The saying of Jesus to hate is harsh. But in the time of Jesus it didn’t carry the meaning we attach to it. It is more about attitude and action than emotion. It’s akin to choosing one over the other. But it is more than this, for the hyperbole points to the way in which the good in our lives so easily usurps the place of God in our hearts. (See Luke 16:13) Noting that ‘hate’ in this passage doesn’t mean exactly what we mean by it does reduce the shock somewhat. But there is still no escaping Jesus’ radical call to discipleship. His call remains urgent and uncompromising. And that’s classic Jesus.
Situating this passage in the broader context of Luke 14 (and beyond) will help us understand it a little better. In Luke 9:51 Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem. He has predicted his death in Jerusalem, and he will do so again along the way. He will enter Jerusalem in Luke 19, and on this journey to his death and resurrection, Jesus will teach about discipleship, call people to follow him as disciples, and have this call rejected. This is important. The radical call matches his own self-sacrifice on the approaching cross. This call is so important that it even takes precedence over the (potentially) best parts of our lives. And subordinates to it even those duties that are rightly required of us. (See Lk 9:57-62.)
So that is point one today: The urgent and resolute call to discipleship matches Jesus’ own determined movement to Jerusalem. He is not asking us to do what he has not himself done. He is the pioneer and perfector of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Most of Luke 14 occurs at a dinner party held by a leader of the Pharisees. (14:1) And Jesus teaches those present about the kingdom, humility, disgrace, and cost of discipleship and the cost of rejecting his call to discipleship. One of the parables he tells, and it occurs immediately before our current passage, is the parable of the invitation to a great dinner, and all the invitees decline. They decline because of important things like family and possessions. So, the slave is sent to gather in the poor, crippled, the blind, and lame. But there is still room! So anyone and everyone is then brought into the banquet. And those who rejected the invitation, we are told, will not taste the dinner. (Lk 14:16-24)
(And as an aside, this three-fold structure of invitee – those who reject the invite, the poor etc, and anyone passing by – matches the flow of the gospel’s movement in Luke/Acts. The invitation that is Jesus is given to some who reject it, then it goes out to the poor, lame, etc, and finally (in Acts) whoever is passing by, including the Gentiles.)
And now notice what Jesus says in today’s passage we must renounce if we wish to be his disciples. Family and possessions (Lk 14:26, 33), exactly what prevents the original invitees of the parable from accepting the invitation to the banquet. (Lk 14:18-20) So, today’s passage doesn’t come out of the blue. It follows directly the parable before it. This is part of the explanation of why the language in today’s reading appears so harsh. The other part of the reason why Jesus is so harsh today is because he knows the propensity of the human heart to let that which is good in our lives usurp the place of God. This is point two today: If we find Jesus’ resolute, radical call to discipleship and the accompanying admonition to ‘hate’ disturbing or offensive we are living in a bubble. The human heart is made for God but the universal tendency is for us to fill our hearts with that which cannot satisfy us. And we do this at the expense of God and our own good.
People often say to me that they haven’t fallen into this trap. But if Jesus had made the characters in the parable of the invitees who decline the invitation speak, they would say the same thing! And sometimes people say to me it is a matter of balance. I like that, the problem is that I can’t find in scripture where Jesus says it. And – you’ve heard me say this before – the path for most people is not to give up everything to the point of destitution.
For most people it is a matter of living in a world of responsibilities that include the use of wealth and family, both of which in scripture are blessings from God. And yet, all is to brought under the rule of the crucified-risen Christ in the lives of people like me whose heart is too easily swayed. Where to from here? (And what I am about to say applies to any of the hard sayings of Jesus and just as equally to any sin that weighs us down.)
Point three today: let us follow Jesus. Let us learn to love him. Let us learn through Jesus to love God and each other, and our neighbours as ourselves. At this point you and I can be terrible disciples. Nevertheless, accept the call afresh and regularly. In prayer, in repentance, in life choices, through renewal that is often accompanied with a sense of failure. Notice that Jesus, when he calls disciples, never tries to discover if the new disciple is worthy. It is Jesus who makes us worthy while pilgrimaging with him on the way of the cross to the heavenly Jerusalem. We aren't worthy to be disciples because we are already perfect. We are made perfect through following Jesus.
