If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life can not be My disciple. - Luke 14:26 The word hate means to feel hostility or animosity toward. To detest. The Greek verb is miseō; having malicious and unjustifiable feelings toward others, whether toward the innocent or by mutual animosity. So, is this what Jesus is commanding us to do? Hate our loved ones and our own lives too? Doesn’t this command seem way too harsh, extreme, contradictory to other parts of scripture? Don’t we read in other places where Jesus commands us to honor our mother and father, to love one another; even our enemies? To Jesus live audience this must have seemed like a mixed message. How would you feel if in one speech Jesus is commanding you to love, and in another speech He is commanding us to hate our family and even our own lives? ...