Responding to Widespread Misunderstanding of Christanity

Great crowds were coming to Jesus. Seeing them He is aware of widespread misunderstanding among the great multitudes. He quite deliberately slowed their haste to follow him. HASTE FOR SPIRITUAL COMFORT IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF NOT OBTAINING IT. This is perennially true. Men and women know not their true selves. They simply do not discern that they are fallen beings who need radical renovation, namely regeneration, and all that salvation is. As going to war in non-contemplative haste is nearly always fatal--so is hasty non-contemplative religious conversion. With the obvious intention of exciting the contemplative process Jesus makes the startling proposition: "Except a man hate his father and mother...yeah and his own life also He cannot be my disciple, that is--A CHRISTIAN. Hate here is often explained as loving less based on Matthew 10:37 and other passages. I do not think that is correct in this case. Hatred is meant. It is HATRED OF A PURELY MORAL KIND THAT IS REQUIRED OF US. Things are to be hated, ONLY SO FAR AS THEY PARTAKE OF SIN, ALIENATION, CORRUPTION etc... Please remember these words are addressed specially to multitudes of people HASTY FOR COMFORT WITH ABERRANT VIEWS OF SIN AND MORAL CORRUPTION. Such need to be shocked. They were. The image of a "tower" is significant. A tower is a lofty edifice that strikes the eye from afar--distinguished from common surroundings. Christ is building "towers" out of believers. They stand out conspicuously--this is especially the case in our character. Hasty professions tend to end up like a building project poorly contemplated and thus ridiculed. Hasty professions of faith frequently lead to just that ridicule.