Worthy of the Christ 1/4

Matthew 10:37(¹ KJV
He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me:
and he that loveth son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me.

¹) Compare Deuteronomy 33:9

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Other translations

New International Version
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

New Living Translation
“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Study Bible
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;

Berean Literal Bible
The one loving father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me, and the one loving son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me.

New King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
“The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Amplified Bible
“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.

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He that loveth father or mother more than me.

The words are important, partly in themselves, partly as explaining the stronger phrase of Luke 14:26-27, which speaks of a man “hating father or mother” as a condition of discipleship.

Although Luke seems to speak in a higher tone (Luke 14:26), “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple”; the sense is the same, for by ‘hatred’ there is only meant displacency, and a setting them in his esteem below Christ and his commands.

Where two affections come into collision, the weaker must give way; and though the man may not and ought not to cease to love, yet he must act as if he hated — disobey, and, it may be, desert — those to whom he is bound by natural ties, that he may obey the higher supernatural calling.

He that is not ready to give up all these when they stand in competition with his duty; is not worthy of me; Nor shall have any interest in my saving benefits.

The meaning of these words is clear.
Christ must be loved supremely, or he is not loved at all.

If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, and forsake all earthly friends, and if we do not obey Him rather than all others, we have no true attachment to him.

Christ does not command or encourage the want of natural affection, but only by this saying he reduces it to order, and shows that our first love and homage is due to God; and where we cannot show what love and affections our father, or mother, or son, or daughter call for, without failing in that duty which we owe unto God, or violating some Divine precept, we must acknowledge our heavenly Father, even by disobeying our earthly parents.

The design of these words, is not at all to lessen the due affection of children to their parents; or to detract from the respect and esteem, in which they ought to be had by them: it is the duty of children, to love, honor, and, obey them; who have been the means of bringing them into the world, and of bringing them up in it; nor do any of the doctrines of Christ break in upon the ties and obligations of nature, or in the least set aside any of the duties of natural religion:
But the intent of this passage is, to show, that as Christ is infinitely above all creatures, He is to be loved above the nearest and dearest relations and friends; being God over all blessed for ever, and also the Saviour and Redeemer; which itself, makes him more amiable and lovely than a common parent. That man therefore, that prefers father and mother to Christ, and their instructions, and orders, to the truths and ordinances of Christ: who, to please them, breaks the commands of Christ, rejects his Gospel, and either denies him, or does not confess him

Is not worthy of me

Is not appropriate to be regarded as a follower of me, or is not a Christian.

As the preference of the one would, in the case supposed, necessitate the abandonment of the other, our Lord here, with a sublime, yet awful self-respect, asserts His own claims to supreme affection.

Luke said, cannot be my disciple, which expounds this term.
▪︎ He is not worthy of my favor,
▪︎ He is not worthy of the name of my disciple,
▪︎ He is not worthy of the reward I intend my disciples.

Is not worthy of me; or, as in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel, he is not , “fit for me”:

It is not fit and proper, that such a person should name the name of Christ, or be called by his name, and should be reckoned one of his disciples;
He is not fit to be a member of the church of Christ on earth,
He is not fit for the kingdom of heaven, but deserves to be rejected by Him, and everlastingly banished his presence:

For otherwise no man, let him behave ever so well, is worthy of relation to the Christ, and interest in Him; or of His grace, righteousness, presence, kingdom and glory.

The same is the sense of the following clause: “And he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me”.

Whoever, to gratify a child, drops the profession of Christ, renounces His Gospel, and neglects His commands, it is not proper and convenient that he should bear the name of Christ, be accounted one of his, or be treated as such, but all the reverse.

Greek

Anyone who ☆ Ὁ (Ho) ☆ Article – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Loves ☆ φιλῶν (philōn) ☆ Verb – Present Participle Active – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ From philos; to be a friend to (an individual or an object), i.e. Have affection for; specially, to kiss.

[his] father ☆ πατέρα (patera) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a ‘father’.

Or ☆ ἢ (ē) ☆ Conjunction ☆ Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.

Mother ☆ μητέρα (mētera) ☆ Noun – Accusative Feminine Singular ☆ A mother. Apparently a primary word; a ‘mother’.

More than ☆ ὑπὲρ (hyper) ☆ Preposition ☆ Gen: in behalf of; acc: above.

Me ☆ ἐμὲ (eme) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Accusative 1st Person Singular ☆ I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

Is ☆ ἔστιν (estin) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

Not ☆ οὐκ (ouk) ☆ Adverb ☆ No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

Worthy ☆ ἄξιος (axios) ☆ Adjective – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ Worthy, worthy of, deserving, comparable, suitable. Probably from ago; deserving, comparable or suitable.

Of Me ☆ μου (mou) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Genitive 1st Person Singular ☆ I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

Anyone who ☆ ὁ (ho) ☆ Article – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

[his] son ☆ υἱὸν (huion) ☆ Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a ‘son’, used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.