There is this story about two university professors who were talking about their students.
One professor said that he has about 200 students who come for his lectures.
The other professor thought for awhile and then he said :
I also have about 200 people who come for my lectures, but I don't really know how many of them are my students.
We might ask : How can one come for the lecture of a professor and not be his student? What is the difference anyway?
That is the same question that Jesus is asking us also : What is the difference between a follower and a disciple?
Great crowds followed Jesus, but He was not just interested about how many people were following Him.
He was more interested about who really wanted to be His disciple.
To be a disciple of Jesus means to learn from Him, to give up everything for Him and to have Him as the center and sole-Master.
So the word "hate" that Jesus used as a condition for being His disciple is not to be understood in the emotional or relational sense but in the degree of priority.
In other words "hate" in that context is understood as to love lesser or to give a lower priority.
So Jesus never meant that to follow Him meant that we must hate our parents or family members.
Our love for Jesus must also be reflected in our love for others. It is a love that will not hurt or harm or hate.
Because it is a sacrificial love. That is the love of a true disciple of Jesus.
So the price of discipleship has to be carefully considered. Because for one to be a disciple, either Jesus is Master of all, or He is not master at all.