Nevertheless, love for one’s parents must never get in the way of faithfulness to God in every way, should the two be in disagreement. And He rebuked any attempt to break the duties of children toward their parents (Matthew 5:17–19 Mark 9–13). Jesus blessed the binding claims of the fifth commandment which says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20: 12). “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The service of Jesus calls for the entire and permanent renunciation of self. At all times and under all circumstances, the call of the kingdom must come first. Therefore, Luke 14:26, is implying that whoever has personal interests that take precedence over loyalty to Christ and devotion to His service will find it impossible to meet the requirements Christ makes of him. Jesus taught, “b ut seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). This striking hyperbole is apparently used to make vivid to the follower of Christ the fact that at all times he must make first in his life the kingdom of heaven. This fact stands forth clearly in the parallel passage where Jesus says, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). In the Bible, “to hate,” often should be understood simply as a typical Oriental hyperbole meaning “to love less” (Deuteronomy 21:15–17). Scripture usage makes it clear that the hate in Luke 14:26 is not “hate” in the usual sense of the word. Luke 14:26 states, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Some Bible readers get confused when they read the above verse and wonder: Does the Lord want us to hate our family members?
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