Can You Explain The Bible Verse Luke 14:25-27?

According to Luke 14: 25-27 (CEV)

"Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said: You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me"

This is what I understand of the above verses.

In order to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, all thing of this world must be forsaken. The material things we hold dear to our hearts are the most dangerous. They are the ones that take us away from Christ. Jesus does not mean that loving our relations is an evil thing. But since Christ was rejected by this world, everything that binds us to material things must be sacrificed for Him. No matter what it may cost, Christ expects His people to follow Him. They must know how to hate their own lives in order to receive a place in eternal life. The only way to be Jesus' disciple is to have the faith and courage to suffer, like He did.

I understand these words of Christ to mean that if there is anything we love (desire, want) more than we love (desire, want) Him, it will most certainly keep us from Him. This includes our own life. We must always be WILLING.

But if the One who gives you life takes your life, should you worry? If He who gave His life in exchange for yours, asks you for your life, should you fear? No! Can we trust Him? Yes! With Him - in any circumstance - we are safe!

So Christ's words tell us that we must reject every thing - every person - that takes our time and attention from Him. Be reminded of Steven's sacrifice in Acts 7.

That word "hate" doesn't mean to literally hate, but it means to place no one else higher in your life than Jesus. We have a way as people of putting Jesus on the back burner, and doing for ourselves and our family first, and than Him. That verse means to love the Lord as you are suppose to, He is first, and everyone else falls behind Him. For example, if you would read in the book of Matthew, when Jesus first went out to pick men for His disciples, they had to willing to leave their families, wife's, children, mothers, and fathers for the love of Jesus. And you also have to deny yourself as well. Jesus ask that we be separate from the things of this world, I Corinthians 6: 9-11, and follow Him. Where I once loved to give someone a piece of my mind with those four letter word, He told me to put that away, and speak that which is edifying to the ear. And to be able to do as He ask, takes a lot on our behalf. So when He said hate, He doesn't mean as to despise, but to Love Him more, so if He ever called you to go by yourself, you will with no questions. If you haven't already, watch Evan Almighty, that is a prime example of what Jesus means

Yes, this requires you forsake all others, and put christ first in your life. Everything and body comes second to christ. When you think about it, its not hard to do who else can give you life
and life more abundantly. Neither of those mentioned in that scripture. Of course we are suppose
to love our love one but GOD's first.

Don't love anything or anyone more then JESUS CHRIST and be willing  to loose your life to gain his. This also means living as a NEW CREATION in  CHRIST! NO idolatry, Nothing before CHRIST.

When interpreting the Bible one must always use other scriptures to get a better understanding of what the scriptures mean and are saying. First read Luke 14:25-27 then to get a better understanding of what Jesus is saying, read Matthew 10:38 and John 12:25.   These verses give an excellent explanation of what Luke 14:25-27 means. The subject  in Luke 14:25 talks of the LIFE a person is living, not the person.  The love for Jesus must be such that all other loves are, by comparison, hatred.  Always put Jesus first in your life, before worldly possessions, mother, father, sister  and brother.  Always be ready to bear your cross and follow Jesus, leaving all other things behind.   ( I would like to remain anonymous but want my answer to be posted).

Wow! Sorry I'm late on this one folks. I happened across this question and read all the responses and comments and was compelled to share. There are some great insights here concerning these provocative verses. I agree completely that it is idolatrous to put anything or anyone before our obedience of Christ. And out of that obedience all else flows. Melannikko brings up a valid point as to the usage of "hate". I did some digging which I hope will shed some light on a dark sounding word. In New Testament Greek, the word hate has several implications and applications. Most of the time it is used to connote a degree of love. In other words, and in this case, what Jesus is saying is that we must love less father, mother, spouse, children, siblings, and our own lives, than we are to love Him! God cannot contradict Himself, therefore, what Jesus also told us to do by loving our neighbors as ourselves, as well as our enemies, is just as true as what He tells us in these verses. There is no confusion or contradiction. 

Well its simple but difficult. Let me ask you...has it ever been hard to love someone who loved you? Probably not. When Jesus said this He was saying that if we want to follow God's plan then don't go on fighting with your enemies. In other words, don't do what your enemy does to you. This is tough because if someone steps on your shoe you want to kill them already.  But then anger begets more anger.  Not only is it wrong to bicker and fight with enemies but it takes too much out of you. TO be angry at someone is a full time job. Plus it cause separation and division.

This means that the children of God must be able to make sacrifice for the cause of God and do not put anyone or anything before God if you do this you will be Idolizing these people or things and hence you will be breaking the first commandment which says thou shalt have no other gods before me.
And the enemy works to make us idolize and worship people and things rather than putting Jesus first in all things and before all people.
Many compromise to word of God to please family, friends, and other things they posse, your cross is the trials and burdens which confronts you daily.

It's a little difficult to explain.  First off, Love and Hate are not mutually exclusive things and I do believe that some things are lost in translation.
 
However, here is my opinion on what this verse means.  Jesus isn't really telling you to spite your parents or be evil to them, but to forsake them in favor of Him.  What others are saying is mostly correct, but I think it needs to be phrased a certain way in order to really get the point across.
 
There are two forces at work here: What God wants you to do and what your family wants you to do.
 
If what God wants you to do is in direct conflict with what your family wants you to do, then you must forsake what your family wants and embrace what God wants.  That is what Jesus is saying here.
 
It's also kind of implied that you should follow God when he calls you, and not put it off for any other reason.  Keep in mind that God wouldn't be calling you to do it unless it was important.  God isn't known for wasting people's time.  Other stuff can wait, and in the end doesn't really matter.  God comes first.

Jesus was asking people to not focus on the temporary and follow him regardless of circumstances . For example one of the greatest causes of atheism is the loss of a loved one. I think Jesus was asking people to show thier devoutness to him by leaving what they love in order to follow him so thier would be no conflict of priorities. Example being Adam and Eve..Adams greatest downfall was loving eve more than he did God...it wasnt just because of the fruit it was the concept behind it. That he would disobey his maker for the sake of joining his wife. As much as we love our families on the Christian walk they too could be a distraction ....he was asking for people to set their priorities straight. BUT YOU SHOULD LOVE EVERYONE just as you love your family family relation should not be placed above a total stranger ...we are all one family coming from the same ancestral background weather you believe in God or Science. 

Jesus used so many metaphors and illustrations, but he did this to make men think, to use their mind, and seek him.' He told the pharisees and saducees that he came not to save the righteous but bring sinners to repentance.'  Jesus was first God, but he was also a man, he understood the plight of sin and man and was trying to tell his disciples that he just expected them to be men and acknolwedge their sin, to realize they would never reach perfection in this life. Jesus was a man but he was also God, we are not and our cross to bear is that we are not perfect and sin daily. We all have besetting sins as mentioned by Paul in the Bible and these are the cross we bear knowing hard as we try we are still just human.We should hate our sin as a man hates his relations or enemies, etc. It should cause us to grieve when we sin and by walking in this state of love and humility and acknowledgement we become closer in our walk with him. These are basic fundamentals as a child learns to walk so we must learn this to follow him in our walk with him.

This is an example of the Bible's use of hyperbole, that is overstatement or exaggeration to drive home a point. I heard an example of this recently when a person won a sizable amount in a bingo game. An other person needed just one number and was hoping to win it. Upon learning that the other person had won they said "I hate you, I was just one away." Now, everyone that heard this knew that that person didn't really hate the other one. The Bible commands us to love our families. Here Jesus is showing how serious it is to commit oneself to him. Nothing should stand between us and him.
Sometimes the cost of following Jesus can be very great. Following Jesus can be a lonely and painful life at times. But it is also very rewarding. Matthew 8:21-22 can help explain this more clearly. A man wanted to follow Jesus but he said to Jesus "First let me go and bury my father. But Jesus told him, 'Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  In this situation the man's father wasn't dead. He just wanted to go back home and wait until his father died before he followed Jesus. He wasn't willing to immediately walk away from his family as others had. Jesus reply was let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead. Also read Matthew 8:19-20 "Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, 'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'" There is another situation described in Luke 9:61-62 in which a man wanted to follow Jesus but first he wanted to go say good-by to his family. This involve a long celebration of several weeks. Jesus told him "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Mark 10: 28-31 Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters,or mother or father, or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields -- and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Read about the calling of the first disciples how they immediately left what they were doing and followed Jesus. Also read all of Hebrews chapter 11.
I want to stress two important things. First, following Jesus is serious and demanding. It isn't for the weak or faint hearted ( he will give us the strength to follow him if we are willing). The words from an old song say it well "It's a battle field brother not a recreation room, it's a battle not a game. Run if you want to, run if you will, but I came here to stay."

The other point is that God doesn't want us to shirk our responsibilities as fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, etc. He wants us to be good employers, employees, students, business people or whatever we are. But he wants first place in our lives. When he has first place all of the other falls into place perfectly.
I hope this helps you. God bless you on your journey,

Kenq

www.kenquallsjustthinkingoutloud.com

Jesus does not mean do not love your mother and father and brothers and so forth.  He is saying that we must be willing to follow Him above all people.  Jesus also says that He came not to bring people together, but to tear people apart ( I am paraphrasing).  He is not saying HE literally came to tear people apart.  God values relationships between people, it is all over the bible.  But there have been families torn apart because one persons decision to follow Jesus.  That, I believe, is what Jesus is talking about.  That you must be willing to follow Him at all cost.  Whether it cost you your family or not. 

Luke 14:25-27. This simply means that you are to put Christ first in your life, to serve Him with your whole heart,soul,body,and mind. Just Like Christ you are to love everyone,regardless of how they treat you. That's if Jesus is the head of your life.

Base on what verses saying is...

To be the follower disciple of Jesus Christ, He is more importation then your father, mother, wife, children, brothers or sisters; while He is more lovable then your father, mother, wife, children, brothers or sisters. Since all thing in this world along with families member are most forsaken but Jesus. He is the most dear one and He only accepted those who accepted His same suffering. Just like how Apostles had suffer to death while they were delivery God messages.

Luke 14:26-27
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.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

The Bible verse means that if we want to be God's disciple we should love God, rather than being consumed by material things. God suffered for us even when we sinned deeply. And we should also be willing to "bear the cross", just as Jesus Christ did for us.

The word "Hate" is not an absolute but a relative term. To neglect social customs pertaining to family loyalties is not literal hate. Jesus is not contravening the commandment to honor one's father and mother. Discipleship requires a conscious advance commitment, made with the ultimate personal cost. Jesus vividly underlines the fact that Christian discipleship is not some theoretical abstract ideal but hard reality.

I understand the meaning but why was it phrased in such a harsh way, "hate" . Possibly we have loaded this word to such an extreme that the word "hate" itself denotes a kind of death, which is a difficult comprehension for anyone who cherishes their family.
God had his purpose and that is to take his scriptures to the extreme so we did have to question them, discect each word for the true meaning... Which is intimacy in comparison His love for us worldly love is hate.

Jesus is NOT telling us to NOT LOVE our family. He wants us to love HIM most. When we love HIM most, we can then love others better. We put HIM 1st and everything falls into place.

Who wants to be jesus disciple should love jesus more than his father,mother,wife.....and he should carry his own cross daily and follow jesus

I think it mean to follow Jesus you need complete concentration,you can not serve God and at the same time worship the devil.

It's simple and quite obvious, isn't it? Idolatry! "Thou shalt have NO other gods before Me." Loving ANYthing and ANYone MORE than God is idolatry. He is a jealous God. By the way, regarding the word "hate" as ascribed to God? In the OT when God said He loved Jacob and hated Esau, what is meant is that He loved Esau LESS. Check the Hebrew.

Simply means to live your life to the best of ability fulfilling the purposes of God in our life sure you will have adversity but don't we all when we loose sight of what God really wants from us we just remember what Jesus went through and scarficed for us to bring Gods salvation to a dying world we must be determined to live out Gods purposes in our life no matter what it may cost because and the end of our life as it declares in James Blessed is a man who endures tempation for he shall recieve and crown of life promised to those who love HIM

this is just simply saying. That your love for Jesus should be so strong that your love for every thing else looks like you hate it compared to god.

From what I understand, Jesus used the word
"miseo" which has a double meaning of sorts in the Greek.  It can mean either to detest or despise or
simply to love-less.  I believe Jesus
meant this to mean to love-less as that supports all the other times he tells
us to love your neighbor and even your enemy ... He wouldn't say that, then
tell you to actually hate anyone…especially not your family or children.



It was a word lost in translation... And what's with the
weird Buddhist responses?

Because Jesus is love, and love conquers all. Christians have to be the example. God can not forgive us if we do not forgive and love our brothers and sisters. It is easy to love those we like but it takes strength and obedience to love our enemies.