Hate your own life in order to be a disciple?

[tonychanyt]

Lk 14:

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life [G5590], he cannot be my disciple.

Strong's Greek: 5590. ψυχή (psuché) — 104 Occurrences

This was an attention-grabbing statement. Jesus often used hyperbole to emphasize a point. This added to the shock value of the statement and had a greater impact on their listeners' ears. He used provocative language to challenge conventional thinking and encourage a radical reorientation of values and behaviors.

Actually, what did Jesus mean by 'hate'?

Jesus used the word 'hate' in a relative sense. He demanded absolute love for God. In a comparative or relative sense, you must hate your own life.

What did Jesus mean by 'life'?

John 12:

25 "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life [psuche] in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Jesus spoke of a worldly psuche-life in Lk 14:26. There was another Greek word for life:
Strong's Greek: 2222. ζωή (zóé) — 135 Occurrences

Jn 12:25 contrasts two kinds of life: worldly psuche-life and eternal zoe-life.

By 'hating your own life', Jesus means rejecting self-preservation, selfishness, and worldly priorities in favor of complete surrender to God’s will. That's eternal life. True life comes only through union with him, even if it involves suffering or sacrifice.

Should you hate being alive?

No, Jesus is not calling you to despise your physical existence. Instead, He is urging you to renounce any form of self-centered living and to embrace a life fully submitted to Him. It’s not about hating the gift of life itself but about rejecting the false gods of self-reliance, pride, and worldly ambition.

Jn 10:

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life [zoe] and have it abundantly.

Jesus wants his disciples to hate their worldly life (psuche) in order to live an abundant life (zoe) now and for eternity.

 

[St_Worm2]

...what did Jesus mean by 'hate'? Jesus used the word 'hate' in a relative sense. He demanded absolute love for God. In a ~comparative~ or relative sense, you must hate your own life.

Hi Tony, I agree with this, IOW, that our love for God must be so much greater than our love for ourselves and others is (including our mother, father, wife and children) that it (our love for anyone else or anything other than God) is like hate when ~compared~ to the love that we have for Him.

I think the following passage is very helpful too (esp. v37), to the point that a proper understanding of what the Lord has to say (in Luke 14:26) cannot be properly understood apart from what He says in Matthew 10 (see below) and vice versa (I'll include the verse from Luke too for the purpose of making a comparison).

Matthew 10​

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ​

38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ​

39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. ​

Luke 14​

26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ​

27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.​

So, what the Lord says to us in Matthew 10 tempers what He says to us in Luke 14 (about "hating" self/others). Likewise, it seems to me that Luke 14 helps us understand that the idea set forth in Matthew 10, that our love for God needs to be greater than it is for self and others, should in no way be regarded as a trifle matter or trivial comparison.

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - (edit) Ours is a difficult faith to get a handle on and truly understand at times, is it not? (well, except for the Gospel message itself which, fortunately, is pretty easy to understand ).

Matthew 19​

19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” ​