John Calvin Commentary Matthew 10:37

"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 (ASV)

He who loves father or mother. As it is exceedingly harsh, and is contrary to natural feelings, to make enemies of those who ought to have been in closest alliance with us, so Christ now says that we cannot be his disciples on any other condition. He does not indeed command us to lay aside human affections, or forbid us to discharge the duties of relationship, but only desires that all the mutual love which exists among men should be so regulated as to assign the highest rank to piety.

Let the husband then love his wife, the father his son, and, on the other hand, let the son love his father, provided that the reverence which is due to Christ is not overpowered by human affection. For if even among men, in proportion to the closeness of the tie that mutually binds us, some have stronger claims than others, it is shameful that all should not be considered inferior to Christ alone.

And certainly we do not consider sufficiently, or with due gratitude, what it is to be a disciple of Christ, if the excellence of this rank is not sufficient to subdue all the affections of the flesh. The phrase employed by Luke is more harsh, if any man does not hate his father and mother, but the meaning is the same: "If the love of ourselves hinders us from following Christ, we must resist it courageously," as Paul says,

what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, for whom I suffered the loss of all things (Philippians 3:7–8).