Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 14:26

"If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." — Luke 14:26 (ASV)

And hate not. The word hate, here, simply means to love less. For the meaning of the verse, see Matthew 10:37.

It may be expressed this way: "He that comes after me, and does not love his father less than he loves me, etc., cannot be my disciple."

We are not at liberty literally to hate our parents. This would be expressly contrary to the fifth commandment. See also Ephesians 6:1-3 and Colossians 3:20.

But we are to love them less than we love Christ; we are to obey Christ rather than them; we are to be willing to forsake them if he calls us to go and preach his gospel; and we are to submit, without a murmur, to him when he takes them away from us.

This is not an uncommon meaning of the word hate in the Scriptures. Compare Malachi 1:2-3, Genesis 29:30–31, and Deuteronomy 21:15-17.