If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26).
Hatred is not a defining feature of Christianity. And yet in today’s gospel, we have Jesus Christ commanding us to hate nearly everyone – including ourselves – if we want to be his disciples. How are we to make sense of this command?
Let’s begin by looking at the big picture. In today’s gospel, Jesus sets out three conditions of discipleship: (1) hatred of family; (2) bearing the cross and (3) renunciation of material possessions. In the middle of outlining these three conditions, Jesus also tells two parables. Both parables speak of the importance of counting the cost prior to making hard decisions. Jesus seems to be saying, “If you want to follow me, turn your back on your family, embrace the cross, and renounce all that you own…and make sure that you don’t change your mind…because you are going to look like a fool if you decide to leave”. What is Jesus getting at?
First off, it is always important to read the Holy Scriptures in context. At this point in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has just told the parable of the wedding feast, where the Master sent his servants into the highways and byways, so that “my house will be filled” (Luke 14:23). Thus, today’s Gospel comes immediately after Jesus has spoken about the universal invitation to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Immediately after speaking about this universal invitation, Jesus places these three conditions on entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, everyone is invited into the Kingdom. But in order to enter the Kingdom, you must follow Jesus and become his disciple.
The question, however, still remains: what are we to make of Jesus’ conditions? Do we really have to hate our parents, families and even ourselves in order to be disciples of Christ? Well, the short answer is yes and no. Yes, we do need to hate ourselves, in the sense that nothing can take precedence over following Jesus. Any obstacle that prevents us from following Jesus, be it our family or ourselves, must be put aside. On the other hand, we do not need to hate our family per se. How do we know this? Earlier in Luke, Jesus himself – in telling the parable of the Good Samaritan – commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves (Luke 10:27). In commanding us to love our neighbour as ourselves, Jesus is acknowledging that self-love can be properly ordered. More than that, self-love is the standard with which we should love our neighbour. Therefore, when Jesus commands us to hate our family and even ourselves, this hatred must be understood in relative terms. Next to our love of God, all else must pale. At the same time, we must love our neighbour and our family in the same measure that we love ourselves.
If we stop to think, Jesus’ command makes complete sense. God, being infinitely good, is the only one worthy of our unbridled love. We must give our entire selves to God. All other creatures, however, must be loved as creatures. We must never make the mistake of loving a creature with the love that is due to the Creator.
Therefore, when we hear these words of Jesus, let us not shrink back in disgust and horror. No. Let us run to meet these words. Let us knead them into our soul and knit them into our flesh. For these words, though seemingly bitter, are in fact sweet – and if we prove faithful to these words, they have the power to preserve us to everlasting life.
Ian Mahood – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Tyler Nix/Unsplash.com