Luke 14:26
“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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The word "hate" here isn't about bitter animosity, but a radical reordering of our deepest affections. It means loving Christ so profoundly that even our closest earthly relationships and our own lives must take a secondary place if they ever conflict with following Him.
Jesus is speaking to a large crowd following Him, many of whom seem eager but may not fully grasp the cost of discipleship. He immediately follows this stark statement with an illustration about counting the cost before building a tower or going to war, emphasizing that becoming His follower requires a radical reordering of priorities.
This verse uses a word that sounds harsh and goes against our natural instincts. What did Jesus actually mean when he said 'hate'?
It's easy to read "hate" and be shocked, even repulsed. But Jesus is using a common Semitic way of speaking to emphasize a point about priority. He's not asking us to feel genuine malice towards our families or even ourselves. Instead, he's establishing an absolute hierarchy of love.
Love Ranked
Think of it like this: if your love for your family, your job, your possessions, or even your own life, becomes so intense that it prevents you from following Jesus, that's when it needs to be radically reordered. It's not about eliminating love for others, but about ensuring your love for Christ is supremely above all else. It’s a comparative, not an absolute, 'hate' – meaning, you must be willing to 'hate' (or love less) those things that stand in the way of your love for Him.
Following Jesus isn't a casual decision. Jesus lays out the demands upfront, like a wise builder counting the cost before constructing a tower.
Jesus knows that many people were flocking to Him, perhaps drawn by His miracles or the crowds. But He turns and speaks with stark clarity: true discipleship requires a full reckoning.
Counting the Cost
He uses powerful analogies:
These aren't meant to scare people away, but to ensure they start with open eyes. Discipleship demands a willingness to give up everything – family, possessions, comfort, and even life itself – if Christ calls for it. It's about surrendering our will to His.
Understand the original words
mathētēs · Greek Noun
In a biblical context, this refers to the active state of following Jesus, adhering to His teachings, and undergoing transformation into His likeness. It involves total commitment and allegiance to Christ above all other relationships or earthly pursuits.
miseō · Greek Verb
In this context, it is a Semitic idiom denoting a strong preference or priority rather than literal malice. It signifies that one's devotion to God must be so supreme that all other loves appear as hatred by comparison.
psychē · Greek Noun
Refers to the physical body and the temporal, earthly life. Biblically, it encompasses one's self-preservation instincts, personal desires, and the natural life that must be surrendered to experience true spiritual life in Christ.
This passage directly parallels Luke 14:26, clarifying that 'hating' means 'loving less' in comparison to the love and commitment due to Christ.
Matthew 16:24-25Jesus links discipleship to denying oneself and taking up one's cross, echoing the radical self-renunciation demanded in Luke 14:26 for the sake of following Him.
John 12:25This verse speaks to losing one's life for Jesus' sake to find eternal life, which aligns with the ultimate cost of discipleship implied by 'hating even one's own life' in Luke 14:26.
Philippians 3:7-8Paul's example of counting all things loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ beautifully illustrates the principle of prioritizing Christ above all earthly relationships and possessions, as commanded in Luke 14:26.
calvinLuke 14:25-32: "And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,"
- He who loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38. And he who doth not take his cross and follow me, [603] is not worthy of me. 39. He who findeth his life [604] shall lose it; and he who loseth his life for my sake shall find it. [605] 40. He who receiveth you receiveth me: and he who receiveth me receiveth him w…
jfbLuke 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."
26, 27. If any man, &c.—(See on [1671]Mt 10:34-36, and Mr 8:34, 35).
The word "hate" here isn't about bitter animosity, but a radical reordering of our deepest affections. It means loving Christ so profoundly that even our closest earthly relationships and our own lives must take a secondary place if they ever conflict with following Him.
Jesus is speaking to a large crowd following Him, many of whom seem eager but may not fully grasp the cost of discipleship. He immediately follows this stark statement with an illustration about counting the cost before building a tower or going to war, emphasizing that becoming His follower requires a radical reordering of priorities.
Jesus is speaking to a large crowd following Him, many of whom seem eager but may not fully grasp the cost of discipleship. He immediately follows this stark statement with an illustration about counting the cost before building a tower or going to war, emphasizing that becoming His follower requires a radical reordering of priorities.
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"“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." — The word "hate" here isn't about bitter animosity, but a radical reordering of our deepest affections. It means loving Christ so profoundly that even our closest earthly relationships and our own liv…
