Matthew 10:37 (Family Values)
Q: In Matthew 10:37, Jesus says, He that 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. I object to this.
A: Why? A few things occur to me when I read this passage. First, it occurs to me that everyone is unworthy of Jesus, so when these words of Jesus serve as a rebuke, its a mild one.
Second, it occurs to me that Jesus is establishing a chain-of-command here. There are such things, in this fallen world, as bad, abusive parents -- parents who do not want what is best for their children, or parents whose idea of what is best for their children is sinfully warped. The mature children of such parents should recognize that Jesus commands supercede the commands of such parents, inasmuch as ones allegiance to a Commander-in-Chief should be greater than ones allegiance to ones captain. (Ideally, the captain should always conform to moral orders from the Commander-in-Chief, but if they differ, the Commander-in-Chief outranks the captain and thats all there is to that.)
Third, it occurs to me that inasmuch as Jesus is the Son of God, this statement is true, so I dont see what the objection really consists of, unless its just a way to question that premise. Christian parents dont seem to object to the idea that their children should love Jesus more than their children love them.
Fourth, it occurs to me that Jesus is picturing/predicting persecution-type scenarios, in which Christians' parents may tempt them to abandon their Christian beliefs.
Fifth, it occurs to me that this is a very strange thing for a mere rabbi to say! To paraphrase Gregory Boyd: a reverent rabbi should be saying He who loves his parents more than God is unworthy of God, and stuff like that. Unworthy of /me/? Unworthy of /ME/??? Who does Jesus think He is?!
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Q: In Matthew 10:37, Jesus says, He that 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. I object to this.
A: Why? A few things occur to me when I read this passage. First, it occurs to me that everyone is unworthy of Jesus, so when these words of Jesus serve as a rebuke, its a mild one.
Second, it occurs to me that Jesus is establishing a chain-of-command here. There are such things, in this fallen world, as bad, abusive parents -- parents who do not want what is best for their children, or parents whose idea of what is best for their children is sinfully warped. The mature children of such parents should recognize that Jesus commands supercede the commands of such parents, inasmuch as ones allegiance to a Commander-in-Chief should be greater than ones allegiance to ones captain. (Ideally, the captain should always conform to moral orders from the Commander-in-Chief, but if they differ, the Commander-in-Chief outranks the captain and thats all there is to that.)
Third, it occurs to me that inasmuch as Jesus is the Son of God, this statement is true, so I dont see what the objection really consists of, unless its just a way to question that premise. Christian parents dont seem to object to the idea that their children should love Jesus more than their children love them.
Fourth, it occurs to me that Jesus is picturing/predicting persecution-type scenarios, in which Christians' parents may tempt them to abandon their Christian beliefs.
Fifth, it occurs to me that this is a very strange thing for a mere rabbi to say! To paraphrase Gregory Boyd: a reverent rabbi should be saying He who loves his parents more than God is unworthy of God, and stuff like that. Unworthy of /me/? Unworthy of /ME/??? Who does Jesus think He is?!
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
