TITLE: HONORING OUR PARENTS
TEXT: EXODUS 20:12
INTRODUCTION
Illustration:
There
was this video showing that a married man was frustrated over his aged mother,
because the mother was unable to catch up with the advancement of the
technology and thus inadequate to handle the electrical appliances in their
home. His mother was slow in her motion and movement too which caused some
inconveniences to the family. She was too forgetful and a frequent request for
repeating questions and answers irritated the son a lot.
One
day the mother peed on his expensive sofa, this made him really furious that he
threatened to send his mother off to old folk house. His son overheard what the
father had said, and he said he would do likewise when the father got old. The
mother casually mentioned about the past how she had nursed the son who peed
everywhere when he was a small boy.
The
man was stunk. As he started to reflect upon his old days when he was a boy and
the tender care and love that he had received from his mother, how she washed
his buttock and cleansed his dirty body. He was deeply ashamed of his
ungratefulness towards his mother.
Does the video sound familiar some ways to
all of us? “Would you take care of me when I am old” was the question the
mother asked her boy, and he happily promised that he would do so. But when the
reality surfaced, he was in a dilemma and almost chose to forsake his mother.
We
might see this scenario in the movies and newspaper, or heard about it through
conversations with others. Or we might see how our neighbors go through this
struggle. How about you and me? We too will have to face the reality of taking
care of old-aged parents.
People
used to say, “old man or woman is the treasure in a home”. With the economic
changes, many do not feel that way. Instead they are burdened and overwhelmed
by the demands of the old-aged parents. With an increase in living level of the
society, everyone’s worth is seemed to be measured by our contribution in
economy. If our parents could not produce for the family, they are more or less
to be considered a burden rather than a blessing. Many lost their respect
towards their parents because they could not see values in the lives of their
parents. Yet the text found in Exodus 20:12 make it bluntly clear that we have
to honor our parents.
Exodus
20:12 (NIV) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the Lord your God is giving you.
Proposition: It is our very responsibility as
children to honor our parents.
Interrogatives
sentence: Why
should we honor our parents?
Transitional
sentence: There
are two reasons we have to honor our parents.
I.
IT
IS A COMMANDMENT FROM GOD
(Exodus 20:12aNIV)
Honor your father and your mother,
In
the days of Old Testament, Ten Commandments were given to Moses in order to
maintain social justice, order and peace within the Israelite community. The
first four commandments lay down men’s responsibilities towards God and the
last six of the commandments demand of men’s obligations towards one another.
“Honor your father and your mother” is an imperative which ranks the first
priority over God’s requirement from men’s obligations towards others. There is
no negotiation or discount for the statement. Before one could fulfill his
civil duties towards the rest, he must first and foremost learn to honor his
parents who have given birth to him and raised him up.
Ten
Commandments were given so that man could live as a human before God and before
others. Humanness is the very thing that God puts in us and He desires to see
us demonstrating through our living and relationship with others. If a man
fails to honor his parents, he violates the moral requirement from God and he
is indeed inhuman.
The
fifth commandment of honoring our parents applies to children of all ages,
whether those we are as young as little kids, or those who have grown up as
adults who are independent of our parents, or those who have entered their own
old age and having parents who are dependent on us. It speaks to one year old
child as well as seventy years old adult (if their parents are still alive).
Think
about this statement again, “the old man or woman is the treasure in a home”. In
an age which looks forwards and not backwards, children are considered to be
the treasure in the family instead of old parents. Many family decisions are
based on the needs of their children. Future considerations for the children
are the “invisible” hands which orient the move of most families. Children
dominate the decision-making of family and have unconsciously become the
“little king” who rules over the household. Yet if we looked into the Bible, we
see a different order in the family. The family order in the Bible starts with
God, followed by the parents and then the children.
Transitional
sentence:
Since
honoring parents is God’s command for us, we have to simply pay them our honor
for who they are and what they have done for us.
1.
WE
HONOR PARENT FOR WHO THEY ARE
(Ephesians
6：1NIV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Paul
says that obeying parent is rightful thing for the children. Parents represent
God and they are God’s delegated authority in family. Children adhere to their
parents and they are supposed to follow the instructions of their parents. Every
authority established by God on earth is meant to be revered, to be honored, to
be respected and to be obeyed.
If
children failed to honor their parents, they are indeed indicating their
rebellion towards God, for God has instituted the family and placed their
parents to be their provider, feeder, care-taker, protector, educator etc.
Children learn to submit to authority when they could submit to their parents.
Parents
are blessings from God. Through them we are born to this world and able to
enjoy such wonderful family relationship. They have demonstrated God’s
magnificent love, unlimited grace and unending mercy towards their children,
and have allowed them to grow under their wings and covering. Every child needs
to recognize that parenthood is God’s given role and nobody can usurp their
role unless God take it away when they leave the world.
Some
of the children find it hard to honor their parents because their parents have
not fulfilled their parental roles in an appropriate manner. Some are abandoned
since young, some are mistreated or abused by parents and some just could not
feel the love from their parents. Nevertheless the fifth commandment does not
lay down qualification for a parent to be honored. They are not honored because
they have performed well, and they are not honored because they are rich, or
because they are wise. They are honored simply for who they are, as God’s gift
to their children.
The
Chinese translation of the word “honor” is very unique. It comprises of two
Chinese words, which is “filial” and “submit”. It has expressed vividly how we
should honor our parents. When they are strong and able, we need to submit to
them. When they are old and weak, we need to be filial to them. Above all else,
we need to love them with sincerity.
Honor
them when we are young, when we have to rely on them for everything, i.e. food,
money, warmth, care, love etc. Honor them when we grow up and learn to be
independent, learn to respect their views and their opinions given to us even
we might think that we grow stronger and become more successful than them.
Honor them when they grow old, when they are unable to provide for us, when
they are unable to care even for themselves. Love them and care for their
dignity.
They
are precious in God’s sight not because they are capable and strong, but
because of whom they are before God. They too should be precious and valuable
to us, not because they contribute to other lives, but because of whom they are,
someone dear to us and someone near to us. We honor them for who they are,
created in the image of God and priceless treasure in our home.
Transitional
sentence:
Parents
are given by God to be our guardians, and they have sacrificed much for us.
Therefore,
2.
WE
HONOR PARENTS FOR WHAT THEY DO
(Deuteronomy 6: 7NIV)
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when
you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
In
the house of Israelites, parents function as more than a provider and a
protector for the children. They are the leaders for their children and they
are their initial teachers too. They couch their children in the way of the
Lord. They have to make the teaching a life style so that they can impress
their children with the living Word of God. They guide their children the way
of life so that they will not deviate from the path of righteousness.
To
Israelites, the parents are greatly honored when they are old. In the community
of Israel, we see that elders were highly respected. They are regarded as group
of people who possess wisdom and life experiences where the younger generations
could draw from. Unlike our society where many of the children see their parents
as outdated, marginalized in the progress of advancement.
We
have to know that in every stage of our lives our parents have different
function and roles to play. When we are children, we depend on them most of the
times. We need them to feed us, to clothe us, to instruct us, to discern for us
and to make decisions for us. We learn what is right and what is wrong from the
measurement of our parents. We trust our lives unto their hands. They are the
heroes and they are great in most of our eyes.
When
we become adults, the parental influence might be lesser in our lives. We start
to form our judgment, and we gradually are independent from them financially,
mentally, emotionally and physically. Yet the Lord commands us to continue to
honor our parents. Our parents still have stories to tell us. Their life
experiences still serve as great references for us when we make life decisions.
Learn from their marriage, learn from the ways they raise children, learn from
them how to handle finance, and learn from them how to manage the household.
There will sure be something we can learn from them. We can still appreciate
them as leaders and teachers.
Many
of us go after seminars to learn how to live a good life, how to be successful
parents and how to maintain a happy marriage. If your parents are successful in
these areas, learn from them and listen to their voice. They will feel greatly
honored when their existence is valued and their experiences are appreciated.
We shift from a mentality of total obedient as small kids to seek council of
their wisdom and respect what they share with us.
The
greatest tragedy of this age is the disconnection between the grown up children
and their parents. The culture has shaped us to such extent that we emphasize
so much on personal rights and privacy that we refuse to allow our parents to
step in our lives once we are independent.
How
about the time when our parents grow older and they are no more capable of
providing for us, protecting us and guiding us? What if they are like the old
mother mentioned in the beginning of the sermon, old and useless as many
perceive she is? Children, this is the time we should honor them with our
service and love. Did they hold your hands when you were young? Then learn to
hold their hands when they are old. Did they wash your body when you were
innocent? Then learn to clean their body if they could not do so. Did they
embrace you when you are fearful? Do so if they need your hug and kisses. Take
good care of them as how they took good care of us. Let them enjoy their second
“infancy”.
Transitional
sentence:
Guess
what! When we honor our parents, God promises us His blessings.
II.
IT
IS A COMMANDMENT FROM GOD WITH A BLESSING
(Exodus 20:12bNIV)….so
that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Surprised?
This is the only commandment out of the Ten Commandments given which a
statement of blessing is imposed on us. It shows two possibilities, either this
commandment is highly valued by God above all other earthly moral duties of
men, or it is the hardest to observe so that an incentive is needed to
encourage men to fulfill their call as children.
God
gives us allowance which we are not supposed to be entitled to. Honoring
parents is our earthly duty and we should carry out even without any promised
blessing. Yet God graciously bestows His extra blessing.
Transitional
sentence:
His
blessing comes first in the form of longevity in life and second the abundant
life we enjoy on the land He gives to us.
1.
WE
ARE TO LIVE LONG
The
promise of God sounds logic to us. When I was young, I always heard parents
calling their children “yao xiu gia” (a Hokkien dialect which means
“short-lived child”). This happened when the child refuses to listen to the
advice and admonition from his father or mother and insisted on continuing their
own ways and doings.
I
used to wonder why the adults curse their children in such a way. But as I
ponder upon it, I start to appreciate the scolding which does not sound nice.
It is indeed not difficult to understand the meaning and warning behind the
scolding. Children who are wild and rebellious are the most dangerous ones who
will head into troubles and expose their lives to various risks if they refuse
to take heed of the parental guidance and advices.
Many
children die in their early age because they have joint the gangster groups and
fought their own death. Many children die when they are young because they are
drug addicts or they lead a wanton life-style. They allow their fleshy desires
to control them and ultimately bring destruction upon themselves. Many of them
could have live longer if they were willing to come under the authority of
their parents and honor their leadership in their lives. For the parents are
able to signal to them dangers and keep their steps from evils and
unrighteousness.
When
God promises us to live long, does it mean just a long life? There are
definitely more than that.
Transitional
sentence:
The
long life we are to live is in the promised land of God, and so
2. WE ARE TO ENJOY
ABUNDANCE IN THE LAND
(Deuteronomy 8:6-9
NIV) Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and
revering him. 7 for the Lord your God is
bringing you into a good land – a land with streams and pools of water, with
springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8
a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig three, pomegranates, olive oil and
honey, 9 a land where bread will not be
scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can
dig copper out of the hills.
Such is the descriptions of the land which
the Lord promised them to live, and live for long life. It is a land that full
of honey and milk. It will be a land which is abundant and fruitful. It will be
a land where we shall suffer no lack and no fears. It is a blessed life to
enjoy with our family members. It is a peaceful place we can share with our
neighbors.
God
is the Provider of all over the land He gives to us. He makes sure that the
crops will be growing and the fruits will be tasty. He is in charge of the
flowing of the waters and the pools of stream. He will supply all that we need
as long as we live.
The
Lord made it clear that as His people obey His commands and observes His
ordinances, He will provide all these blessings abundantly. We have seen that
when the people of God broke that commands of God, the land dried up and the
crops produced no more. The history of Israel in the land of Canaan is a good
lesson for us to learn and be warned. God’s promises come with an imperative.
It is to honor our father and our mother and to enjoy with them the blessings
God has in store for us.
Transition
sentence:
The
blessing is there for us to claim. We just need to trust and obey.
CONCLUSION
Obey
the Word of God. Honor your father and your mother, and live in the land of the
Lord and be prosperous. We are created to be blessed, to be fruitful, to enjoy
meaningful and intimate relationship with the family God has placed us in. The
very first relationship we enjoy in the family is the relationship with our
parents. Honor them, and receive His blessings.
No comments:
Post a Comment