Conserving the Family Heritage

GOLDEN TEXT: “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” —Exodus 20:12

WHILE none of the Ten Commandments was given to Christians, all of them express principles of righteousness with which our hearts should be fully in harmony. The compensation offered for obedience to the Fifth Commandment was the privilege of remaining “long upon the land” which the Lord gave to Abraham and his seed. This helps to stamp the commandments as being especially for that nation; and their failure to keep the Law was the main cause of their being driven out of the Land and dispersed among all nations.

Parents have the great responsibility of properly training their children, and bringing them up, as the Apostle Paul says, “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4) To do this successfully, parents must manifest the Spirit of the Lord in their own lives and thus give their children good reason to respect and honor them.

Children whose parents have been an example to them in righteousness, and who have been carefully taught the truth of the Word, when starting out in life for themselves will possess treasures of inestimable value. In many cases they will devote their own lives to the Lord. But even when this is not done, the honor for their parents which was inspired by example and teaching will help to make them better men and better women.

The Apostle Paul foretold that “in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be … disobedient to parents.” (II Tim. 3:1,2) That “men” rather than children should be disobedient [unpersuadable] to parents, might suggest that the reference particularly is to conditions in the professed church of Christ. In this case the “parents” might be the “fathers,” the prophets and apostles. Whether or not this be the correct thought, we know it is a fact that a majority of the teachers in the nominal churches today no longer regard the writers of the Bible as having any particular divine authority, hence do not consider it essential to be “obedient to them.”

It is also true today, as never before, that natural children are disobedient to parents, if, indeed, it can be said that parents make any serious efforts at all to train them along moral and righteous lines. Child delinquency is rampant, and special campaigns are now being waged in an endeavor to stem the tide of ever increasing lawlessness among minors.

MARK 7:9-13

THE word “Corban” used in this passage means a gift dedicated to God. Human traditions added to the laws of God provided that one’s obligations to another could properly be annulled if claim was made that the consideration involved had been dedicated to the Lord. It was in this way, Jesus explained, that the traditions of the Pharisees had made void the Fifth Commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”

The proper honoring of parents involves certain responsibilities in connection with their physical needs, if such exist. The Pharisees had apparently ruled that if sons or daughters having such obligations toward their parents said to them that they had dedicated all they could spare to the Lord, it freed them from their obligations. Some writers imply that in return for this ruling the Pharisees received a portion of what was said to be given to the Lord. It was a hypocritical way of claiming obedience to the Law.

JOHN 19:25-27

JESUS, who kept every feature of the Law inviolate, did not overlook his responsibility to his mother. While the Scriptures do not so state, apparently his foster father had died, and Mary was a widow. In any event, while suffering on the cross, Jesus requested the Apostle John to care for his mother, and indicated to her that she could properly look to the beloved John for the home and protection she needed.

The spirit of the Master will lead any Christian to make sure that his parents are not left stranded in their old age. Nor should one side-step this responsibility because of any notion that it is more important to use his time or money which might thus be involved directly in the Lord’s service. The Lord does not want anything given to him that belongs to others.

The proper discharge of parental duty toward growing children would not seem to call for more than setting them a wholesome Christian example, and giving them a reasonable education. Apart from exceptional situations, parents who have devoted their all to the Lord need not be overly concerned about “saving up” for the benefit of their children, although it is but natural that parental love should cause one to want to do this.

QUESTIONS

Were the Ten Commandments given to Christians?

What did the Apostle Paul prophesy concerning “children” in the “last days”?

What is “Corban”? Explain the manner in which the traditions of the Pharisees allowed the Jews to break the Fifth Commandment.

How was Jesus’ full obedience to the Law exemplified while he was dying on the cross?

What obligations do Christians have toward their parents?

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