11 May May 10th Weekly Devotional
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:25-26
Jesus and the disciples are on their way to Jerusalem. As it is on most occasions, great multitudes are following Him. He has left the Pharisee’s house where He taught three parables, healing on the sabbath, taking the lowly place, and the great supper.
He is now about to teach them parables on the cost of being a disciple of Christ.
He says that if anyone comes to Him and does not “hate” his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Our English translations use the word “hate” and we might think to ourselves, did the One who is the definition of Love tell me that I am supposed to “hate”, even my own family, the ones who are closest to me, the ones who I would give up my own life for in an instant? Hate my own self even? I thought the second great commandment was to love my neighbor as myself???
Of course Jesus does not want us to “hate” anyone. The word in the original language is miseó (strongs G3404) which in this context means to “love less”.
An easier translation is a similar teaching of Jesus in Matthew 10:37-38, Jesus says, He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
When there is a choice before us, whether to choose to follow after the desires of even those who we are the most close to in the entire world, our own mother, father, sister, brother, wife, children, even our own self desires, we must love them less than Christ, and choose to follow after Christ, every time.
This may seem like a betrayal to the ones we love the most in life, BUT when we repeatedly, consistently, live and show the example of choosing Christ, every time, time and again, over and over, His will, His plan, that example is noticed by those of our fleshly family, the ones closest to us in life, and it just might cause them to be won over, so that they too are convinced to dedicate their own lives to loving Christ the MOST as well.
The cost of discipleship is not easy. It is at times very difficult. People will not understand often times. Sometimes, it comes from those who are closest to us.
Jesus Himself experienced this. There is nothing that we experience that He has not already experienced first.
In Matthew 13, starting in verse 53, Jesus came to His own town, and the people were astonished and questioned among themselves where He received His wisdom and works. They said, “is this not the carpenter’s son, who we have known His entire life, and are not His brothers and sisters here as well? Where did He get these things”, and verse 57, So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”
In John 7:5, the Bible speaks of Jesus’ own brothers, and says, For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
They would continue in their disbelief until after the resurrection.
I am so blessed that my own family support me 100% in my own walk with Christ. In turn, I must support them and accept that I am going to be “loved less” than Him by them. Are you doing the same for those closest to you?
When the world tries as hard as it can to pull us away from Christ, let’s do our most to encourage one another to grow closer to Christ. It’s hard enough as it is, so let’s try and make it just a little easier for everyone.
Hebrews 10:24-25, And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
So in a busy week, “love less” everything and everyone, but Jesus Christ, love Him the most.
