“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.”
Matthew 10:37
People in Christ’s day were looking for the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6; Psalm 72). They did not realize that first the Lord must be rejected, suffer on the cross, and then the glory would follow (1 Peter 1:11). The Lord began to prepare His followers early for the conflict He must endure, a conflict they too would not be able to escape. We must remind ourselves again that the context here is about service, and the Lord is expressing the need for His disciples to give Him first place in their lives.
It is also helpful to realize that a new relationship was established through the finished work of the cross. The Lord emphasized this in Mark 3:31–35: “Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.’ But He answered them, saying, ‘Who is My mother, or My brothers?’ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.’”
The Lord Jesus was teaching His followers that if we are going to be His disciples, He must have the priority in our lives. It has often been said: “In all believers’ lives Christ is present; in some believers’ lives He is prominent. But the real question is, is He preeminent in my life?”
The thought here is that my heart ought to be fully devoted to Christ, and all other relationships must take second place. This is really the idea of sanctification. The word sanctify means “to set something apart for a purpose.” The Lord says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) The sword represents separation (Hebrews 4:12).
The Lord Jesus is not condemning natural or family relations. But He is making a clear statement that natural relations should never take priority over our relationship with the Lord Jesus – in our service for Him or our communion with Him.
“No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) No one can half-heartedly serve the Lord. The Lord cannot have disciples with divided commitment.