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. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26-27).
Does Christ really mean that we are to hate our father, mother, wife, children…? The answer is an emphatic, no. So, what is Christ saying here? Christ is saying that we are to place Him above everything else in life. Anything short of total commitment is just that, short. This may seem like a radical or unrealistic expectation, but this is what is requested of us. But God is consistent. Remember that the first Commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. In the end, this commandment is for our own good since in following it, we are brought back into a relationship with our Creator and our original image is restored: “In the image of God He created them, male and female; He created them”-Genesis 1:27.
Does Christ really mean that we are to hate our father, mother, wife, children…? The answer is an emphatic, no. So, what is Christ saying here? Christ is saying that we are to place Him above everything else in life. Anything short of total commitment is just that, short. This may seem like a radical or unrealistic expectation, but this is what is requested of us. But God is consistent. Remember that the first Commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. In the end, this commandment is for our own good since in following it, we are brought back into a relationship with our Creator and our original image is restored: “In the image of God He created them, male and female; He created them”-Genesis 1:27.
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