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Luke 14:25-26
Jesus has now left the house of the Pharisee (Luke 14:1) and as He travels, a great number of people are following Him. Jesus pauses to teach the multitude, and in doing so speaks of “hating” one’s father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even one’s own life in the requirement to be His disciple. It is very important that we clarify the meaning of the word “hate” as is translated from the ancient language of the Bible. This same passage is a little more clearly stated as to the intended meaning of the word “hate” in Matthew 10:37-38 where Jesus describes this as to not love your father, mother, son, or daughter more than Him. It is not to adamantly dislike one, but that one is chosen over and above another. It is to put Jesus first in one’s life over and above everything else. This, Jesus says, is a requirement to be His disciple.
This is a command to put Jesus first in our lives.
This is a requirement to be a disciple of Jesus.
This is a great example of why we are to study the Bible as a whole, from cover to cover. We must utilize our resources in seeking the correct intention of the translations of the Bible into our English language. This passage (Luke 14:25-26) is a passage that could be read in and of itself and be taken completely out of the proper context. The teachings of Jesus are found throughout the New Testament and are of loving one another as Jesus has first loved us (John 13:34-35) and to love God first and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). The Bible does not contradict itself, and we will discover this with a thorough study of it in its entirety. God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and God sent His love to us in His Son Jesus to save the world from sin (John 3:16-17) that all who believe in Him would receive eternal life.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving us clarity in Your Word so that those who seek the truth may find it through a study of the whole and not just a part. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), and all who seek Him with a sincere heart and believe in Him will find Him (John 1:12-13). Please help us to see that in being a disciple of Jesus we must put Him first as our Savior and our Guide to life through Your Holy Spirit which You send to live within our hearts. In Jesus name I pray, amen.