Luke 14:25-35

14:25-26 | The ancient near Eastern concept of hate did not involve intense feelings of loathing or revulsion, as the modern Western concept does. To hate something meant to place it in a lower position than something else. Jesus was not exhorting His followers to loathe their families but rather to ensure that God reigns supreme in their lives (Matt. 10:37-38).

14:27-32 | Family took precedence over everything in the ancient Near East, so the idea that God should be the center of one’s life held radical implications and required a serious counting of the cost upfront.

14:33 | The word translated forsake means “to give up or renounce, to abandon one’s right or ownership.” It does not imply selling all of one’s possessions or giving everything away but become a steward who uses those resources in the service of the Master (Matt. 3:10; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; 1 Tim. 6:17-19).

14:34-35 | Disciples who do not exhibit the traits Jesus described earlier are not really disciples at all; they have lost their ability to preserve – the way salt preserves – what is wholesome and good. Unsalty salt and ungodly disciples are equally useless (Matt. 5:13; Mark 9:50).