love the size of a football field

At the end of Luke 14, we can observe that crowds of people were following Jesus. At this point in time, Jesus had reached celebrity status. He's a very popular guy. But Jesus knew that the people following behind him were not his true disciples--real, authentic, hardcore, serious followers. That's why he turned around, rebuked the people, and explained to them what it took to be a serious disciple.

And Jesus said something interesting. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26 NIV). Jesus, why so much hate? If I ever want to be your disciple, I must hate my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my wife, my kids, and even myself? What's Jesus saying here?

Well Jesus couldn't have meant a literal hate because all over the gospels Jesus teaches so much about love. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love your enemies. Why the sudden shift from love to hate?

This is what Jesus was saying: If you want to be my serious disciple, you must love me far more than anyone else in this world. If the size of your love for your family is the size of a soccer ball, the size of your love for Jesus must be the size of a football field. So when you compare your love for your family to your love for Jesus, it looks like you hate your family because you love Jesus so much more than them. And that's what Jesus asks of his disciples.

Your love for Jesus must be the size of a football field. I believe that Christians, at least in our heads, know this nugget of truth. But the problem is although we know it, it doesn't translate to doing it. It has to sink into our hearts and then flow through our hands. If you want to become a serious disciple of Jesus, you must love him far more than anyone else in this world. And that includes yourself.