Although it’s obvious they still love each other, Mary is no longer Jesus’ mother. She was his physical mother who birthed him while he was on earth, but his physical body was progressively transformed and glorified, made one with the Father of Heaven, so that it’s no longer the case that she is his mother.

From this, we can easily discern that when Jesus said “hate” in the verse prior, he wasn’t talking about malice or violence. He was talking about getting your priorities straight. As a Christian, Jesus must be central to your life in every way. He must be more important than your father, mother, sister, brother, spouse, child, friends, employer, employee, etc. As sad as it is to say, I think the reality is that a lot of us choose to side with our family instead of with Jesus. We’re Christians by name only, simply to appear in good social standing.