The Greek word in Luke 14:26 (μισέω, miseo) doesn’t mean literal hatred or creating enmity—rather, it expresses a comparative preference. This reflects a Semitic idiom where loving one person more than another is expressed as “loving one and hating another,” as seen in Old Testament passages like Genesis 29:30–31.[1]
Jesus cannot have intended literal hatred, since he commanded his followers to love even their enemies, cared for his own mother, and would not contradict the Old Testament command to honor one’s father and mother.[2] Matthew’s parallel account reveals the meaning: where Luke uses the word “hate,” Matthew translates the same saying as requiring followers to “love” Jesus “more than” their families—a thought-for-thought rendering that clarifies Jesus’ intent.[1]
The term instead conveys disattachment[3]—a breaking of emotional and social bonds that might compete with allegiance to Christ. Following Jesus meant placing him in such prominence that if any other commitment attempted to usurp his position, one must “hate” it.[2] Jesus calls disciples to make a practical choice: to break their attachment to family because there exists a higher loyalty and greater love.[3]
When family relationships hindered following Jesus, they were to be “hated,” yet Jesus supported biblical family relationships and did not call for severing them entirely.[2] The demand is fundamentally about priority of allegiance, not animosity. Being Jesus’ disciple entails primary allegiance to him; no one and nothing can usurp his supreme position, just as God is to be loved supremely with no other god or thing taking priority.[1]
[2] Michael J. Wilkins, Following the Master: Discipleship in the Steps of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 212–213.
[3] Stuart T. Rochester, Self-Denial: A New Testament View (New York, NY: Cascade Books, 2019). [See here, here.]
No comments:
Post a Comment