Why does Jesus say we must hate our father and mother?!!! To better understand this statement, we considered the preceding Parable of the Great Banquet, and the excuses offered by the three invited guests. Through this parable, Jesus is teaching that while there are credible excuses for avoiding the call to defend Israel in war, these do not apply as credible excuses for the higher calling of Christ’s heavenly banquet. When applied to our reading today, we can see clearly that Jesus is telling us nothing should come between us and His invitation to live out the Gospel.