It’s hard to believe that the mistakes made in the interpretation of the Bible go unchecked generation after generation.
But they do. Take the Gospel Luke 14: 25-33. It continues this trend of misinterpretations by doing a kabuki dance during homilies around the word “hate.”
I listened to the explanation of what is one of the toughest passages in the Bible ever written in understanding Jesus. Remember? It’s the one where He says you have to hate your father, mother, etc. and give everything up if you are going to follow him.
Interpretations attempt to explain that He is not saying “hate” but is trying to just tell us Jesus comes first.
Jeannine K. Brown is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. She said that “A second helpful observation: the use of ‘hate’ in Luke might reflect an idiom that comes from Hebrew.” An idiom, of course, are words or a word whose usage is not deducible from those words themselves (i.e., it’s raining cats and dogs).
She continues her explanation referring where the word “hate” was used (i.e., Genesis 29:30-31, Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah and that Leah was “hated” by Jacob, or Deuteronomy 21:15-17 where it is also clear that the issue is one of preference or allegiance.).
But the fact is, “hate” is used in the passage, and 196 other times in the Bible. It’s used only 43 times in the New Testament, far less than the Old Testament (maybe understandable since Jesus is in the New Testament). But it’s used, nevertheless (i.e., {12:25} He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.). Talk about confusing!
Or is it?
Brown concludes that “Jesus is not calling his followers to hate their families in terms of emotional response; instead, he calls for undivided loyalty to himself above family loyalties.”
But that’s wrong, regardless of idioms.
Because He did, in fact, call on His followers to hate – to hate everything if they are to follow Him.
The question is why did He do that?
Jesus never mixes words; and Luke, the writer, tells us what was said, so we have to believe Luke if we are going to understand, don’t we? Luke is a “first person” narrator, so he’s in the story; being in the story, he is also subject to being human. There is no evidence throughout his narrative that he is lying to us. Therefore, we must believe what he says – at least according to his interpretation of what happened in this and all the episodes in his narrative.
The Narrator Luke
Instead of relying on homilies or other interpretations, go to the source, read it, and then see what you think! See for yourself if what the interpretations are saying match what you yourself see?
Because giving up everything to follow Jesus is a message of course, but HOW you do that is really what this passage is all about. It’s not an IF you do this story; it’s a HOW you do this story.
And when you read it, the essence is that you have to hate everything in order to really love Jesus. It’s a message that is something much more complex, deeper, more dangerous than blaming an idiom or dancing around the word “hate.”
At least if you believe Luke. And we have no reason NOT to believe him!
As I will point out, the passage is actually a blueprint about how to bring Jesus into your heart through hate. Because when you do that – hate – you actually erase hate and replace hate with love. Hate, like love, has the unique characteristic of burning itself up and everything around it. Love and hate are the strongest of emotions. They consume.
Don’t forget: Jesus IS love. And when you love Jesus, He consumes you. Entirely.
And the opposite of love would be, of course, hate (devil center stage please).
Indeed, the argument (don’t faint please) is that unless you hate…unless you REALLY hate and do it to everything around you, including yourself, you really can never know Jesus.
It’s a beautifully written passage about this journey of finding Him through hate which, as near as I can tell, has largely been ignored in interpretations. Why is that?
Because, it’s easier to dismiss the passage by saying He didn’t mean “hate.” Or he just means, “give up everything in order to follow Him.”
But you can’t deny your eyes: Luke uses the word, hate. When Jesus is telling people they have to hate everything in order to be his disciple and follow him, He means what He says. You can’t really love someone — anything — if you’re going to love Jesus.
This is really a love story! And, I will prove it.
Go to the Source
I have always insisted people go to the literature source and read it. So here for your own study before I offer you proof of my interpretation, is the King James Bible Luke 14: 25-33 passage for your study:
25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 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. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
To truly understand what is being said and explain what I’m seeing, it is necessary to carefully read and re-read every word. Ready?
Verse 25: And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Analysis. This establishes the scene for Luke’s story. Like all stories, the first sentence, paragraph, etc. is always critical to understanding the rest of a narrative. In this case, “great multitudes” is very important in understanding what follows.
What is a “multitude?” The dictionary isn’t any help because they tell us it is a large number. What is interesting about this verse, however, is the adjective “great” which modifies the noun, “multitudes.” In fact, Luke says it’s not just a multitude; it’s the plural, multitudes. And these multitudes were great.
There’s a lot of people following Jesus. Really a lot! Try to imagine that for a moment.
Even though Luke doesn’t name Jesus yet, we know it’s Him from prior stories of which this is one – a story within a story. So “turned” means that the great multitudes were following Him. Jesus turned around to say something to them.
A question is, how did the “great multitudes” hear him? This is always an interesting speculation. Obviously, not everyone could. “Great multitudes” just couldn’t in those days.
Nevertheless, He turns to tell them something. What Jesus says in the following stories when He speaks is always part of what we must figure out to understand the importance of the story itself.
He throws down a hate gauntlet.
Verse 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.
Analysis. So now, the “great multitudes” have something to think about (at least those within earshot). If they are going to follow Him and be His disciple, they must “qualify” by hating their family and themselves.
That’ a shocking statement. It throws everyone into a tailspin. How “could” He mean that?
It’s also a confusing statement because of the use of double negatives. “hate not…” and “he cannot…” When double negatives are used, people have to “re-write” what’s being said in their mind in order to clarify. That’s why most writers try to ban them from their writing.
So why doesn’t Luke? Or, is there something else going on here?
Respectfully, telling people that they must hate their families and their own life in order to become one of His disciples is an attention getter. Telling them with double negatives is worse because it initially confuses the hell out of you. I can hear the great multitudes saying, “What…what did he just say?”
How did the “great multitudes” react?
Luke never tells us.
But let’s examine this statement a little more carefully before going on.
Deep Dive into Hate
First, the word “disciple.” The dictionary’s first definition is “a personal follower of Jesus during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles.” He already has the 12, but now is facing “great multitudes.”
Some scholars will argue that even these 12 didn’t understand what He was saying here.
The second definition of “disciple” is “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.” This is why the Church teaches us we can all be “disciples” of Jesus. We follow His teachings, we’re a disciple.
If we translate the double negatives, the verse says: “If you come to me hating your father, mother, wife…and your own life, you can be my disciple.”
So why is Jesus telling us to hate before we can follow Him?
You must understand what “hate” is to truly understand why Jesus is throwing that out to the great multitudes.
What is Hate?
Hate, like love, is probably one the most intense emotions a person can feel. Some say there is not much difference in the intensity between love and hate.
The dictionary isn’t much help in defining hate either, because words like this are representations of feelings. That’s why they relate “pain” on a scale, because defining pain outside of locality is difficult if not impossible.
So, the dictionary ends up only use other words (more representations of reality) to help people try to understand things like hate or love (i.e., abhor, despise, passionate dislike, etc. are used to define hate).
But like all words are representations of reality, “hate” will conjure up within each person something different. And there aren’t really many more words that can define it. You know it when you feel it. Or rather, when feel hate — real hate — it consumes you and everything you touch.
Just like love does.
Hate, as it turns out, is hate. The question is, have you ever felt hate – real hate? Not hating a hamburger, or the way you didn’t get the raise you wanted. But hate.
Arguably, asking if you ever felt love is identical. These are deep passions, incapable of being expressed with words except by the great poets. And even then…
Jesus probably knew this better than anyone, and Luke’s narrative captures in that one word the essence of what He is trying to tell the great multitudes.
That is, unless you hate your family, you can’t be a disciple. In other words, you can’t love them and Me. It’s one, or the other.
Hard choices.
So, if you are really going to understand what Jesus is saying to “follow Me,” you have to understand hate. And, you have to feel it for your family and yourself.
But, how can that be you will ask? It seems absurd, if thus far He has been the preacher of Love. His actions in prior stories show this. So, what IS he trying to tell us?
Culling the Herd
He is filtering the great multitudes because truth be told, following Him isn’t easy. In fact, you really have to give up everything – if you have to lose yourself in order to follow Him properly. And you must lose yourself in hate – for your family, and for yourself. Otherwise, you really can’t follow Him, love Him.
Many people will say it’s impossible. But is it?
If you were to hate your family and yourself…if you were filled with that intense emotion about everyone and everything around you, you would be at a point of no return. That point is where you would take a leap into a thorough understanding of emptiness and see only two choices: where Jesus is, or the abyss.
In short, if everything around you disgusts you to the point of hate, you either realize what Jesus is (love) or, check out or do something stupid. It’s what the Existentialists use when they borrow from the Greek myth of Sisyphus.[1] And guess what?
Once you find that it’s you who define things (i.e., Jesus), you actually can no longer hate, either your family or anyone else including yourself! You end up loving – everything. But you love Jesus first, and THEN everyone else, including yourself.
That’s really tough. I mean, really tough.
But it is NOT difficult to understand when we put it like this, is it?
Respectfully, since most people who interpret this passage try to avoid the word hate entirely, they miss the point entirely: that it is only through hate that you can get the love. It is the theory of opposites.
In order to find Jesus, you have to go into the depths of yourself and as He says, include hating your own life! Joseph Conrad put it beautifully: “a man is much more like the sea, whose movements are too complicated to explain, and whose depths may bring up God only knows what at any moment.”
The next verse delivers a further crushing reality and proof of what I’m suggesting.
Verse: 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Analysis: So, He just told you that to be a disciple, you have to hate your family and yourself, and follows it with this statement – that the individual has to bear his cross in order to be a disciple. So interesting, and so confusing. Or is it?
The key word to understand this verse is “cross.” When we hear the word, many images are conjured up in our minds. But what is Jesus saying to the great multitude? Again, He is using “his” in the universal to also include women. And again, the double negative “not bear” and “cannot” should confuse things. But essentially, He is saying you have to bear your cross and come after him in order to be a disciple.
So, what is a “cross?”
The definition is “a mark, object or figure formed by two short intersecting lines or pieces.” Of course, we know Jesus died on “a cross.” In fact, the second definition in the dictionary is “an upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion.”
Suffice to say there is a lot of interweaving, connecting going on when we use the word “cross.”
In this verse, He says “bear his cross.” Respectfully, one of the rules I used in teaching underachievers grammar is this: “The way you use a word in a sentence determines its part of speech.” In other words, how you use the word determines often not only it’s part of speech, but its meaning.
It’s called context.
Take pizza. You can order a pizza. You can eat a pizza. But what if I said, “I’m going to pizza you.” It’s a verb, and you suddenly are in doubt what the word means. Am I going to throw a pizza at you? Hit you with a hammer? Slap you? I’m using it a very unique way, and therefore, losing entirely its meaning.
You can do that with any word.
So, in this case, “bear his cross” means more like “burden.” And Jesus is saying if you are going to be a disciple, you’re going to have carry your own burden. I’m not going to do it for you.
That’s a profound statement of responsibility! In other words, ok, follow me, but you’re going to have to carry your own cross, your own luggage, your own burden.
Another shocking statement to the “great multitude” who might be thinking something else. But I’m sure He sensed confusion, or knew people will be confused, so he tells a couple of stories to try to clear things up. The question is, do they?
Verses: 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Analysis. The first story is about building “a tower” and how you figure out the cost ahead of time and if you can afford it BEFORE you start building it. Because if you don’t do that, you might not be able to finish it and people will “mock” you. How? “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”
In other words, once you begin a gesture, it’s fatal not to carry it through. This is one of the laws of life: beginning gestures and finishing them. But what has this story to do with what Jesus just said about hating your family and bearing your cross?
He’s basically tells the multitude to think about it before they embark on the path he just outlined. Or does He? Is that what the story means?
Jesus is a clever guy. And, Jesus also knows that one story isn’t going to cut it, so He tells another one.
Verses: 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Analysis. Here Jesus uses a military example, of a smaller force competing against a larger force, and when realizing he might lose, sends a messenger to seek peace. Like the previous story, it’s about thinking things through before you start something you might not be able to finish.
But the fact is, these are examples of what you shouldn’t do if you are going to follow Him. Following Jesus isn’t a math formula. You can’t weigh pros and cons, and then make a decision.
You’re either all in, or you’re not. Following Jesus isn’t a conscious decision; it’s an emotional one.
The stories help shape the conclusion of the story.
Verse: 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Analysis: This last statement clarifies the meaning of the passage; that is, you have to give up everything (forsaketh) in order to be a disciple. Again, the double negatives. And truly, when you forsake everything, aren’t you hating everything?
Because Jesus isn’t saying to think things through. He is actually saying that the builder should have built the tower regardless of the costs. And that the king with the 10,000 troops should have fought the larger force. When you think things through like that, you stop short of achieving the full commitment required sometimes to accomplish a task.
It doesn’t mean you go blindly into things — or does it? What the difference between saying, “Well, the builder thought it through and couldn’t afford it so he didn’t start the project. Oh, he’s wise.” or saying, “The builder gave it his all and failed! Boy, did he try!”
This story is about passion, not calculation.
Careful calculations in following Jesus are NOT the way to proceed. Love and hate do not fall into convenient math formulas. They are pure emotion, energy, feelings. You either love someone, or you don’t. Love and hate are not capable of division. Can you imagine saying, “Well, I love you 55%.”
Put it this way: I have to hate everything around me, including myself, in order to love Jesus. And if I am going to follow Him, I have to give up everything! I can’t do it partially; I can’t think about it before I do it. I just have to do it. My commitment has to be complete, without reservation or hesitation. Before my parents, my friends, my wife, and my self.
Well, there’s the rub. I don’t know anyone except saints who can do that. And, unfortunately, I’m not a saint. But I don’t have to be a saint to understand this story and coming to Jesus through hate.
Truth is, I’ve never really met any saints in real life, though I have witnessed saintly actions by people who are far from saints.
Stendhal, the great 19th-century French writer, wrote the following in his The Red and The Black which I have never forgotten (actually, I used this in my marriage vows):
“Love is too weak a word; I feel for you what I ought to feel only for God: a mixture of respect, love and obedience.”
That’s how I felt about my wife when I married her so many years ago. It’s what I still feel for her after all these years.
And it’s why I can’t be a disciple.
But don’t need to be a disciple to understand this Gospel.
I don’t think Jesus is too disappointed in me, do you?
Let me know what you think.
[1] Albert Camus wrote a great essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus” where he said: “The mind, when it reaches its limits, must make a judgment and choose its conclusions. This is where suicide and the reply stand.” And later, “Losing oneself in that bottomless certainty, feeling henceforth sufficiently remote from one’ s own life to increase it and take a broad view of it—this involves the principle of a liberation. Such new independence has a definite time limit, like any freedom of action. It does not write a check on eternity. But it takes the place of the illusions of freedom, which all stopped with death.”