I don't understand some Bible verses.

I don't understand some Bible verses.
Matthew 10:34 34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
Luke 12:51-53 51 "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
Luke 14:26 26 "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.
I checked out a half-dozen different versions of the Bible and the all use the same word "hate".
I checked out my " The Complete Word Study New Testament" and the English word" hate" is translated from the Greek word "3404 (hatred) to detest (especially to persecute) by extension to love less – hate( – ful)
I must have read right over these verses and not paid attention to the words and they contradict my beliefs and what I was taught about Jesus Christ.
If anyone can explain this verses (without ignoring words) I would appreciate that you respond to me.
Thank You

There are two of everything in the Bible, the earthly version and the spiritual version.

Joh 8:44 (KJV) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

We are supposed to hate that spiritual father - the devil but we are not to hate or “love less” our earthly parents.

First of all, we always need to take verses for what they say and not just ignore them because they make us uncomfortable.

So what I mean by that is: Let's not just say something like - "Well, in other places, the Bible says we are to love our family and children and hence these verses do not really mean what they say" = and so we dismiss them and go our way . . . .

Here is briefly what I have heard and been taught and my research has confirmed this:

The Hebrew people speak in contrasts, so when we are told here to "hate" father and mother and family this is in contrast to our love and devotion for God. So, in a one sentence summary: No one should ever let their family keep them from serving God with all of their heart, soul, and mind.

See what I italicized - but the verses the OP quoted say just this: we are to hate our earthly parents - so we need to interpret carefully what the writer is trying to say - see post #3

Are you disagreeing that we should hate the devil?

No, no! We absolutely should hate the devil. Amen!

My point is that the verses the OP gave are not talking about hating the devil. They are given in the Hebrew setting as a contrast. Our love for God should be so deep and true and strong that our love for our family looks like "hate" in comparison.

I’m not be confrontational or divisive, but why would we assume those verses really don’t mean to hate our father and mother etc when you and I agree that we should hate our spiritual father (before salvation) the devil?

I do agree that we should love God with all our heart but maybe that’s not the lesson that those verses are teaching, considering that we have to completely throw out the part of the verse about hating our father and mother and replace those words with other words.

That’s how I see it anyway. The words mean exactly what they say but it’s up to us to determine which father and mother the verse is talking about. That way we are not changing the words of the Bible nor are we interpreting what they mean... they mean what the say as far as I can see.

It does not really mean hate your family members, but we are not to put any person above Jesus in importance, and priority, even if it is a family member.

As you pointed out the Greek 3404 which means love less, for that would be right for we cannot love any person more than Jesus.

The Bible says that love works no ill towards their neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And if you hate your brother you are still in darkness.

And Jesus said to love your enemies, and feed and clothe your enemies, so how much more would we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, and family members.

Paul said without charity, which is love in action, a person is nothing.

But the truth is our love can have different levels of love that we show so we will not love all people on the same level, although we love them, but our reaction, and devotion to people will be on different levels.

Which this is alright as long as we love them, and want the best for them, and nothing bad to happen to them, and care that they are fed and clothed no matter who they are, and God will deal with them how they prosper, and how they stumble.

The Bible says live peaceably with all people, with holiness, without which no person shall see the Lord.

And follow peace with all people as much as lies in you.

We will not love all people the same, for we love them as much as lies in us, and our time, and devotion, will be different for each person.

It will depend on the person's reaction to us and their character of how we will deal with them.

Some people we can only say God bless you, or hi, and move on.

Some people we can shake their hand.

And some people we can hug them, and some more than others.

But we still have to follow peace with them as much as lies in us.

And I am sure if they are persecuting us with pain because we live for Christ, or they rob us at gunpoint of a thousand dollars, we are going to love them less as other people.

But we still have to love them.

We would not want to hug Adolph Hitler like we would a person in Christ, but we still have to love Him and want the best for him and let God deal with him.

Which some we love more than others but the end result is we want them all to be saved.

When someone offends us we do not say go to hell, but we say go to heaven.

We know in the family that even some parents will love their children on different levels as they might favor one child above the other paying more attention to that child, and devotion to that child, although they would still love all their children, but some parents might actually hate one of their children.

So our love will be on different levels towards people, which I have 2 brothers but I would rather hang around one of the brothers more than the other because of his character.

So Jesus does not really mean hate, but to love less our family members for we put Jesus above all people in time, devotion, and attention.

Like Jesus said if you love any person, or anything more than Him you cannot be His disciple.

Like some people love money more than God, which Jesus said you cannot serve money and God for people that heap money to themselves love money, and some are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

They claim they love God but they love other things more which means they are devoting themselves, and paying attention to things more than God.

Which people can dedicate themselves to people more than God which means they are not putting God first.

The Bible says that John was the disciple Jesus loved a lot, but He loved all the disciples, but He was more fond of John then the rest which He probably devoted more attention to Him because of John's ways, and John was the one that rested his head on Jesus' chest at supper, and wrote the book of Revelation.

But He gave Peter the keys to heaven for He was the first person added to the Church after Christ who is the chief cornerstone, for Jesus loved all the disciples but loved John a lot.

We do not actually hate anybody, or any of our family members.

And when Jesus said He came to bring a sword that family members would be against each other surely does not mean for them to use an actual sword, and Jesus does not want them to fight with each other at all.

The world fights over their differences, and are at odds with each other over what they believe.

Jesus had to come in to the world to save people, and there was no way out of it, and no other way.

Which people on earth will fight over whether Jesus is the Savior or not, which we can see them do that among our family.

Jesus does not want any people to fight with each other, but He had to come to reconcile the world unto God, and if it means because He came family members would fight about it whether Jesus is the Savior or not, or if He is Lord or not, so be it, for Jesus was not going to abandon salvation for people because family members would fight about.

That is the way it is that people are going to fight over it so Jesus is saying that the fighting is not going to stop Him from being the Savior of the world, so be it for He had to come.

I don't understand some Bible verses.

Matthew 10:34 34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Luke 12:51-53 51 "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Luke 14:26 26 "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.

I checked out a half-dozen different versions of the Bible and the all use the same word "hate".

I checked out my " The Complete Word Study New Testament" and the English word" hate" is translated from the Greek word "3404 (hatred) to detest (especially to persecute) by extension to love less – hate( – ful)

I must have read right over these verses and not paid attention to the words and they contradict my beliefs and what I was taught about Jesus Christ.

If anyone can explain this verses (without ignoring words) I would appreciate that you respond to me.
Thank You

(easier for me to read this way........hope you get the answers you are looking for

Being a Christian does cause division in some families and it maybe that a Father, Mother, Brother or Sister may not like the "truth" that you quote them when you use the Word. This would cause division as Jesus warned. I think when the word "hate" is used, it is not against the person themselves, but what is "in" them when they are against you if you stand in Christ (some people just hate the truth). After all...Its not really "them" its what is "in" them and even the next day people are sorry for the way they talk or behave. That's why forgiveness is good doctrine. We all do things we regret and say things we do not mean.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6.12)

When reading scripture we must always keep in mind the attributes of the lord. All through scripture we are told what they are but the book of Psalms tells us, especially. All scripture is inspired by the Lord, it all agrees so if we don't understand one scripture we can go to the related scriptures to explain it more fully. Sometimes this is absolutely necessary to understand the English translation of the Hebrew thought, for all scripture is expressed by men whose first language was Hebrew. They thought as a Jew thinks, expressed what God told them in Hebrew ways.

When we read that God told us to hate we must also know God taught us to put Him first, God told us not to judge others but let Him do the judging, God told us to honor our father and mother. These things are clearly stated and repeated so we don't misunderstand. Every scripture must fit these instructions. Telling us to hate our father does not fit, it is told to us once. We must look deeper so it does fit. The way it fits is to love the Lord above even the instruction to honor a parent.

Put Jesus first over everything.....this sums it up.....there is a order

GOD
FAMILY

He is not telling us to directly HATE as we KNOW the 1st Commandment with promise was to LOVE and HONOR our mothers and fathers.....

So, we reason.....

If you don't take up your cross daily
If you don't put JESUS first over family
Do not plow and LOOK back
etc.....

It all points to JESUS/GOD being first place in our lives and everything else second, including family.

WOW................!

Wow what?

The thought has never entered my mind to hate the devil, I do hate the outcome of his labour, but hating him seems like a waste of energy?

At the moment of our salvation/redemption... we cannot be half hearted... we lay down every earthly attachment and self-effort to accept Him as Saviour.

I thinks that’s better than hating our earthly father.

I am not sure about the devil being our earthly father... I have never heard this before?

John 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.

What are we willing to hold onto tightly from this life?

What are we willing to let go for this walk?


Count the costs before putting your hand to the plow.

Many are called to enter the kingdom, but few are chosen.