"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother...he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26).?

Question

Why did Jesus say this? Hate is a strong word and opposite of his message of love

Redbone - it is not me who is contradictory in this sentence. I am simply trying to gain clarity.

Answer 1

I dunno but let me know when you find out

Answer 2

The King James Version is a poor translation and the English used in it has different meanings than today's English. Christ and his apostles did not have a scribe to make verbatim written records of all they said and did. They were oral traditions, which were remembered differently by different people. When written, they went through several translations from one language to another. Sometimes a literal translation loses the meaning and sometimes trying to translate for meaning loses the original sense of the words.

The Bible is full of apparent errors and contradictions due to the way they jammed the differing oral versions together without changing them to be consistent. There also have been copying errors and revisions or additions by overzealous scribes. This does not affect the fact that the Bible still teaches what God wants for us.

Remember that the entire Bible is like a parable, a historic or fictional story which teaches a moral truth. If you complain about the loose threads you cannot see the beauty of the tapestry.

Check out better translations than the KJV.

Answer 3

A perfect example of the translation not speaking clearly in MODERN ENGLISH.
Luke was writing in Greek. He was not a Jew. The Greek was a more basic language and did not always differentiate as well as we would like it to. The bible translators of the King James were dedicated to preserving the integrity of the original writings so they worded this passage just as they understood it. We now know that the Greek should read in modern English ...."you must not love your family MORE than you love God and Jesus."
The word "hate" was taken from the Greek root word, but in reality it only meant to "love less".

Substitute the words "love less" for hate and you will see that the sentence flows just fine without really changing the meaning of the message.

Answer 4

I have never read the Bible, and will probably never will. But I consider myself a spiritual person, so will try and answer your question...

Assuming you are an adult now......when you were a teenager, did you not ever say or think I hate you to your parents?

We all say we hate someone at sometime, because we feel hurt at that moment. 'Hate' is a very strong word, and very rarely said with conviction when family are involved.

I don't hate my family, I love all of them equally. And I know they love me back just as much. My family extends past my blood relatives. My wife, her children, my close friends, and people who take an interest in my welfare, all mean a great deal to me.

I am sure that each and everyone of those people, who mean so much to me now, have at one time or another, said that they hated their parents at one point in their lives.

And I know none of them meant it. They were just words.

'disciple' and (Luke 14:26) are just words too.

See the love in everyone, and give it without request also.

Answer 5

Here's what New Testament scholars of the Jesus Seminar have said on this:

"The severity of this saying can only be understood in the context of the primacy of filial relationships. Individuals had no real existence apart from their ties to blood relatives, especially parents. If one did not belong to a family, one had no real social existence. Jesus is therefore confronting the social structures that governed his society at their core. For Jesus, family ties faded into insignificance in relation to God’s imperial rule [i.e., the Kingdom of God], which he regarded as the fundamental claim on human loyalty." (_The Five Gospels_, p. 353)

In other words, the historical Jesus was in ways a lot more radical than the image we typically get today.

Equally radical was his story of the Good Samaritan. We tend to hear it as a how- to- be- nice story ... but for his audience there was NO SUCH THING as a good Samaritan. They DESPISED the Samaritans, worse than gentiles.

Jesus attacked people's prejudices and complacent ideas, and sometimes especially their ideas about what was "good." He provoked them into questioning everything ... so they might be all the more open to experiencing life's truth for themselves.

Answer 6

Perhaps it's a way of saying that if you go to him, without an opened mind, still holding on to everything your parents taught you as the absolute truth - gospel, as such - then you cannot be his disciple, because his truth was very different from anything out there in those days.

And there is of course the possibility of translation errors.

Answer 7

It's not a "bad translation" - the guy should bother to look it up that said that. The word in greek is "hate" (miseo). If Luke wanted to use the idea that "You should love your mom and dad not as much as Christ" he could have said that. He clearly didn't. In addition, it's NOT "out of context". Sheesh! Find a context where it's fine to say "hate your mom, dad, children..." I wish people would stop using that dodge.

It's creepy.

Answer 8

This means that everything in your life your mother, father, sister, brother, wife, and kids must come second to Jesus He must always be first in your life. Hate here is not used as an emotion, but as Gods will that you have absolute loyalty to him. His message of love still stands

Answer 9

the answer of bobby jim is hilarious!
For some answers in here....if in the bible it says "if any man come to em and hate not his father and mother....then it says just that, so dont try to excuse, interpret or change it...that it what you believe and that is what jesus said according to your book, i dont think jesus would say something if he meant just the opposite so that is what it is, if you want to be good christians you have to start hating your parents, your bible says so...good luck with your bijimbojamboble.

Answer 10

"One of the things that is overlooked by many Christians is that there is a wrathful Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus comes out and condemns whole towns to fates worse than Sodom and Gomorrah for not liking his preaching. You can find Jesus in some very foul moods."

Answer 11

He said this because when you learn the true and uncut word of God and put anyone before it you are putting that person before God.

Example: there is a huge party going on, on the sabbath day.( Exd 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.)
The holy bible does not support going to church on sunday the first day of the week) I would like to go and have fun however God has commanded us not to pollute his sabbath my family wants me to go but I cannot because of the word of God. It is only as complex as you want it to be. Jermiah 10 tells us not to celebrate the customs of man. Therefore I do not keep any man made holidays, my family does and wants me to continue to do it, however what did Jerimiah 10 day. I will not put any man or woman before God.

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