Luke 14:25-33

“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” vs. 26

There are times when reading the gospels can be confusing. It seems strange for instance that Jesus would actually tell his disciples that following him would mean they would have to hate their biological families. We can only begin to understand when we realize that he’s actually talking about the cost of discipleship. He wants them to know that following him will mean a separation from those things that they have held most dear, and this is the most radical image that he could have possibly used to make that point. We aren’t called to despise our parents, spouse, children, or siblings as a matter of course, but there are times when the call to be a true disciple can be painful. All of us hope that such a moment would never come in our walk of faith, but it could, and all of us have heard the stories of such fateful decisions. It’s important to remember here that hate in this context is not a feeling but a choice, and that Jesus also told his disciple to love those who they hated. And in fact it may even be that those necessary separations within our families can actually be overcome by our selfless acts of love. After all, it’s in loving that God’s healing power is found!

Thought for the Day: Choices I’ve made that have meant separation.