Wednesday 10th September
Read Ephesians 6:1-4
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honour your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (ESV)
Honouring one’s parents clearly remains important. As Paul describes how the members of households are to relate to one another (husbands/wives; children/parents; slaves/masters) the obedience of children to their parents is encouraged. The commandment is quoted in full with commentary by Paul as evidence of the continuing ‘rightness’ of the correct relationship between parents and children. But what does that obedience look like? Is it ongoing parental control over life decisions or respectful consideration of their viewpoints? Given the biblical evidence perhaps it is encapsulated as living lives that bring honour to your parents and looking after their material needs if needed. In the Old Testament it related to honouring family responsibilities with respect to the land, in the New it expands, like many of the commandments, to include material needs. Much of western society was based on these principles but recent times see these foundations increasingly eroded. If society sees personal identity defined internally, by how one feels, and not defined externally, in relation to family, Christian lives will become increasingly counter-cultural. What does a gracious response to these cultural changes look like?
