Hate Who?

The scripture for today is a section of Luke wherein Jesus tells a crowd of people what they must give up if they are to be his disciples. It is a difficult passage because Jesus is very clear, saying one must hate one’s parents, spouse, children, siblings, and give up everything. But does this give people permission to abuse others in pursuit of Jesus? Erin gives an example of a person well admired for his devotion to God, but whose home life, as a result, was a wreck. Erin reminds us that Jesus also told his followers to love others, and, in Luke, this demanding passage is preceded by the parable of a feast. The final dictate of this passage is that to be a disciple means giving up all of one’s possessions, but maybe that means one must be open to the needs of others and must be generous and eager to help others. It may well make us uncomfortable, but when we carry the cross of Jesus, we carry one another. Doing so may well draw us closer to others.