DYK V

Did you know God said to “hate your family” to follow him?

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus explains the cost of following him in a very descriptive and emotional way? He does this by using what we hold most dear to us as a measure of what we’d be willing to give up or even “hate” in order to be loyal to him. Here are some different translations of what was said by Christ.

ESV

“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.

EXB [Expanded Bible]

“If anyone comes to me but ·does not hate [or loves more than me; ^CJesus is using hyperbole to emphasize his point] his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, or sisters—or even ·life [life itself; or his own life]—he cannot be my ·follower [disciple].

KJV
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.

MSG [Message]
One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

My belief on this very tricky verse is that God is asking us to be willing to abandon all if times called for it. The purpose would be to: lean, depend, belong, rely, be loved by, be grafted into HIM [God] for ultimate salvation, assurance, protection, righteousness, provision, peace, sanctification and more. My family, friends or the world unfortunately cannot come close to fulfilling these things (nor would I want or expect them to). Just my Two Cents… [6]