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.

This is one of the "hard sayings" of Christ. Luke's account phrases it even more bluntly: "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). Actually, these accounts (Matthew's and Luke's) have identical meanings; and, by comparison, it is learned that "hate" as used in this context actually means "to love less," and does not imply malice or vicious hatred in the ordinary meaning of the word "hate." An Old Testament example is Jacob's "hatred" of Leah (Genesis 29:31), which can only mean that he loved her less than Rachel. The teaching in this place is simply that Christ must be FIRST in the lives of those who would truly follow him.