What does Jesus mean when he says disciples must hate their father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters?

[JamesAnthony12]

I am not sure if something got lost in translation, or what Jesus truly means, but this hating seems to be directly contradictory to everything Jesus had preached, especially his 2 most important commandments: loving God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and loving your neighbor as yourself. We know that God is love, so I am not sure if he truly meant hate your family, or if he just meant be able to sacrifice everything for God without hesitation caused by family? Or if Jesus truly meant hate, what did he mean by hating one’s family?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

Jesus was using exaggeration to make a point. Jesus was explaining that being a disciple means following Him above all else. Even if a close family member asked you to do something that would violate your faith then you should not do it. The contrast between love and hate is used several times in the Bible as a forceful way of showing priority or preference (Deut 21:15-17; Malachi 1:2-3). The use of “hate” in Jewish literature can mean to love less than something else, it does not necessarily always literally mean hate. Its use as either symbolic or literal is gleamed from its context. Since Jesus several times upheld the commandment to honor and love one’s parents (Mt 15:4-6; Mt 19:17-19; Mk 7:10-13; Jn 19:25-27) it is most certain that Jesus was speaking figuratively rather than literally.