Here is verse 37, which often frightens and perplexes us:
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.
Saint John Chrysostom explains in an illuminating manner that this commandment already existed within the Old Testament Law. Chrysostom says: “Do you see how Jesus commands that everything on earth be set aside and that love for God be esteemed above all, thereby showing that He is the Only-Begotten Son of the Father? And why should I speak, says Jesus, of friends and relatives? If you value even your own soul more than your love for Me, you are still far from being My disciple. What then? Is this opposed to the ancient Law? No, on the contrary, it is in full harmony with it. For there God commands not only that idolaters be hated, but even that they be stoned. And in the Book of Deuteronomy, praising such zealots, God says: Who said of his father and mother, ‘I do not regard them’; who did not acknowledge his brothers, and did not know his own children; for they observed Your word and kept Your covenant (Deut. 33:9).” Saint John also resolves the dilemma that may arise for children whose parents do not believe in God: “If Paul speaks at length about parents and commands obedience to them in all things, do not be surprised. The Apostle commands obedience only in matters that are not contrary to piety. It is a holy work to show them every other form of respect. But when they demand more than is fitting, we must not obey them. This is why the Evangelist Luke writes: If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26). Jesus does not command us simply to hate, for that would be utterly unlawful; rather, if any of them wishes to be loved more than Me, then hate him for that reason. Such love destroys both the one who is loved and the one who loves. Jesus speaks in this way both to make children more courageous and to soften parents who place obstacles to piety. For indeed, when parents saw that Christ possessed the power and authority to separate even children from them, they ought to withdraw from their demands as impossible.”
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov explains the meaning of the words more than Me: “Whoever chooses the will of parents or of any fleshly relatives over My will, whoever chooses their way of thinking and reasoning over My teaching, whoever chooses to please them rather than Me, is not worthy of Me.”
Abba Justin of Ćelije, for his part, writes that there is nothing strange in God asking such a sacrifice from man as a response to God’s love for him. He writes: “By becoming incarnate and accomplishing the God-manly economy of salvation, the God-man Christ showed that He loves man more than a father or a mother can love him; therefore, He asks of man to love Him more than father or mother.”
Saint Innocent of Kherson continues this line of thought and writes: “These words could be spoken only by God or by the God-man. In relation to all other creatures, however great, powerful, or noble they may be, such a demand would be inappropriate, beyond them, and unfitting for them. But in relation to God, such a demand is entirely just and necessary. It is just because the Heavenly Father stands before and above all fathers and mothers on earth. Parents themselves ought to love God above all things and, consequently, to require of their children that they too love Him above all—even above themselves.”
Saint Bishop Nikolai reflects on this matter and shows how, in a decisive moment that may befall us—when the temptation to renounce God comes even from those closest to us—it is of crucial importance to have in mind an awareness of the greatness of God’s love for us. In this regard, Saint Bishop Nikolai writes: “Only He dares to speak in this way who loves you more than your father and mother love you; He who loves your son and your daughter more than you yourself can love them. Father and mother gave birth to you only for this temporal life, whereas He begets you for eternal life; father and mother gave birth to you for suffering and humiliation, whereas He begets you for eternal joy and eternal glory. Moreover, father and mother take from Him and give to you. Father and mother prepare food for you, but He gives you breath. Which is more important—food or breath? Father and mother make clothes for you, but He fashioned your heart. Which is more necessary—clothing or the heart? He brought you into this world; father and mother are merely the gate through which He led you. Who is more deserving—the one who leads you into a city or the gate through which you enter the city? Certainly, the Lord does not exclude the love toward parents and family that we owe to all our neighbors and that is commanded by one of Christ’s two great commandments. The Lord Himself showed love for His Most Holy Mother even from the Cross, entrusting her to His beloved Apostle John as a son in His place. Yet He speaks these words in connection with the persecutions and sufferings that would befall His apostles. Father and mother will be afraid; son and daughter will be afraid, and they will say to the apostle of Christ: ‘Renounce Christ and live peacefully with us; do not leave your home. Live like other people; abandon this new faith! It may separate you from us and lead you to execution. And what will become of us then? We too may suffer hunger and flogging; we too may be killed. Is that why we gave birth to you?’ the father and mother will say, ‘that in our old age we should suffer bitterness because of you?’ ‘Is that why you gave birth to us,’ the son and daughter will say, ‘that because of you we should be mocked by our peers, despised and persecuted, and perhaps in the end even killed? If you love us, abandon Christ and live here with us in peace and quiet.’—In such decisive moments, the apostle must decide who is dearer to him and whom he loves more—Christ or his parents, Christ or his own children. Upon this decision depends his entire eternity, and the eternity of his family as well. Never in life will a person be placed at a more fearful crossroads; one cannot walk with one foot on one path and the other foot on another. In such a moment, a person cannot divide his heart but must give it wholly to one side or the other. If he gives his heart to Christ, he may, together with himself, save his family as well; but if he gives his heart to father and mother, son and daughter, he will surely destroy both himself and them.”
Verses 38 and 39:
And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Saint John Chrysostom instructs us with the following words: “Why do you not wish to hate your own soul? Is it because you love it? But precisely for that reason you must hate it, and then you will benefit it the most and show that you truly love it.” These words of Saint John may perplex us unless we hear the explanation of Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, who clarifies why the renunciation of the old self is called the renunciation of life, hatred of oneself, and similar expressions. Saint Ignatius writes as follows: “After the Fall, sin has so thoroughly taken possession of us that there is no quality or movement of the soul that is not deeply permeated by it. To reject sin, which has become united with the soul, meant to reject the soul itself. Such a rejection of the soul is necessary for its salvation. In order to acquire the being renewed by Christ, it is first necessary to renounce the being infected by sin. Food that has been poisoned is entirely discarded; the vessel is carefully washed, and only then is food placed in it that we intend to consume. The food that is poisoned is rightly called poison. In order to follow Christ, we must first renounce our own reason and our own will. Both the reason and the will of fallen human nature are completely damaged by sin; they cannot in any way be brought into harmony with the reason and will of God. God’s reason can be assimilated only by one who rejects his own reason; the will of God will be fulfilled only by one who renounces the fulfillment of his own will. In order to go after Christ, we must take up our cross. By taking up one’s cross is understood the voluntary and reverent surrender to the judgment of God in all the hardships permitted by divine providence. Murmuring and resentment in afflictions and temptations constitute a rejection of the cross. Only the one who takes up his cross can follow Christ: one who is obedient to the will of God and ready to endure reproach, condemnation, and rebuke.”
Venerable Nilus of Sinai interprets these verses and offers practical counsel for spiritual life: “When, by examining your soul, you find it in some sin, hasten to put it to death in that wretched state, so that you may regain it once you restore it to its original good condition—that is, to a life of virtue.” Thus, we see that spiritual vigilance is necessary, along with attentiveness to what is taking place within us and a persistent struggle against sin.
The following two verses, 40 and 41:
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Saint Hilary of Poitiers explains here the magnitude of divine mercy, for God seeks in every way to reward and save the person who desires to remain faithful to Him: “He who receives a prophet receives the One who dwells in the prophet and becomes worthy of the prophet’s reward, because he receives the prophet in the name of a prophet. Likewise, an equal reward is given for receiving a righteous man, and such a person becomes righteous as a reward for righteousness. In this way, righteousness is attained through faith, and the fulfillment of duty is granted a reward, since God bestows a multitude of paths by which eternity may be attained.”
Saint John Chrysostom also draws attention to an important point, namely that the reward is not given indiscriminately, but according to the intention a person possesses. He says: “Indeed, who would not receive with the greatest zeal such virtuous and fearless men, who like lions conquered the world, disregarding everything in order to save others? Yet here the Lord also proposes another reward, showing that in this matter He is more concerned for those who receive the apostles than for those who are received… That is, if someone receives another not out of worldly hospitality or some other worldly criteria, but because he is a prophet or a righteous man, then he will receive the reward of a prophet and the reward of a righteous man.” Saint Isidore of Pelusium continues this thought and adds: “Many honour prophets or righteous men either for the sake of human glory or for worldly benefit. Others occupy themselves with this and spend money on it, yet no one says of them that they will receive a prophet’s reward. But whoever, without such hidden motives, looks upon what is good with a sincere soul and honours the saints, such a one will rightly be glorified together with the saints.”
Blessed Jerome also addresses the perennial dilemma concerning our attitude towards members of the clergy whom we see to be unworthy of their rank. Blessed Jerome writes: “Jesus called the disciples to receive teachers. From the side of the faithful, the following question could secretly arise: are we therefore obliged to receive false prophets and Judas the betrayer, and to feed them as well? The Lord anticipated this objection by saying that it is necessary to receive not their personal character, but the dignity signified by the name, and that those who receive them are not deprived of their reward, even if the person received should be unworthy.”
Adapted for the contemporary reader on the basis of patristic interpretations by:
Stanoje Stanković
