ABC:Luke 14

Verse 26 (American Atheists)

American Atheists claims the Bible is wrong about the passage (and makes the following comments (italicized).

“ Family Relationships

Exodus 20:12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Luke 14:26 ¶ 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. ”

Jesus elsewhere repeats the commandment to honour one's parents, even criticizing the Pharisees for nullifying God's commandment to do so through their tradition (Matthew 15:4-9; 19:19; Mark 7:10-13; 10:19). Jesus never says not to honour our parents. Rather, He is teaching that we must love God more than them; and warning us that by following Him our family members will become our greatest enemies. The Gospel divides families apart; rather than bringing peace it creates division. Lies and dishonesty unite people through deception, truth spoken results in disagreement. In essence, Jesus is warning those who would follow Him that they must be willing to follow Him more than their own siblings and parents, and be willing to disagree with their own relatives. (Matthew 10:35-38; Luke 12:51-53)

In one case, a disciple wants to delay preaching the Gospel until he has buried his father. Jesus tells him to let the dead bury the dead, and to preach the Gospel. Another disciple wants to bid his family goodbye first before preaching the Gospel. Jesus tells the disciple that his reluctance makes him unfit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:59-62) The apostles in some cases had to forsake their own families and properties to follow Jesus (this did not occur in all cases, Peter for example was married - Mark 1:30), and were told that in doing so they would be rewarded with 100 times what they had lost, as well as with everlasting life. (Matthew 19:29) In summary, Jesus never negates the Biblical commandment to honour one's parents, indeed He Himself makes certain that Mary is provided for by John upon His death. (John 19:26-27) Rather, He teaches that Christians must be willing to follow Him even when doing so pits them against their unbelieving family members, and to do the will of God rather than the will of man.