Do Followers of Jesus Have to Leave Their Families

3 Teachings virtually Jesus and Family unit You lot Need to Empathise

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  Liz Kanoy What topic related to Christianity, faith, and the Bible is trending online and in social media today?

• 2017 Mar 06

In a desiringGod.org commodity titled "If You Don't Hate Your Begetter, You Cannot Exist My Disciple" John Piper writes:

"Radical obedience to Jesus relativizes natural relationships."

These relationships could be betwixt parents and children, siblings, marriages, best friends etc. Our relationship to Jesus must be above any natural relationship we have, and nosotros must follow Him at all costs.

Not all families will be happy and supportive well-nigh one of their own following Jesus. Yous may exist in one of those families where you lot are the only follower of Jesus and your beliefs may be met with hostility or possibly silence.

God's Word tells united states we must cull truth and obedience over sentimentalism and comfort. Once your eye has been transformed by the ability of the gospel, no earthly relationship yous have will e'er be the same.  Piper explains,

"Some will be exquisitely deeper and happier — as nosotros discover who our true family unit is ('Whoever does the volition of God, he is my brother and sister and female parent,' Marking 3:35 ). Some volition be shattered ('A person's enemies volition be those of his own household,'  Matthew ten:36 )."

Hither are 3 ways Jesus relativizes our relationships with others in the gospels:

1. We may be called to get out our family.

Mark 10:28-30 says,

"Then Peter spoke up, 'We have left everything to follow you lot!' 'Truly I tell you lot,' Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or male parent or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this nowadays age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life."

Matthew Henry'southward commentary explains,
"The greatest trial of a practiced human being's constancy is, when love to Jesus calls him to give up beloved to friends and relatives. Even when gainers by Christ, let them still expect to suffer for him, till they reach heaven.."

And John Wesley's explanatory notes state,
"He shall receive a hundred fold, houses, &c. - Not in the same kind: for it will generally be with persecutions: simply in value: a hundred fold more than happiness than any or all of these did or could afford. But let it be observed, none is entitled to this happiness, but he that will accept information technology with persecutions."

Though in that location volition exist persecution, in that location will be blessing in the body of believers at present and into eternity. As Piper comments, "… even though there is greater gain, the loss is however loss, at least temporarily." Jesus wants u.s. to learn to depend entirely on our heavenly Father, who will always take intendance of us.

2. Nosotros may be chosen to see our family as our enemy.

In Matthew ten:34-39 Jesus states,

"Do non suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did non come to bring peace, merely a sword. For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law confronting her mother-in-constabulary— a man'south enemies will be the members of his ain household.' "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is non worthy of me. Whoever does not accept up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."

As the NIV Study Bible comments, this of form does not mean that Jesus came to start wars, but that at that place would exist some families where not every member would believe; the sword represents the interpersonal hostility that tin can occur within families.

We know that part of Jesus' mission on earth was to bring peace, every bit we can read in Luke 2:14, John 16:33, John fourteen:27, Luke xix:42, Acts ten:36, and Ephesians 2:17. Piper writes,

"Jesus offers himself equally peace, but when supreme dear for him is not shared in a family, he becomes a divider."

Some family members volition not love Jesus more than than they dear their family unit, and despite His offering of peace they will not brand Him supreme. Office of taking upwardly our cross means embracing "the pain of relational brokenness for Christ's sake," says Piper.

In C.South. Lewis' work of fiction, The Groovy Divorce, he describes a female parent who loved her son more than God. In a fictional purgatory the mother was met by a laic who told her if she could but larn to love God more than than her son, she would exist able to enjoy freedom in heaven. But she could not understand why her son was not with her and why God would proceed him from her; she even went as far as saying she would rather have her son in hell with her because at least they would exist together.

God will non settle for second all-time or even tying for first.

3. We may exist called to "detest" and "renounce" our family.

In Luke 14:26-27, 33 Jesus says,

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and female parent and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his ain cross and come after me cannot exist my disciple. . . . Whatever one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Just every bit we read in other scriptures that Jesus did come up to bring peace, but the context of what He was maxim in Matthew 10 was for division in families so we face up a similar concept and context here. In Matthew 19:nineteen, Matthew 22:39, Matthew v:44, and John xiii:35 we read about our command to honey and honour others.

So how can nosotros understand this statement to hate and renounce? The first step is to read John 12:24-25, "whoever hates his life in this world will keep information technology for eternal life." Piper explains the meaning here:

"We will be chosen upon to make choices in this earth that look every bit if we hate our lives in the sense of caring very little for their well-being. For example, we may have to die for Christ. "Be true-blue unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation ii:10). To the world, this will look like the ultimate cocky-hate — throwing your life abroad for a myth! Jesus says it is a kind of "hate," merely it'due south also a fashion of preserving our lives for eternal life — which is a very radical form of dear for our lives.

Similarly, when Jesus says we cannot be his disciples unless we "detest" our fathers, he probably ways something similar. That is, we may be called on to do things that expect as though we hate our fathers when, in fact, nosotros long for them to join us in eternal life."

As an example, for assertive parents it tin be very difficult to watch their child leave and go alive in another country for missions…and sometimes this means they will not exist able to accept care of their aging parents. At present imagine how this would look to a not-believing family when their child leaves them to live in another part of the world. It could look like detest to those who practise not believe and love Jesus.

Jesus knows what He's doing when he uses a strong discussion like "hate" in talking to his disciples; it is an extreme perspective to test them. "The radical sayings of Christ expose our self-protective reflex," writes Piper.

Equally believers will we say, aye I choose You over everything and everyone else Jesus without hesitation? Will we be OK with others possibly misunderstanding our actions and wondering why we are not doing sure things for our family unit and putting our family unit first?

Though you may never accept to make such painful choices, there are Christians all effectually the globe who make such choices every day. When they trust Jesus, they must leave their sometime life backside. They can no longer follow the same traditions and rituals; for many to render domicile would be to run into death. By breaking with their family tradition they are viewed every bit destroyers and haters. Every bit believers, nosotros are chosen to be faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10); our faith must take precedence over all things, even what we hold about dear.

Piper wisely concludes,

"Whatever you do, don't domesticate the radical teachings of Jesus. If they make yous uncomfortable, allow them do their piece of work. They are designed to create real disciples who are ready to lose all to gain Christ. The world may call it detest. They may phone call it foolishness. It is not. It is love. And information technology is the wisdom of God."

To read John Piper's article in its entirety please visit desiringGod.org.

Crosswalk.com contributor Eric McKiddie writes,

"In John's vision of the seal judgments, the fifth seal depicts the souls of those who had been martyred because of their witness for Christ. "They cried out with a loud vocalisation, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and truthful, how long earlier you will gauge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a petty longer" (Rev. half dozen:10-11).

In Revelation, white vesture represents a pure life (encounter also Rev. 3:iv-5; seven:9-14; xix:8). Those who are persecuted are viewed to be in the wrong, fifty-fifty evil, by their persecutors. But when we face opposition for our organized religion, nosotros can be assured that God regards the states every bit righteous before him. Knowing that God is pleased with us, despite what others might say or call up, helps us persevere."

What Jesus tells usa about how the world works is often upside-downward from how non-believers encounter it. Our cultures will continue to change, only the Word of God remains the aforementioned.

Related article:
v Promises for the Persecuted

Image courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication appointment: March 6, 2017

Liz Kanoy is an editor for Crosswalk.com.

Do Followers of Jesus Have to Leave Their Families

Source: https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/3-teachings-about-jesus-and-family-you-need-to-understand.html

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