The Center That Holds

Today’s Gospel episode begins with a crowd.

Luke tells us that “great multitudes” were traveling with Jesus (Luke 14:25). They were walking with Him—perhaps hoping for miracles, maybe expecting a revolution, certainly longing for something better. But then, Jesus stops. He turns. And He says something that feels, at first, like a slap in the face:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Hate is a hard word. A jarring word. And it is meant to be.

Jesus is not campaigning for our affection. He is not courting popularity. He is not building a movement around easy slogans or vague spirituality. He is telling the truth about the cost of discipleship—the truth that the Kingdom of God doesn’t revolve around family, nation, wealth, or even self-preservation. It revolves around the Rule of God—and…