Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 14:26
If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
26. and hate not his father and mother ] It is not so much the true explanation to say that hate here means love less (Gen 29:31), as to say that when our nearest and dearest relationships prove to be positive obstacles in coming to Christ, then all natural affections must be flung aside; comp. Deu 13:6-9; Deu 21:19-21;Deu 33:8-9. A reference to Mat 10:37 will shew that ‘hate’ means hate by comparison. Our Lord purposely stated great principles in their boldest and even most paradoxical form by which He alone has succeeded in impressing them for ever as principles on the hearts of His disciples. The ‘love of love’ involves a necessity for the possible ‘hate of hate,’ as even worldly poets have understood.
“Va, je t’aimais trop pour ne pas te hair.”
“I could not love thee, dear, so much
Loved I not honour more.”
Lovelace.
yea, and his own life also ] This further explains the meaning of the word ‘hate.’ The psuche ‘ soul’ or ‘animal life’ is the seat of the passions and temptations which naturally alienate the spirit from Christ. These must be hated, mortified, crucified if they cannot be controlled; and life itself must be cheerfully sacrificed, Rev 12:11; Act 20:24.
“Il faut vivre dans ce monde,” says St Francis de Sales, “comme si nous avions l’esprit au ciel, et le corps au tombeau.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 26. And hate not] Matthew, Mt 10:37, expresses the true meaning of this word, when he says, He who loveth his father and mother MORE than me. In Mt 6:24, he uses the word hate in the same sense. When we read, Ro 9:13, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, the meaning is simply, I have loved Jacob – the Israelites, more than Esau-the Edomites; and that this is no arbitrary interpretation of the word hate, but one agreeable to the Hebrew idiom, appears from what is said on Ge 29:30-31, where Leah’s being hated is explained by Rachel’s being loved more than Leah. See also De 21:15-17; and Bishop Pearce on this place. See also Clarke’s notes on “Mt 10:37“.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
26, 27. If any man, c.(See on Mt 10:34-36, andMar 8:34 Mar 8:35).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If any man come to me,…. Not in a corporeal, but in a spiritual way; nor barely to hear him preach; but so come, as that he believes in him, applies to him for grace, pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; professes to be his, submits to his ordinances, and desires to be a disciple of his;
and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple: not that proper hatred of any, or all of these, is enjoined by Christ; for this would be contrary to the laws of God, to the first principles of nature, to all humanity, to the light of nature, to reason and divine revelation: but that these are not to be preferred to Christ, or loved more than he, as it is explained in
Mt 10:37 yea, these are to be neglected and forsaken, and turned from with indignation and resentment, when they stand in the way of the honour and interest of Christ, and dissuade from his service: such who would be accounted the disciples of Christ, should be ready to part with their dearest relations and friends, with the greatest enjoyment of life, and with life itself, when Christ calls for it; or otherwise they are not worthy to be called his disciples. The Ethiopic version inserts, “his house”, into the account.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Hateth not ( ). An old and very strong verb , to hate, detest. The orientals use strong language where cooler spirits would speak of preference or indifference. But even so Jesus does not here mean that one must hate his father or mother of necessity or as such, for Mt 15:4 proves the opposite. It is only where the element of choice comes in (cf. Mt 6:24) as it sometimes does, when father or mother opposes Christ. Then one must not hesitate. The language here is more sharply put than in Mt 10:37. The here coalesces with the verb in this conditional clause of the first class determined as fulfilled. It is the language of exaggerated contrast, it is true, but it must not be watered down till the point is gone. In mentioning “and wife” Jesus has really made a comment on the excuse given in verse 20 (I married a wife and so I am not able to come).
And his own life also ( ). Note , both–and. “The (B L) binds all the particulars into one bundle of renuncianda” (Bruce). Note this same triple group of conjunctions ( ) in Ac 21:28, “And moreover also,” “even going as far as his own life.” Martyrdom should be an ever-present possibility to the Christian, not to be courted, but not to be shunned. Love for Christ takes precedence “over even the elemental instinct of self-preservation” (Ragg).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “If any man come to me,” (ei tis erchetai pros me) “if anyone comes to me,” even of his own accord, for mere outward identity, attachment, or company.
2) “And hate not his father and mother,” (kai ou miesei ton patera autou kai te metera) “And does not hate his father and his mother,” his parents, in the sense of a willingness to sever ties with them, that would hinder or prevent their following me, as I severed such ties with my earthly family, Gen 29:31; Mat 10:37; Deu 33:8-9.
3) “And wife, and children,” (kai ten gunoika kai ta tekna) “And his wife and children,” or have not a priority attachment of affections for them over me, toward his wife or his children, Mat 6:33.
4) “And brethren, and sisters,” (kai tous adelphous kai tas adelphas) “And his brothers and sisters,” of his own family flesh, Rom 10:1-4; Even as Paul also did, Php_3:4-9.
5) “Yea, and his own life also.” (eti te kai ten psuchen heautou) “And besides these also the life of himself,” above sharing my life and telling the story of my offer of eternal life to all. Mat 10:39; Act 14:22; as Paul did Act 20:34.
6) “He cannot be my disciple.” (ou dunatai einai mou mathetes) “He is not able to be (exist as) my disciple,” a true learner and obedient servant in my company, which I have chosen to be witnesses of me, Joh 15:16; Joh 15:27; Joh 20:21; Act 1:8; Act 1:11; Luk 9:23.
All terms which define emotions and affections in the Greek are comparative and relative terms. Natural affections are to be or exist, as compared with devotion to Christ, as if they were hate, which means to love or hold affections of much lower degree and lower priority of commitment to people in the flesh than to Jesus, even as Jesus did to His family, Mat 12:47-50. For He surely commanded that men are even to love their enemies, Mat 5:44. In the Lord natural affections are to be sanctified to a level of Divine love, Joh 19:26-27; Eph 5:25-28.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(26) If any man come to me, and hate not his father.Like words had been spoken before, as in Mat. 10:37-39, where see Notes. Here they appear in a yet stronger form, not hating taking the place of loving more, and they are spoken, not to the Twelve only, but to the whole multitude of eager would-be followers. Self-renunciation, pushed, if necessary, to the extremest issues, is with Jesus the one indispensable condition of discipleship. He asks for nothing less than the heart, and that cannot be given by halves.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. If any man come to me With a true and earnest coming; not an excited chasing of my footsteps.
Hate not With a moral and holy repulsion.
Father The relatives, the ties, the interests that stand in the way of his entire surrender to me.
His own life When to love it would make him an apostate and cheat him of the martyr’s crown.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“If any man comes to me, and does not love less than me, his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
The first cost was with regard to family. As He had demonstrated earlier, now that He was fulfilling His ministry His own family, who had actually sought to interfere with that ministry, even though He loved them, counted as less to Him than His new spiritual family, which consisted of those who heard the word of God that He spoke, and did it (Luk 8:19-21; Mar 3:31-35).
In the same way those who ‘come to Him’ in order to follow Him must recognise that He must then mean more to them than their families. They must respond to His way of life and His words. They must love their families less than they love Him. This very claim reveals that Jesus saw Himself as more than simply a man, that He saw Himself as having the right to claim a man’s total submission.
The word used here is regularly translated in modern versions as ‘hate’ and that is what it does often mean. But we must beware. No word in one language translates exactly into another. Thus miseo does not always mean ‘hate. It can mean ‘love with a lesser love’. Consider the following examples:
In Gen 29:30-31 LXX we read of Jacob that ‘he loved Rachel more than Leah’, and it goes on to say ‘and when the Lord saw that Leah was ‘hated’, (that is ‘not loved like Rachel was’). Thus the comparison is between two levels of love.
In Deu 21:15-17 a man has two wives, one of whom he loves more than the other. The point is not that he hates the second wife, but that he does not love her like he does the other.
In 2. Samuel Luk 19:6 the charge is made that David loves those who loved him less than he loved Absalom. It could hardly be thought that he was seen as hating them. The charge is that he does not love them as he ought.
In Pro 13:24 we are told that ‘he who spares the rod hates his son.’ Taken literally that would be nonsense. If he hated him he would not spare the rod. The point being made is that a loving father should punish the son whom he loves, because he loves him and wants him to grow up rightly. If he does not he is demonstrating that he has a lesser love.
In Rom 9:13 we read, ‘Jacob I loved and Esau I hated’ because the latter would serve the former. Again the idea is not that the Lord hated Esau. Rather it is that His love for Jacob was the stronger because He had chosen him, while he had put Esau in second place. He had a lesser love for him, although it was still great enough to bless him (Gen 27:39-40).
In the same way it is quite clear that ‘hate’ is not what is meant here. Even if there were no other argument to prove that it becomes clear from the fact that Jesus includes the man as ‘hating’ Himself. But if the word is taken literally no normal, rational man would ever really do such a thing, however much he may hate his own selfishness, and the sin that sometimes possesses him. He simply loves himself less. And this meaning is confirmed in that Jesus has already told His hearers to love their enemies and not only those who love them (Luk 6:27; Luk 6:32; Luk 6:35).
So the Old Testament LXX background indicates quite clearly that ‘hate’ is not always the correct translation for miseo. When it speaks of God loving Jacob and ‘hating’ Esau this simply means that He has set His love on Jacob and not on Esau, because Jacob is His chosen one, His beloved. Esau is not loved in the same way, and is ‘loved less’. In the same way for people to ‘love Jesus’ is to set their love on Him and choose to follow Him. By it they have made Him their chosen Master. To ‘hate’ their families indicates that they leave them, however reluctantly, in order to follow Jesus, and that they will not allow their lesser commitment to their families interfere with their greater commitment to Jesus. Given the choice they, however grievingly, turn their backs on their families (compare Luk 9:59-62). If they are faced with a choice between obedience to Jesus and obedience to their families, they will choose obedience to Jesus. For they ‘love’ Him, and their families they ‘love less’. And the point here is that this is what following Jesus calls for.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Luk 14:26. And hate not his father, &c. Strictly speaking, to hate our nearest relations, and our own lives, would be unnatural wickedness, and equally contrary to the dictates of humanity, and the genius of the gospel. But it is well known, that one thing is said to be loved and another hated in scripture, when the former is much preferred; and especially when out of regard to it, the latter is neglected or forsaken. Compare Gen 29:31. Deu 21:15-17. Mal 1:3. Rom 9:13. Mat 6:24. Father and mother, and other relations were particularly mentioned by our Lord, because, as affairs then stood, the profession of the gospel was apt to set a man at variance with his nearest relations.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Ver. 26. And hate not his father, &c. ] a Much more his farm and his oxen. It was not these, but the inordinate love of these, that detained them, as Christ here intimateth. Your house, home, and goods, yea, life, and all that ever ye have (saith that martyr), God hath given you as love tokens, to admonish you of his love, to win your love to him again. Now will he try your love, whether ye set more by him or by his tokens.
a , ex ex odio reprobavit, respuit.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
26, 27. ] See Mat 10:37-38 , and note. The remark there made of the strangeness of this sound of the Cross , still applies: our Lord had not yet announced his death by crucifixion .
] It is well to enquire what sense this word here bears. That no such thing as active hatred can be meant, is plain: our Lord himself is an example to the contrary, Joh 19:25-27 ; the hate is the general , not personal , feeling of alienation in the inmost heart, so that this world’s relationships, as belonging to the state of things in this world , are not the home and rest of the heart. This is evident from the . . . which follows. Let the hate begin here , and little explanation will be further wanted. This addition also shews that the saying was not meant only for those times, in which more perhaps of the disruption of earthly ties was required, but for all time: for is equally dear to every man in every age. It hardly need be observed that this hate is not only consistent with, but absolutely necessary to the very highest kind of love. It is that element in love which makes a man a wise and Christian friend , not for time only, but for eternity.
Beware of thinking, with Wordsw., that in , there is any emphasis on . Rather is it in the least emphatic place in the sentence, in order to throw all the stress on the verb : cf. , Luk 14:23 ; , ch. Luk 15:30 . In Luk 14:33 , the collocation is different, and has a secondary emphasis. See remarks on this idea of Wordsworth’s, in note on Mat 16:18 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 14:26-27 . The requirements of true discipleship (Mat 10:37-39 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Luk 14:26 . , cometh to me, with a view to close and permanent discipleship. : a stronger word than that used in Mt., where it is a question of loving less; surprising in Lk., whose general habit is to soften hard sayings. But the logion is presented in different lights in the two Gospels. In Mt. it is a question of being a disciple worthy of the Master ( ); in Lk. of being an effective disciple ( ). Love of friends makes discipleship difficult or impossible; on the other hand, hatred makes it easy. It is easy to be devoted to a master or cause when you hate all rival masters or interests. Therefore “hates” is the appropriate word here, but the practical meaning is love less , which in experience signifies: hating other objects of affection in so far as they present themselves as hindrances to the supreme love of the Master. , (not in Mt.): to be most “hated” just because most loved, and excercising the most entangling influence. , and moreover. The ( [119] [120] ) binds all the particulars named into one bundle of renuncianda . , life, oneself, most loved of all, therefore forming the climax, and also determining the sense of . The disciple is to hate friends as he can hate himself “secundam eam partem, secundum quam se ipsum odisse debet, a Christo aversam” (Bengel). This last item in the list of things to be hated represents the idea contained in Mat 10:39 .
[119] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[120] Codex Regius–eighth century, represents an ancient text, and is often in agreement with and B.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
If any. The case being assumed. App-118.
hate not. See Mat 10:37.
life = soul. See App-110.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
26, 27.] See Mat 10:37-38, and note. The remark there made of the strangeness of this sound of the Cross, still applies: our Lord had not yet announced his death by crucifixion.
] It is well to enquire what sense this word here bears. That no such thing as active hatred can be meant, is plain: our Lord himself is an example to the contrary, Joh 19:25-27; the hate is the general, not personal, feeling of alienation in the inmost heart,-so that this worlds relationships, as belonging to the state of things in this world, are not the home and rest of the heart. This is evident from the . . . which follows. Let the hate begin here, and little explanation will be further wanted. This addition also shews that the saying was not meant only for those times, in which more perhaps of the disruption of earthly ties was required, but for all time: for is equally dear to every man in every age. It hardly need be observed that this hate is not only consistent with, but absolutely necessary to the very highest kind of love. It is that element in love which makes a man a wise and Christian friend,-not for time only, but for eternity.
Beware of thinking, with Wordsw., that in , there is any emphasis on . Rather is it in the least emphatic place in the sentence, in order to throw all the stress on the verb : cf. , Luk 14:23; , ch. Luk 15:30. In Luk 14:33, the collocation is different, and has a secondary emphasis. See remarks on this idea of Wordsworths, in note on Mat 16:18.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 14:26. [ , if any man) Wherever the greatest multitude of men flocked together, there at times Jesus used especial sternness of language.-V. g.]- , doth not hate his father) viz. hate his father, etc., in that respect, in which he is bound to hate himself ( ), namely, whereinsoever father, etc., or self are inconsistent with love to Christ [are averse from Christ]. This text applies to that time especially, in which few were really following Christ: many hated, who deserved to be hated themselves. This hatred must be understood not merely in the comparative [hate, i.e. love less] or conditional and qualified sense, but even absolutely: For whoever hath derived from Christ a ripened knowledge, taste, and appetite for God and heavenly good things (Luk 14:16, the viands of the great supper), has also a contempt and hatred of self and of the whole creature that [of the whole creation, so far as it] is subject to vanity, a hatred that is at once high-spirited and yet at the same time removed from all bitterness of feeling. Comp. note, Joh 12:25.-, brethren) Comp. Luk 14:12.- , yea besides his own life) What is dearest to man, himself. Often he who has seemed to attain to a lower degree of this holy hatred, proves wanting in a higher degree of it.- , his own soul or life) i.e. himself.- , my disciple he cannot be) The order is reversed in the following verse, , be my disciple. In both passages the accent in pronunciation falls upon the word which stands first.[148]
[148] Tisch. however, with BLX Fuld. MS. of Vulg. (esse meus discipulus: and indeed the other MSS. meus esse disc, and so Hilary) reads . But Lachm. reads as Beng. and Rec. Text, , with ADabc, Orig. 1,299b, twice.-E. and T.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
hate
All terms which define the emotions or affections are comparative. Natural affection is to be, as compared with the believer’s devotedness to Christ, as if it were hate. See Mat 12:47-50 where Christ illustrates this principle in His own person. But in the Lord the natural affections are sanctified and lifted to the level of the divine love (cf); Joh 19:26; Joh 19:27; Eph 5:25-28.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
any: Deu 13:6-8, Deu 33:9, Psa 73:25, Psa 73:26, Mat 10:37, Phi 3:8
hate: Gen 29:30, Gen 29:31, Deu 21:15, Job 7:15, Job 7:16, Ecc 2:17-19, Mal 1:2, Mal 1:3, Joh 12:25, Rom 9:13
yea: Act 20:24, Rev 12:11
Reciprocal: Gen 12:1 – Get Gen 22:3 – General Exo 32:27 – slay every man Lev 21:11 – his father Num 10:30 – General Deu 13:9 – But Deu 21:13 – and bewail Rth 1:15 – return 1Sa 2:29 – and honourest Psa 45:10 – forget Psa 139:22 – hate them Pro 13:24 – General Pro 23:26 – give Ecc 3:8 – a time to hate Dan 6:10 – when Zec 13:3 – and his Mat 4:22 – General Mat 13:21 – for Mat 18:8 – if Mat 19:29 – or brethren Mar 1:20 – they left Mar 8:34 – follow Mar 9:47 – thine Luk 6:47 – cometh Luk 9:23 – If Luk 9:58 – Jesus Luk 9:61 – but Luk 11:29 – when Luk 14:20 – General Luk 14:33 – General Luk 16:13 – hate Luk 18:29 – There Joh 14:2 – if Act 5:13 – of Phi 2:21 – all Phi 3:7 – General Col 3:19 – love 2Ti 3:12 – shall 2Ti 4:10 – having Heb 12:1 – let us lay 1Pe 2:21 – even
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Hate is from MISEO which Thayer defines at this place, “to love less, to postpone in love or esteem, to slight.” It is clear, therefore, that. Jesus does not contradict other passages that require us to love our parents. He means for us to love the Lord above all earthly beings.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 14:26. See on Mat 10:37. Which was addressed to the Twelve.
Hate not. The demand is for supreme love to Christ: father, and mother, etc., are placed here as objects which may and often do interfere with this supreme love. In so far as they do this, they are to be hated, not actively and personally, but generally. The meaning will best appear, if we notice the crowning thought: yea, and his own life also. This cannot, of course, mean that a man should actively hate his life or soul, for then he must kill himself to become a Christian. All belonging solely to the sphere of the lower life, as opposed to the life of the Spirit, must be opposed in heart, i.e., actually hated. The power to love implies the power to hate. Alford: This hate is not only consistent with, but absolutely necessary to the very highest kind of love. It is that element in love which makes a man a wise and Christian friend,not for time only but for eternity.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 26
Hate not his father, &c.; be not willing to give up his dearest earthly friends.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
14:26 If any [man] come to me, and {d} hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
(d) If anything stands between God and him, as Theophylact says: and therefore these words are spoken in a comparative way, and not by themselves.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Curiosity is one thing, but discipleship is another. There were many people who were accompanying Jesus who were not really following Him in the sense of learning from Him. They simply wanted to benefit from His ministry. Jesus mentioned two qualifications for being His disciple.
First, one must be willing to give up his or her primary allegiance to family and self. Jesus taught His disciples to love their enemies rather than hating them (Luk 6:27-38). He was not contravening the teaching of the fifth commandment either (Luk 18:20). He spoke positively about loving oneself too (Luk 10:27). He clearly meant hate in a relative rather than an absolute sense here.
Second, a disciple must bear the burden of public identification with Jesus even to death if necessary (Luk 9:23; cf. Deu 13:4; 1Ki 14:8; 1Ki 18:21; 2Ki 23:3). Luke recorded this command in more detail than Matthew did perhaps because of his Gentile readers’ greater need for challenge and encouragement in view of persecution (cf. Mat 10:37-38).
"Salvation is open to all who will come by faith, while discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. Salvation means coming to the cross and trusting Jesus Christ, while discipleship means carrying the cross and following Jesus." [Note: Wiersbe, 1:232.]
"Discipleship means giving one’s first loyalty." [Note: Morris, p. 235.]