Hate (one’s family)

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
(Luke 14:26)

The chronology and sequence of events is not always obvious in Luke’s account of Jesus’ ministry; however, the gospel provides the context as here. Jesus is being followed by ‘great’ crowds – and John’s gospel (e.g. 6:26) records that the crowds often wanted Jesus to perform, whether it was producing food or a healing miracle. This was in danger of becoming a circus, and Jesus would have none of it.

Jesus words can be understood to rebuke those who trailed after him, and it was a deliberately shocking statement, intended to arrest people in their tracks – not least, because he seemed to contradict the fifth commandment, to honour your father and mother that Moses declared to Israel, and many would remember the qualification given the reality of Roman servitude.

‘Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.’ (Exodus 20:12)

Surely Jesus is not making a new commandment, not merely enhancing but challenging Moses’ authority? Perhaps he does not really mean ‘hate’?

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