Matthew 10:37

The context

This is in the mission discourse, where Jesus instructs and warns the twelve before sending them out. The sayings near the end of the chapter deal with the divisions the mission will cause, even within households. This verse states the requirement in comparative terms and repeats it for son and daughter.

What it establishes

Discipleship requires a loyalty that outranks the strongest natural attachments. The saying is framed as a comparison of love, and it is addressed to those who would follow rather than to families as such.

What it does not establish

It does not require abandoning one's family. The verse measures relative love and does not command neglect; the same Gospel elsewhere condemns the use of religion to avoid supporting parents.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• I guess I can’t be a Christian because I don’t hate my parents. Why does Jesus tell us we need to hate our parents in order to be his disciple (Luke 14:26)?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.