Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV Strong's)
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Who We Love More Matters
Jesus is not holding back His teaching in this section. In these chapters (8-10) we see Jesus doing many miracles for the purpose of demonstrating He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is the Son of God. As the Son of God He demands complete devotion. We live in an era where many mothers and fathers love their children so much, they worship them. They love them above their love for Christ. In practical terms that means they put the needs of their children more than they put the needs of the Jesus Christ. In our era men and women love each other more than they love Christ. That means the needs of the woman can become more important to the man, then the needs of Christ. Note Paul’s words to married couples:
1 Corinthians 7:32-34 (ESV Strong's)
I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
We can, very easily, be distracted by the world. The world wants to entice us and get our focus onto the shining things it offers. Jesus wants total allegiance to Him. That is what total love us. We can love two things the same. Note Christ’s words, spoke earlier in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:24 (ESV Strong's)
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
We have to have a single minded mindset for God. Yes, we need to love our spouse and our children. But, we cannot put their needs about the needs of Christ and our allegiance to Christ.
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