Jesus said that our own family´s will persecute us because we will be standing up for everything Jesus taught. For example around the 1900s there was a man who was thrown in an insane asylum by his own relatives because he stood up for God. His name was Reuben and he was so astonished by the rich young ruler being told by Jesus to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, that he thought if that man had to sell everything he had, what makes him any different under the same conditions?

So that´s what he was going to do, but his family didn´t like that he was getting rid of so much wealth, he was a Jewish business man originally, and who would be sane enough to do such a thing they thought?! So they put him into the asylum against his will. This is just one example of many, where people take Jesus word as is, it creates a natural division in our own family´s.

Christ said, “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.” (Matthew 10:21)

Jesus really meant it. In Reuben’s case he didn´t have his family physically hurt him causing death, but I am betting if there was enough money involved (like a billion) it´s possible they could have went a step further. That´s just what money does to people´s morals. Reuben was later released from the Asylum by the court. People often don´t think of things like this happening because no family would hurt another family member, but that happens too on a regular bases everywhere around the world without Jesus even being in the picture.

In Matthew 10:34 Jesus said he came to bring a sword and cause division. Now do we see this happening in church circles with family? Maybe, in quite a few instances probably, but I am not talking about an atheist mom disowning her son because he wants to be a Christian, even though that is a valid example.

I am trying to get people to see that when we follow all that Jesus taught, like selling all of our material things like Reuben and many other Christians have done in obedience (Luke 14:33), that this will cause a division in our own family´s that say they love Jesus too.

I have even known a friend testifying about how their own family tried to kill another friend they knew who practiced what Jesus said, over them leaving their successful collage athletic career behind in preference to obeying Jesus. The family blammed thier sons converted friend and beat him when trying to visit. The dad wanted their son to be the next basketball star, and Jesus was taking that away. The individual was severely hurt and almost killed and hospitalized, but later recovered. The persons parents claimed to be Christians, but clearly in actions were far from it. They never had any remorse for what they did, they said it was justified to kill another Christian.

To the worldly people, Jesus is a threat, and even to luke-warm churchy people. Why? Because we are promoting what Jesus actually said in the gospels. We tell others that Jesus demands obedience and that makes people uncomfortable.

”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.” (Matthew 10:37)

Here we have Jesus setting the standards of what is required to be a Christian. If you don´t love Jesus more then your own family and go out and obey him and take up your cross, Jesus said you are not even worthy to be one of his followers.

Family’s can be so persuasive of what we do in life that even attachment to your family can stop you from obeying Jesus. In many cases, family members try to tell you that going out and preaching the gospels is not required to be a Christian. But when we read about Jesus telling everyone who believes him to go out and preach, (Matthew 28:19-20) we have to take Jesus´word over our family’s.

This is usually where the division happens, it is because you are trying to obey and they don´t want you to. Because they are taught that they do not have to obey. But that is not true, it may be uncomfortable to tell the people you love this, but whoever is ashamed of Jesus and all he said, Jesus himself will be ashamed of them. (Mark 8:38)

It´s not that any of us who want to obey Jesus do not love our family, we are just convinced that our priorities are with God and not pleasing our loved ones. On the contrary, if your family does end up hating you, Jesus gives us this reassurance.

”Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” (Luke 6:22)

He tells us that we are blessed if we are hated for standing up for what Christ taught. Friends, how many times have you seen people stand up for Christ and tell a church congregation that they too need to obey and if they don´t they will have a very hard time getting into Heaven? Most likely none of you readers have ever witnessed a thing happen. I want to show you that Jesus practiced his own commands as I am suggesting, read below.

”While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-49)

Notice how Jesus completely rejects Mary, the mother of Jesus, you know the ones the Catholics hold so high a standard? This shows that Jesus was more concerned about him educating his disciples then pleasing his own mom´s desires. He bluntly says that his biological mom is not his real mom. Something like that said today would deeply offend any mom. But Jesus wants us to know that people who obey him are his real family, because in the end, those people that obey will make it into eternity.

”But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:30)

When we leave our biological family, we receive one hundred fold now in this life and in the next of mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers because we all try to love one another as Jesus teaches and live together as family should. In Luke 14:26 Jesus takes the language even further and says, “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.”

Wow! What a shocking thing to say! How can Jesus tell anyone to hate their family? Jesus uses some surprising words to get our attention and show us just how serious he is about are attachments to family or wives and husbands too. That if we don´t go out and leave our loved ones in obedience and preach and do works for God, then we cannot even be a Christian! A disciple of Jesus is a Christian. Remember the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch in the book of Acts. So Christians and disciples are the same thing. (Acts 11:26)

If your parents don´t let you go out and obey Jesus and all he said, then hate them and how they are behaving to you. Obviously not in a real hurtful way, but hate what they are doing to your relationship with God! They are stopping you from doing works of righteousness for God in obedience to Jesus. Most of the time our familys would rather have us go back to the system and work our lives away for money and not consider anything that is in relation to eternal things.

But Jesus wants us to build his kingdom and that means leaving them if you have to. If they come along with you then praise God for that! I hope people have learned something very important that Jesus teaches about family and serving him in preference to family. Thanks for reading, God bless you and your family.