This is indeed a strange verse.  Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." (NIV) 
 
That statement seems to be the opposite of everything else that Jesus taught.  Why would He say that?  Did He really mean it?
 
Sometimes Jesus emphasized His point by using extreme language.  Your High School English teachers called this literary device hyperbole. Another familiar example of this style of language is Matthew 5.29-30.  "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
 
When we read any part of the Bible, we must read it in CONTEXT -- both the immediate context of the whole chapter, but also in the larger context of  the whole Bible.  Clearly, the Bible does not teach us to mutilate our bodies nor does it teach us to hate our parents. Remember that the same Jesus who said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother...cannot be my disciple," also vigorously defended the Fourth Commandment -- "Honor your father and mother."  (See Matthew 15.3-9)  
 
Jesus Himself offered a clear explanation of the meaning of Luke 14.26:  "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me...." (Matthew 10.37-38)
 
In the immediate context of Luke 14:26, Jesus here is describing the cost of being His disciple.  The point of this verse is that our loyalty to Christ must come ahead of family and friends.  In many cultures, Christians pay a heavy price for following Christ.