Luke Chapter 14, Verse 26
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26: ει τις ερχεται προς με και ου μισει τον πατερα εαυτου και την μητερα και την γυναικα και τα τεκνα και τους αδελφους και τας αδελφας ετι δε και την εαυτου ψυχην ου δυναται μου μαθητης ειναι
26: 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.
26: 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.
Expressions related to "cannot be my disciple" are stated three times in this chapter beginning here:
- Lk 14:26 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.
- Lk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
- Lk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Some can make a profession of faith yet not be true disciples according to Christ. One can be a follower of Jesus Christ without being born again or savingly joined to Him. Luke 13:24 states: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Christ "sets the bar" high for those who would be his disciples. Christ is precious and eternal salvation from the wrath of God is precious. It is worthy of a whole-hearted seeking and striving to obtain such preciousness when God does a supernatural work and changes the heart.
And hate not. The word hate, here, means simply to love less. See the meaning of the verse in See "Mt 10:37.
It may be thus expressed:
"He that comes after me, and does not love his father less than he loves me, &c., cannot be my disciple."
We are not at liberty literally to hate our parents. This would be expressly contrary to the fifth commandment. See also Eph 6:1ff Col 3:20. But we are to love them less than we love Christ; we are to obey Christ rather than them; we are to be willing to forsake them if he calls us to go and preach his gospel; and we are to submit, without a murmur, to him when he takes them away from us. This is not an uncommon meaning of the word hate in the Scriptures. Comp. Mal 1:2, Mal 1:3; Gen 29:30, Gen 29:31; Deut 21:15ff.
"his own life" Acts 20:24 Rev 12:11
