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.
Matthew 10:37.
This seems to be a severe judgment from the mouth of the Son of God. Doesn’t he demand rather a lot from those who wish to follow Him? Indeed He does: He expects the prime place in our affections and in our life. But for Christ that can never be too much, for nothing but a clear, faithful decision for Him can bring us into a relationship with Him, the Saviour. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” No-one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
We should be grateful to God for our family relationships, all the more so when we experience their love and devotion, qualities that are becoming ever more rare in our present age. But our family connections must not hinder us from following Jesus in earnest. The Lord’s claims does not demand that anyone should neglect his dependants. However, if anyone stands in the way of our decision for Christ, who deserves our deepest and most heartfelt love, we must give him second place to the Son of God.
Jesus Christ sacrificed His life out of love, so that sinners might become children of God through faith in Him. He is entitled to our love in return. The first place in our lives must be for Him. At this point ways part: we are either for Him or against Him. There is no middle course. What an important and urgent appeal this is to everyone to decide today for Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour!
Image: By Lyricmac at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6903805