Question: “Mr. McLemore, What did Jesus mean in Luke 14:26?”

Answer: In Luke 14:26, Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” One might compare Matthew 10:37, in which Jesus observed that anyone who loved others more than him was not worthy of him. Another helpful passage is Romans 9:13 (Malachi 1:2, 3): “As it is written, ‘I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.’” Clearly, this means simply that God chose Jacob as the child of Isaac who would receive the promises. God did not feel hatred toward Esau, and Jesus is not urging his disciples to feel hatred toward anyone! It may be that Jesus’ words reflect the viewpoint of those who are not chosen (i.e., father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, etc.) They may feel as though they are hated. If a person chooses Jesus and his way, some loved one may say, “You don’t love me.” Many have tried to use emotions to influence their significant others against following Jesus. Jesus says we must let nothing and no one keep us from choosing him.