I was invited to be a guest on a radio show last year to take part in a discussion with someone who called herself an ex-Christian. Rebekah had been brought up as a Christian, had attended Bible colleges and been on mission trips. But after growing doubts and a series of life events, she had given up on her faith. Today she is an atheist.
“How did Jesus disappoint you?” I asked Rebekah. Today’s verse was one reason she gave for questioning Jesus’ worthiness as a holy man. On a surface reading, why wouldn’t she? What kind of holy man would tell people to hate their parents, siblings, spouse . . . even their own children?
But this same Man taught love for God, neighbors and even enemies (Matthew 5:44, 22:37-40). He loved children (Mark 10:13-16), and as He was dying made sure His mother would be cared for (John 19:26-27). If He was a man of hate, He wasn’t very good at it.
Jesus’ talk about “hating” one’s family should be understood in the context of comparison—no one is to compete with our love and devotion for Jesus. The meaning of the word hate in the original language was “to love less.”
Large crowds were following Jesus at this time (Luke 14:25). But Jesus wasn’t after numbers. He sought radically committed disciples who would give Him complete allegiance. He was heading to a Roman cross and warned that His disciples would face trouble. To persevere, they needed to count the cost of following Him (Luke 14:27-33).
Christians are people who have given ownership of their lives to Jesus above all others—even family. The question for both atheist and believer is whether this radical demand was warranted. The early Christians thought so and brought change “all over the world” by following Him (Acts 17:6).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 1:5-25
More:
Read Romans 6:1-11 to see how radical allegiance to Jesus and His suffering leads us to experience His resurrection life too.
Next:
How do you consult Jesus in your decision-making? What does it mean for you to love Jesus above all others?
marilynmk on June 6, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Hi,
Does it mean that you can lose your faith or she’s not a Christian at all from the very start? In my understanding if you accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in you and you have to work out your salvation by reading the Word of God and applying it but throught God’s grace that you can credit it at all.On the other end, she might have accepted Christ partially that the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life overcomed her? Your soul must be fed by the Word of God as to the physical body must be fed by food otherwise it will grow weak and die.
sheridan voysey on June 7, 2012 at 7:57 am
Hi marilynmk.
This is a very tricky question – one which, these days, I’m cautious to give an answer to, simply because only God knows the heart and whether one was or wasn’t truly a Christian before leaving the faith.
Hebrews 6:4-12 does suggest that one who has ‘shared in the Holy Spirit’ can walk away from their faith. I don’t think this is talking about someone who has entered a period of ‘backsliding’, but rather someone who has made an ardent, decisive break with Jesus (lest any reader start worrying about their salvation). Sadly, the consequences of this are tragic (verses 4-6).
So, to all we say ‘Stay with Jesus’! Is there any better alternative?
tom felten on June 7, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Good thoughts, Sheridan. Only God can know the heart of a person and if they have truly received Jesus as Savior. Our spiritual “fruit” reveals how God is working within us . . . or not.
cmorgan on June 8, 2012 at 8:39 am
Posted by daisymarygoldr . . .
“Brilliant post, Sheridan Voysey! You are right; Jesus is not teaching us to hate our loved ones. He is simply stating that a disciple’s love for Him takes priority over love for our family, when?—when the two come into conflict.
When my daughter was three years old, she came back from preschool one day and declared that she will obey no one else other than God. My husband who was raised to believe that parents are gods shot back in jest that he is her god. She got really mad and then I had to calm her down and help her understand that children must obey their parents in the Lord.
In the church where I grew up, many who come to Christ from pagan backgrounds have to pay the heavy price of being disowned by their families. Sometimes it is really an emotional struggle for new converts when they have parents who sacrificed a lot to give their children a good education and life. The church encourages these believers to honor and care for parents even if they are hated for their faith in Jesus Christ.
William Carey is an excellent example of a radically committed disciple. Although his wife never shared his missionary passion, it did not dampen his supreme devotion to Christ. And at the same time he also loved and took care of his wife till the day she died due to mental disease. —daisymarygoldr”
cmorgan on June 8, 2012 at 8:46 am
Daisy (continued):
To love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds is the first and greatest commandment. This is not just a NT teaching but was also taught in the OT. Moses prayed for God to bless the Levites who were more loyal to the Lord than to their own parents. They taught God’s Word at the cost of ignoring their relatives and did not acknowledge their own children (Deuteronomy 33:9-11)
The Lord deliberately taught hard concepts that would not be easily comprehended. He usually concludes such difficult teachings with “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Only those who really love Him will seek His wisdom to understand what His Spirit is saying.
It is sad, when those who are raised in Christian homes get disappointed with Jesus and deny their faith. Clearly, the call of discipleship is not for everyone. True followers have devoted singleness of heart that enables them to disregard anyone or anything that distracts them from their supreme love for God.