Matthew 10:37-39 "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me..."

"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 up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:37-39 NRSV).

Comment:

Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew consists of Jesus' instructions to his disciples as he sends them out into the world to carry and express his message of personal empowerment and spiritual possibility. He has been demonstrating the Christ within himself and has been teaching that the same Christ energy lives in them as well. It is as the Christ that he speaks here, cautioning that the path he demonstrates is not easy and not for the faint of heart. Our spiritual commitment must be absolute if we are to manifest our Christ nature in our human experience. It must be more important to us than even our closest human relationships, more important than the personal challenge and discomfort that will inevitably express as we allow the Christ energy to guide us through life. It's not that we must sever the bonds of family that are so important, but that we must always put our commitment to the Christ first. It's a lot like the First Commandment. The Lord of our Being must be our highest and only priority. If we create “false gods” by making other things or people more important than God in our lives, we will not be able to follow Jesus and express our Christ nature. It is by surrendering the demands of this life to a higher purpose that we receive the awareness of eternal life that is our spiritual truth.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed