Luke 8:19-21. 

^“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ " 

He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’ “

Luke 8:19-21 is a hard passage for some for whom family ties were (or are) of first importance in life.

Jesus’ declaration here echoes an later, even harder, one in the book of Luke,

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

However, it is important to understand that the original Greek makes it clear the term “hate” does not refer to hating someone in the sense of feeling or showing malice towards them. It is used here in the sense of comparative regard and the prioritization of one relationship over another. The same Lord Who told us in the Old Testament to “Honor your father and mother” is not telling us in either Luke 14:26 or 8:19-21 to turn that on its head and heartily despise them!

Instead His Son is making it clear to those who would follow Him that no human relationship is to be allowed to be more important than our overriding loyalty to the God who both created and redeemed us. We are to love Him above all others, including our very selves.

These verses are part of a much larger body of Christ’s teachings that young Christians often stumble over because they are taken at face value in a modern translation, and out of context with the counsel of scripture as a whole (I knew this one certainly left me puzzled and a bit concerned when I first read it many years ago.)

Of course the actual meaning of this teaching is hard enough. To put our Lord before father, mother, sibling, spouse, even child, is not a natural or easy thing. It comes only with the Holy Spirit inspired understanding that all we love in those we call dear here on earth originated with their Creator, and that this God is the one to Whom we also owe everything, including our very being. It is to Him and Him alone that we are to give primary allegiance. 

So, in the name of Jesus Christ hate those we now love? No. Love the one Who hung on a Roman cross to secure our eternal redemption far more than them?

Absolutely.