Commentary on Luke 14:25-33

E. Trey Clark

The Gospel of Luke reveals Jesus’ commitment to welcoming all people to experience intimate relationship with the living God (Luke 14:1–24; 15:1–32). And yet, even as Jesus welcomes all, he also offers a profound challenge to all. This week’s lectionary reading provides a vivid depiction of the cost of discipleship to anyone who says yes to Jesus’ invitation.

A difficult verse

While surrounded by “large crowds” on his journey toward Jerusalem (14:25; see also 9:51), Jesus says these words: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (14:26). In a church I was previously a part of, it was not uncommon for one of the pastors to say to the congregation after mentioning a challenging teaching of Jesus, “If you can’t say ‘Amen,’ let me hear you say ‘Ouch.’” This is one of those texts that calls for “Ouch.”

However, given that family was the building block of the ancient world and central for survival, these words were likely more challenging for Luke’s first audience to hear than for many of us in the West today. Still, it may be helpful for preachers to explicitly name how harsh these words will likely sound for most audiences. Specifically, how do we respond to these words in a world of profound violence and abuse—often against spouses, children, and the elderly? Is Jesus really saying hate is a mark of discipleship?

Three ways to interpret Luke 14:26

There are at least a few different ways to understand Jesus’ words. Preachers may find it helpful to briefly survey these options.

One option is to interpret these words literally. From this perspective, Jesus is literally saying that part of following him is despising those in our family and our life itself. While almost no one will come to this conclusion, it’s important to say why this interpretation is to be rejected, given how easy it is for many of us to dismiss Jesus’ teachings when they seem harsh according to our standards.

Most simply, Jesus can’t be equating the life of discipleship with a life of hate because this would contradict his previous teaching. Earlier in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus sums up the teaching of God’s law by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27; see also Deuteronomy 6:5). In another place in the Gospel, Jesus specifically calls his followers to “love your enemies” and “do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). And of course, Jesus affirmed the teaching of the law that called for honoring one’s father and mother—not hating them (Exodus 20:12).

A second option for interpreting Jesus’ words is to say they are simply hyperbole. In a sense, this interpretation has some truth to it. However, Jesus is not offering an exaggeration that dismisses the need for an ethical commitment. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, he has spoken of the cost of discipleship (Luke 9:23). Jesus does not sugarcoat discipleship. And this is yet another instance.

This leads us to a third and final option for interpreting Jesus’ words. The word “hate” is sometimes used in the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament to mean “love less.” For example, in the book of Genesis, the phrase “Leah was hated” is often interpreted to mean that Jacob “loved Rachel more than Leah” (Genesis 29:30, Revised Standard Version). This seems to be the case here. Jesus is saying that those who want to follow him must love all others less—to such an extent that it might look like hate. Or as biblical scholar Diane Chen puts it, “To become Jesus’ follower, one’s preference—loyalty, love, and priority—must reside with Jesus over all people and things one holds dear.”¹

The cross, discipleship, and discernment

Luke continues to narrate the costliness of discipleship in verses 27 and 33. In verse 27, Jesus says, “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” The cross—the Roman method of execution—is used, shockingly, to speak about following the way of Jesus. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The cross is laid on every Christian.”² Said differently, the cross cannot be bypassed on the road to discipleship.

In verse 33, Jesus says, “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” The verb for “give up” (apotassetai) is often understood as “renounce,” but it can also mean to say farewell or goodbye. If the latter is the case here, for Luke, to follow Jesus is to always be ready to say farewell to any person, position, possession, and, we might add, political party that compromises our allegiance to Jesus Christ.

It is striking that Jesus gives two examples of the kind of deep discernment needed for faithful disciples. The first example is of a landowner discerning whether they have adequate funds to complete the building of a tower (Luke 14:28–30). The second example is of a ruler discerning whether they have adequate support to win a war (Luke 14:31–32). Jesus invites any who would begin to follow him to discern whether they are willing to persist on the journey. Of course, discernment is not a one-time event. Faithful discipleship requires ongoing attentiveness to God’s invitations. A sermon could create space for the congregation to consider how Jesus’ teaching might inform matters they are discerning as a community or as individuals.

A word of hope and grace

One final word: Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14:25–33 can easily sound grim and devoid of grace. Preachers may point out two things that challenge this perception. For one, earlier in Luke, while speaking of the demand of discipleship, Jesus states that “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it” (9:24). Here, we see that being a disciple of Jesus leads us to a death that opens a door to real life. From this perspective, the cost of discipleship is better than the loss of discipleship.

Second, it may be helpful for preachers to emphasize how Luke 14:25–33 is situated within the broader journey Jesus is taking toward Jerusalem—something that is signaled in 9:51. Jesus is “traveling” with the crowds, which includes the disciples, toward the place of his death (14:25). In other words, for Luke, we do not take the journey of discipleship alone. Our journey is only possible because of Jesus’ journey. As Luke will reveal, even the most determined disciple—Peter—will fail to count the cost (Luke 22:54–62). However, it is Jesus’ faithful journey of accomplishing our redemption on the cross that transforms and sustains our journey. Simply put, it is God’s grace that makes our journey of discipleship possible.