Expert: J.M.J. West - 4/29/2009

Question
Someone please explain! Excerpt from Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.  

Answer
Sidney,

Great question.  Sometimes it's hard to grasp the meanings of phrases uttered 2000 years ago in different cultures and languages.  Written in Greek, probably spoken in Aramaic, and always with a Hebrew mindset, Jesus' words do not give a command to hate one's parents and spouse, but simply is using hyperbole to express having nothing before service to God (i.e. following him).  Hebrew is a very idiomatic language, which means that they had certain phrases which did not mean what they literally signified.  For instance, being a native English speaker, I might say that the local football team (the Ravens) "slaughtered" the opponents, and by this I mean simply that score-wise and performance wise they greatly out-performed their opponents.  You'd not actually expect to see the opposing team gutted, blood and body parts strewn across the field.

So Jesus is saying that we must have nothing before God (which was the first commandment!)

The latter part of the question, about carrying one's cross, might have sounded weird to those who did not understand that Christ was destined for the Cross on Calvary, but it is an injunction upon us to suffer willingly for the sake of love.

Hope that helped!

Pax Christi,

-J.M.J. West