Discipleship

Last week's gospel reading was very difficult: 'Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and life itself, cannot be my disciple...' (Luke 14: 25 - 35. Well, that puts an end to 'family values'!

However, what does Jesus really mean by this? Eduard Schweizer in his commentary on Luke states that 'hate' here does not mean an emotion but 'as radical objective subordination'. In other words, Jesus is saying that these family ties must come second to discipleship to him. Jesus is calling for radical discipleship that involves not only our families, but also ourselves and our possessions. A big call; a big challenge! Now, I am humbled.

Chris

Schweizer, E (1984), The Good News according to Luke, (SPCK, London)