disciple. Luke 14:26 (NIV)

What exactly does “hate” mean?

 

[zach_dunn]

"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 disciple. Luke 14:26 (NIV)

What exactly does “hate” mean?

This is what the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible says, I think it sums it up fairly well:

14:26 hate: An idiomatic term meaning “to love less” (Gen 29:31-33; Mal 1:2-3). Not even the sacredness of family loyalty should outweigh our commitment to Christ, since we must be willing to abandon even close relationships to follow him (Mt 10:37)(CCC 1618, 2544).

 

[AlanFromWichita]

I think to truly follow Christ, we have to be willing to let go of any and every (emotional) attachment to the world, including our attachments to loved ones. If we are focused on doing Christ’s work, then these things can hold us back, as they are levers for the enemy to use against us. Even our own attachment to our own life can be used as a lever to get us to do or say wrong things; to be truly focused on Christ we must not worry over these things.

That’s another way to describe it – to be so spiritually mature that you literally don’t worry about them. You can love them, but you have to be willing to let God handle their welfare if something happens to you.

Of course, if your vocation is raising a family, then it isn’t like you abandon the other people. It’s more like you know that everything in this world is temporal and lets you focus on the divine.

Alan

 

[nickybr38]

I agree with Alan and would like to add that often we do things we wouldn’t otherwise because of ‘love’ for family, for a significant other, etc. We have to be able to put that ‘love’ aside and do what is right no matter the consequence (a loved one abandoning us, a friend hating us because of our profession of faith, etc).

 

[AlanFromWichita]

This reminds me a bit of a song by Alan Parson’s Project, called “don’t let it show.”

I think the lyrics are very wise advice to someone you’re going to send out on a mission in difficult places. You want to give them all the freedom they need to do whatever their jobs entail, unencumbered by ties to you.

Don’t Let it Show, by Alan Parsons Project:

If it’s getting harder to face every day
Don’t let it show, don’t let it show
Though it’s getting harder to take what they say
Just let it go, just let it go

And if it hurts when they mention my name
Say you don’t know me
And if it helps when they say i’m to blame
Say you don’t own me

Even if it’s taking the easy way out
Keep it inside of you
Don’t give in
Don’t tell them anything
Don’t let it
Don’t let it show

Even though you know it’s the wrong thing to say
Say you don’t care, say you don’t care
Even if you want to believe there’s a way
I won’t be there, i won’t be there

But if you smile when they mention my name
They’ll never know you
And if you laugh when they say i’m to blame
They’ll never own you

Even if you feel you’ve got nothing to hide
Keep it inside of you
Don’t give in
Don’t tell them anything
Don’t let it
Don’t let it show

On a different subject, Sometimes I wonder if this is advice that Jesus might have wanted his disciples to follow, in order that they may live to build His Church. Most notably, Peter’s denials caused him grief when the cock crowed, but then again it kept him alive so he could go about building Christ’s church.

Alan

 

[Biedrik]

I recall one of the footnotes in my copy of the Bible saying that “hate” in the semitic usage of the word meant “to love less.” So as others have said, you simply can’t love your family more than you love God.

 

[jerry_kelso]

"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 disciple. Luke 14:26 (NIV)

What exactly does “hate” mean?

Hate in the case of Esau it meant preferred, in this case a better word might be allegiance to. God said also that he was a jealous god and will not have gods in his place literally and figuratively. God must be first and foremost to be his disciple. God Bless! Jerry Kelso

 

[rcjones]

From sensus plenior we discern that hate is simply the opposite of love. Love is thinking of the other person first or preeminently. Hate is not thinking of him first.

When the axehead flies off and kills someone, the accident is hate, because he did not think of the other person’s safety first.

When Jesus was 12 in the temple and his parents say “Why have you treated us this way” it is hate, because Jesus thought of His Father first.

You must hate your parents in order to put Christ preeminent in your life.