Honoring Father and Mother

1. Intro –  Exodus 20:12
1. The Fifth commandment
1. Honor = Kabad – To be made heavy (as if burdensome); Glorify
2. Corban misused
1. Mark 7:9-13 - Corban is the practice of dedicating a gift to God.  In Leviticus, the Law suggests that if that happens the gift could not be used for any other purpose.  Jesus points out their misuse of corban.  The Jews had come to use corban as a sort of bank account.  They could make their money a gift to the temple and it would stay there for safe keeping until their death and then it would revert into the treasury.  Honoring the parents in this scripture is referring to financial support.  The Jews were avoiding their financial responsibility to their parents by declaring their funds corban which meant that they could not use it for their parents.
3. The commandment with promise
1. “that thy days may be long upon the land” – Exodus 20:12
2. “That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” – Ephesians 6:2-3
3. Children cannot honor (take care of) aged parents if they die young.  Hence, if they honor them in their youth, they are allowed to continue the service for the duration of their parents’ lives.
4. So much for obeying a command for the reward and not out of love!
4. Biblical Family Culture
1. The early family culture of the Bible was patriarchal.  This is never commanded, nor suggested.  It is mentioned here just so we can see that families (for the most part) remained close.
2. Genesis 11:31-32 - Terah takes his sons and their families with him as he moves.  We see that Abram does the same with Lot until it becomes impossible to manage.
3. Ruth 1:2-18 – Ruth’s in-laws dwelt close if not with her.  Even after the commitment of honoring a parent was removed, Ruth chose to retain that responsibility.
4. Jesus’ Family – Just a note that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55) and at least two sisters (Matthew 13:56).  All dwelt in Judea near Jesus.
5. Leaving and Cleaving?
1. Genesis 2:22-24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7 - Leaving = Azab – to loosen from
2. The man is addressed not the woman.  Why?
1. He is to be the leader – Ephesians 5:23
2. A wife cannot depend on a man who is still dependant as well.
3. Leaving here does not denote location
1. There needs to be a mental separation from parents
2. There needs to be a shift of responsibility
3. There needs to be independence
6. Leaving and Abandoning – The American Family Culture
1. Children marry (or shack up) and move off
2. The Children make lives for themselves with anchoring issues such as local jobs, schools, and other things that will prevent them from visiting parents much.
3. Parents lose capacity for self care
4. A choice is then made by the Children:
1. Remove the parent(s) from their sometimes lifelong home to come live with the children in their chosen location.   OR
2. Find a service or some one who cares enough to help the Parent(s) with day to day tasks.    OR
3. Relocate the Parent(s) to a Nursing Home where they will not be a burden any longer.
5. Is this honorable?
6. Compare to China’s culture of honoring the elderly
7. Conclusion