Reflection on Luke 12:32-40

 

“I feel disconnected from God,” he finally said after trying for minutes to describe his spiritual state.

“It’s not that I don’t believe in God. It is just that I don’t sense God as being that important in my life at this point.”

It was a brutally honest statement from someone who was considering leaving the church.

When inviting the pastor into his home to talk, the man wanted to be clear that he was not leaving the church because of some sort of slight or disagreement. The people in the church were just fine.

The problem went much deeper, and in the same way that some couples just slowly lose connection with one another over time and end up divorcing, this man kind of felt like it was his time to separate with God. More to the point, he felt like the separation had already happened and he just now had mustered up the courage to tell someone.

“I’ve been there,” said the pastor. “Many, many times I’ve been there. Imagine having to write a sermon while feeling that way! It stinks.”

The man smiled and relaxed a little, inviting the pastor to take a seat in the living room.

“What do you do when you feel that way pastor?” the man asked honestly.

To that question, the pastor suddenly stood up again, reached into his pocket, dug something out, and smacked it down on the coffee table. The man leaned forward to see what it was. The familiar green of the $20 bill was revealed upon closer inspection.

“I don’t get it. You pay God to come into your life again? Where would you even drop off the money?”

The pastor laughed. “Not quite.” Then he simply said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

You may not know where the pastor is headed with this, but I would like to tell you that there is some wisdom in where he is leading this man. After-all, it is Jesus who first tells us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So it is not an ingenious invention of the pastor.

But, before we continue, let us pause for a second because I have come to realize that most of us understand this phrase backwards. I have even heard it spoken backwards from the pulpit.

Most of us understand Jesus’ words here as meaning: “We put our money in the thing that is most special to us.”

But New Testament scholar Mark Allen Powell points out that Jesus is not saying that at all. Jesus is actually saying that the things or people in which we invest our money captures a little bit of our heart and devotion. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Advertisers understand this very well.  They know that if they can get us to spend a little of our money, we also put a little of our heart into that investment.  They rely on this truth of the human condition to make their living.

Take smart phones for an example. I have known people who sing the praises of their iPhones after they have purchased one. They love the ease of use. They love the features such as the face identification to access the phone; that way you do not have to type in a pass code every time you use the phone. And, iPhone users will staunchly defend the quality of their phones in an argument against those evil and unenlightened Android smart phone users.

Of course, Android users will similarly go on and on about their phones and the 3D photography and virtual reality capabilities of their phones.

It is called brand loyalty. We use our money to buy a phone, and in return, the company gets part of our heart…part of our loyalty. Wherever you place your treasure, you will give away a little bit of your heart.

Whether its Apple vs. PC, Velveeta vs. Cheddar, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Pixar vs. Sony, salt vs. pepper, cat vs. dog…do not even get people started on the cat vs. dog one…each time advertisers get us to invest our money or time in something, we also invest our heart in their product rather than another.

The thing is, part of this investment of heart makes us blind to the realities and shortcomings of the thing in which we have invested our money. No one wants to be the one who spends foolishly. So we defend our choices of iPhones and Androids, dogs and cats, and we refuse to mention the troubles and faults in our choices. Dogs make you get up early in the morning. Cats do not. Just saying.

Leaders will try to get you to do the same.  They will do everything in their power to get your loyalty, because once they have a little bit of your loyalty, they know that they have a hold of your heart.  And once they have a hold of your heart, it is amazing the sorts of things that they can convince you to do or believe.  And, we fall for it again and again, because no one wants to admit that they may have had their heart trapped in the wrong place. 

That is how treasures work. What you value as treasure is where you your heart ends up. Where you spend your resources of money, time, and self is what you will end up treasuring like a gleaming gem.  And, that is how we lose connection with others people (friends, children, etc). We invest in people and things that steal our hearts. That is how we lose connection with God.  We invest in people or things that steal our hearts.

What if you decided to give away all the treasure that competes with God and all that God desires for the world?  What if you decided to put that false treasure, those false Gods, those false hopes, that false sense of security aside so that you can invest once again in God and God alone? 

Today, through the Holy Scriptures, Jesus is leading you to think along such lines.  Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

There is this strong promise here that when you invest in God, your heart will latch on also.  And when you allow God to latch onto you, you will be brought into the glories of God’s kingdom.

Have you ever stopped to consider: “Where does God spend God’s resources?” Well, let us look at the scriptures and see.

In the beginning, God made a peaceful space in the chaos for us, the gem of God’s creation.  God invests in us.

In Jesus, God chooses to spend time with us; especially when we are poor; especially when we struggle; and especially when we are trapped in sin.  God invests in us.

In Jesus, God chooses to pay a life for a life on the cross. God chooses to pay for you…for us…to trade our sins for his peace. This is all done for our benefit. God so loved Apple Corp.? No. God so loved an earthly leader? No.  “God so loved the world…” We are where God spends God's resources.

The man picks up the $20, looks at it, and asks the pastor, “So, what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Spend it, of course" the pastor replies.

“Spend it on what?”

“Spend it on something that the Lord cares about. Spend it on something that Jesus would care passionately about. Spend it on the poor. Spend it on a special Olympic athlete. Spend it on someone’s medical care. Buy a child’s school lunch. Spend it the way that the Lord would spend it.”

You see, the pastor understands from his own experience that when we feel separated from God, it may be because we are no longer participating in God’s activities.  It may be because we have forgotten, as the Bible says, to “be dressed for action” and have forgotten to “have our lamps lit.” 

What if, rather than being distracted by all of those things which capture our hearts and our attention, we dressed with the righteousness of God and lit our lamps, ready for the Lord to arrive?  What if we started taking part and investing in all that the Lord cares about?  Maybe, just maybe, we would discover once again that the Lord has opened the door, has arrived home, and has taken a place at the table in our presence.  Maybe, we would discover that the Lord has, once again, drawn our hearts near to the Lord’s heart?

‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,’ Jesus says.

Before pulling out his keys, the pastor finished by saying, “Invest some of your treasure in God. Just maybe your heart will follow and you will not be so disconnected.”

If you are reading this now, I invite you to do the same. Do you feel disconnected with God? Take some of your gifts this week, (and I really, actually mean it), and spend them on something that Jesus would care about.

After-all, it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Follow God's example and share some of that kingdom of mercy, and maybe…just maybe...your own eyes will be opened to the mercies of God in your life.

Reflection on Exodus 20:14 and Matthew 5:27-32

 

The first wedding that I attended was not a real wedding; so I was told anyway.  Chris and Wendy had been sweethearts since first grade.  And, as fifth graders, they had decided that it was time to tie the knot.  So, they approached the local pastor’s son, and convinced him to perform a wedding for them during recess.   

As silly as all of this sounds, the upcoming wedding of Chris and Wendy was a big deal on the playground.  We all waited with anticipation for the big day, which came the very next day. 

With a bouquet of dandelions picked by friends, Wendy walked down the sidewalk…I mean aisle…in order to meet up with Chris, her future husband.  And so, behind the dumpsters of the Kiester Elementary School (because the playground teacher could not see what we were doing when behind the dumpsters), Chris and Wendy were made husband and wife with all the authority that a pastor’s kids with a stolen wedding liturgy from his dad could provide. To seal the deal, Chris and Wendy drew close to each other and held hands.  That was the first wedding I ever attended.

I told my mother about the wedding, and she assured me that it was not a real wedding.  I was not quite so sure.  They were given the monkey bars the next day to play on by themselves as a honeymoon gift from us students.  They were allowed to be on the same team for kickball, they were married after-all.  And, when after a couple of weeks Chris was seen holding hands with another girl on the playground, the devastation that fell upon Wendy was in no way imaginary.  The tears that were wiped from Wendy’s eyes by her friends were very real.  Even as kids, we understood what devotion to another person should look like.  And, even though we did not have the words to express it, we knew what adultery was all about.

“You shall not commit adultery.”  You shall be and shall remain devoted to the ones whom you have promised to be devoted.  “You shall not commit adultery.”

On another occasion, I handed a tissue so that a man could wipe away the tears of betrayal.  He and his wife had married young.  And, though he could imagine spending the rest of his remaining time on this earth with no one else but his wife, she realized that she had never gotten a chance to experience the world.  So, nearly every night as he returned from work, she walked out the door, dressed up with lavish makeup.  “I going dancing with my friends,” she would say closing the door. 

“It is not just dancing with her friends,” the man said to me.  He was right.  It was much more than just dancing with friends. 

“I have given her everything,” he told me.  I provide for her, she does not need to even work.  I buy her clothes.  I cook for her.  I purchased a great house for us.  I give her back rubs.  And, it is like she does not even see me.  Why is she doing this?  She’s forcing me to give her up.  How can I give her up?”  And, the pain and torment that this man went through as he continually rubbed his hands over his face, through his tears, dragging those tears through his hair reminded me again and again of the anguish-filled words of the Lord in Hosea 11:8 as the Lord cries out concerning Israel broken covenant, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?”

In Hosea, the Lord is intentionally portrayed as a spurned spouse, whose stomach turns and twists in knots while waiting for his wife to come home.  “How can I give you up?” the Lord cries as Israel seeks other gods.  “How can I give you up?” the Lord cries as the Lord considers everything that has been done for them.  They were created by the Lord.  They were fed and nourished by the Lord.  They were delivered out of slavery by the Lord.  They were given a tabernacle as a special place to meet one-on-one with the Lord.  What more could the Lord have done?  “How can I give you up?” the Lord cries as the Lord considers the unprecedented possibility of spending some time apart: the exile.

The Israelites took holy places to the Lord and dedicated them to another god of the region: Baal, and it broke God’s heart.  They took Bethel, the very rock where Jacob laid his head and saw visions of angels going up and down out of heaven (a portal between heaven and earth you could say), the place where Jacob spoke with the Lord, and they intentionally ripped that special place out of God’s hands and dedicated it to Baal.  How could God’s people do this?  The book of Hosea clearly depicts Israel’s actions toward God as adultery and prostitution.  The people are holding hands on the playground with another and they have not remained devoted to God to whom they promised to be devoted. 

As you can see, “You shall not commit adultery” has very close ties with the command, “You shall have no other gods.”   God has remained devoted to us, not only throughout history, but also throughout our own lives.  Our lives would be nothing without the Lord. 

God does not commit adultery toward us, but we can certainly commit adultery toward God, putting other things and other commitments first.  We fail, but the Lord does not.  “How precious is your steadfast love, O God!” the Psalmist sings.  The Lord is wholly devoted to us.

And this is the reason that adultery within our own lives is so destructive, not only to our relationships and families, but also to our relationship with God.  If we are people made in the Lord’s image, which we are; and if we are people who are created to carry the name of the Lord…to carry the image of the Lord…in all we do and say, which we are commanded to do; then the devotion we show in our relationships should reflect the devotion that the Lord shows to us.  Does that make sense?

In other words, how are people supposed to know what a holy love that is steadfast and never-ending looks like if we, the people who were made to be the image of God on this earth, fail to display that sort of devotion and love in our relationships?  “You shall not commit adultery.”  You shall be and shall remain devoted to the ones whom you have promised to be devoted.

Jesus takes this even deeper, as he often does.  This sort of devotion is so important to being the people of God, that Jesus thinks we should not only refrain from commit adultery, but we should probably get to the root of why it happens.  “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” Jesus declares (Matthew 5:28).  And, I think that Jesus would say the same for women in this day and age.  It is the lust for someone else that is at the root of adultery. 

If we hope to be the people of God, which we do, then tear out the eye that causes you to sin Jesus exclaims!  Alright, that seems a little extreme, but you get Jesus’ point, do you not?  Get it under control before it causes more problems.  After-all, adultery always cause more problems. 

It is no coincidence that Jesus talks about divorce in the next few sentences because that is where adultery often leads.  And, Jesus cares a lot about the subject of divorce because if you give up on those whom you promised to be devoted to, then who will care for them?  Who will feed them and keep them safe?  Who will make sure the family stays a family? 

Jesus does not want things to fall apart. Jesus is all about putting things together.  Listen, God pulled us together from scattered grains of dust when we were created.  God pulled God’s people together in a great procession and rescued them from Egypt.  God pulls you close to those you love, but with whom you had a falling out, through forgiveness.  And, Jesus opens his arms wide to draw us all together as Colossians teaches, “[Jesus reconciled] to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:20). 

Jesus loves us.  Jesus is devoted to us.  And Jesus cares that we be devoted to others.

And, just in case adultery has shaped your own world and own your past, and guilt and shame are lurking near, I want to remind you that the Lord is still devoted to you.  Jesus has died on the cross for you.  You are held in love forever, making you free to try again to be that person of devotion that God created you to be.  You do not believe me?  I have a story for you.  It is from the gospel of John.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, ⁴they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 8:3-11)

Never forget that God is devoted to you.  God loves you with a love that can overcome failure and erase sin.  God forgives you again and again.  God is devoted to you, and that is why God cares so much about your devotion to others.  “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” 

“You shall not commit adultery.”  You shall be and shall remain devoted to the ones whom you have promised to be devoted.

 

Reflection on Exodus 20:13 and Luke 6:27-36

 

The official was simply doing his job, patrolling his beat as he did every other day, except this day would be different.  A man suddenly ambushes him from behind, and murders him in cold blood, marking his last day on duty…marking his last day on this earth.  The murder of someone on patrol is enough to make your blood boil, and you immediately think, “An eye for an eye,” “a death for a death.”

The brother was envious of his sibling.  The sibling was the favored one.  The sibling was the one who got the attention and the accolades.  The sibling needed to go.  So, while the sibling was engrossed in his work, his brother killed him in cold blood.  The murder seems senseless, and you immediately think, “An eye for an eye,” “a death for a death.”

The government official lusted for what he wanted.  In his capacity…in his high office, he did not need to get blood on his own hands.  He could get what he wanted with just a little manipulation of those below.  He could just stand back and allow it to happen.  And, he did.  The person he wanted gone was gone, and the government official got what he desired.  The manipulation and the murder is frustrating to the final degree because you know that he will get away with it and that people will even support him because he is beloved.  Still you think, “An eye for an eye,” “a death for a death,” even though in this case, it seems unlikely.

“You shall not murder,” God demands.  You shall not intentionally, and maliciously end a life in a premeditative way. 

King David, God’s own chosen ruler, murders one of his most devoted soldiers by putting him in the front lines of war, all so that he can steal the soldier’s wife as his own.  This was the last example, and it was murder.

Cain murders his own brother, wiping away a quarter of all humanity is one swing, all because he is envious that his brother’s offering to God was favored by God over his own.  This was the second example and it was murder.

And, the greatest of all prophets, Moses, decides that he is going to take matters into his own hands and free his people singlehandedly.  He murders the official keeping watch over some Israelite slaves as if he can take down an empire with his own two hands.  Someone’s family did not get to see their father come home.  Someone’s children did not get to hug their father that evening, or ever beyond that day.  This was the first example and it was murder.

And, a friend of mine aches for his own friend who just lost his brother, sister-in-law, and beloved niece to some seemingly random gun violence while in their tent, camping in a state park.  You do not expect something like this in rural Iowa.  It is murder, and the ache in everyone’s heart is beyond comprehension. 

Murder is the opposite of carrying God’s love to your neighbors.  Murder is the total refusal to recognize that the neighbor is a child of the holy one.  Murder is intentionally seeking death rather than life.  Murder is intentionally refusing to acknowledge that God may have given us a gift in the person right in front of us.  It is no wonder that the first time that the word “sin” shows up in the Bible, it is used in a story that has to do with murder.

“Sin” in the Hebrew simply means, “To fail.”  Sin is failing to do what God would have done.  Sin is failing to love those who God loves.  Sin is missing the mark and not reaching the goal.  Sin is failing to carry the image of God to your neighbor, and whenever we fail to carry God’s image to our neighbor, whether in great ways or small, we are aiding in allowing darkness and death to take hold of this world.

I know you thought you had this commandment down.  I know that you thought you would get away clean with this commandment.  I, for one, have not murdered anyone, and I am willing to bet that you have not murdered anyone either.  And, even those of us who have killed (such as in war), most of us have not done with a malicious intent, which is required for murder.  Like me, you thought you were good, that is until I mentioned that failing in great ways or small both aid in allowing darkness and death to take hold.

You see, there is this truth, when coming to the scriptures in an honest and biblical way, that we must contend with.  When we read something like, “You shall not murder,” we are not allowed by the Bible to simply take that at face value.  “No murder, I am good!”  No, you cannot do that.  Instead, when we read the Bible, it is intended by the writers that we also consider all harm that falls below the threshold of murder.  You shall not murder is a statement, by God, that includes all harm underneath. 

You do not believe me?  Then listen to the words of God.  Listen to what Jesus has to say, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire” (NRSV, Matthew 5:21-22).

So, that time that I called my brother a “no good, rotten jerk face,” we did not swear in my family…that was the worst I could come up with; and when I secretly imagined a sinkhole suddenly swallowing my brother whole, that probably was not viewed by God as my most wholesome and holy moment.  In fact, my anger was inviting death one step closer to my soul. 

Now, I may be wrong here, but I am not certain that death by sink hole was quite an eye for an eye for refusing to play with me.  I am certain that showing anger probably was not the way to go if I wanted my brother to be even remotely interested in playing with me.  But, when steps toward death are taken rather than toward life…when anger wins out over love…nothing good ever comes as a result.  Playtime does not happen.

But, you already know that.  You already know the heartache that comes after a falling out.  You already know the destruction to family and friends that unbridled anger can cause.  You already know.  You have seen sin and death lingering like a beast, ready to pounce at any chance it gets.  It tears at your soul even today.

Like, the day I came home from college and tore into my Dad because he accidentally mixed my white socks in with my red shirts.  That still haunts me.  Was it a murder?  No, but it kind of was.  Our relationship died a little that day.  Things like that tear at your soul.

Here is the good news: God still allowed Moses to be his Prophet, God built Cain a city and protected him from harm, and God allowed David to continue to rule during the golden age of his empire.  It is almost as if you can hear David singing the words of the Psalm: the Lord “forgives all your iniquity,” the Lord “redeems your life from the Pit,” the Lord, “crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,” and the Lord is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  The Lord does not “keep his anger forever.”

This is the forgiving love that Jesus shows us.  God is not in favor of death.  God is life.  God creates life.  God desires that we be able to carry life to our neighbors in all we do and say.  So, Jesus takes our sins and dies with them so that we can have life.  First Peter 2:24 says it best, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Here is a second truth about the commandments.  Whenever you read a “shall not” you should automatically be thinking of the accompanying “shall.”  For example when you read, “You shall not eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, they are bad for you” you should automatically think, “You shall eat something healthy like celery…with peanut butter, dipped in chocolate.”  OK, I am not very good at this obviously, so let us close out with someone who is: Jesus.

27“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  (Luke 6:27-36)

“You shall not murder.”

Reflection on Exodus 20:12 and John 19:25b-27

 

“Honor your father and your mother.” 

 Following close behind showing honor and devotion to God, honoring your father and your mother is one of the “weightiest” commands given by God.  I mean that literally.  The root of the Hebrew word for “honor” means “weighty,” as in “very serious” and “important.”  Honoring your father and your mother is a very weighty task, because just as there is no end to the gratitude that we can give God for life and every good thing, so too there is no end to the gratitude that we can give God’s co-creators; our parents. 

Take a moment to reflect on all of the things for which you are grateful regarding your parents.

The Bible says that we are created in the image of God, “male and female” we were created in God’s image.  And, so when I reflect on my own Dad, I think the strongest quality that I see resembling God was his absolute care and devotion for the outcast and the underdog. 

As a pastor, my Dad would go to bat for any person who others stomped down.  With a righteous sort of anger, my Dad would confront those who had no problem pushing others to the sidelines and who showed no remorse pushing the lowly down, especially in the churches that he served.  He also had no problem calling these church bullies names.  “The Old Battle-ax,” “The Old Bat,” and “Alligator” were some of my Dad’s chosen names for his foes, along with a couple that I am not brave enough to relate to you in church.

I am not saying that my Dad was Jesus.  Just from the nicknames you can tell that he was one of the most irreverent reverends that ever existed.  No one would have mistaken him for a holy man.  But, where the heart of Jesus shined through in his character was whenever he would do as Jesus did and protect the lowliest ones and protect the fallen sinner from the self-righteous and unforgiving scorn of those who considered themselves “faithful.” 

My Dad was not worried about making everyone happy, and therefore was also not worried about his length of service at any given church.  Like Jesus did to the Pharisees, he would call out the hypocrites, and publicly lift up the undervalued.  He was loved by some, and much less loved by others.  At least, he was never nailed to any of the crosses hanging in his churches.

I think about my Dad’s concern for God’s justice and love of the lowly a lot.  It is honorable.  It is worthy of respect.  It is worthy of emulation, if only I were so brave.  Honor your father and your mother, because they carry God to you.

My Mom is very different in temperament from my Dad.  She too cares for the lowly and has unending empathy for the outcast, but she shows it in a nurturing and self-sacrificial way.  When I called her the other day, she had a house absolutely full of little ones.  It was noisy.  It sounded stressful.  It is not what my Mom expected to be doing in retirement.  But, that is what self-sacrificial people do in order to help others out.  They reflect the love of Jesus for the little ones, and they do anything to help someone in need, even if the rowdy children nail them to a cross while doing it!  It looks a lot like Jesus.  It looks a lot like God.

Such love and self-sacrifice is honorable.  It is worthy of respect.  It is worthy of emulation.  Honor you father and your mother, because they carry God to you.

So, in the perfect world, our parents would look a lot like God and sound a lot like God and would act a lot like God.  And, children would listen to their parents and learn from them and emulate them and it would all create a community of Godly people.  And, when we are all emulating God together, our days will be long in the land that the Lord our God has given us.  All will be good.

Parents will care for their children and teach them.  In turn, adult children will care for parents when it is time.  Children such as Jesus will make certain that their mothers are cared for. 

While hanging on the cross, his last breathes lingering close, Jesus uses his precious time and his precious breathe to ensure that his mother is cared for.  Jesus says to his mother, “Woman, here is your son,” directing her attention to the disciple that he loved.  And, then Jesus said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”  When parents are honored, and cared for, the days in the land are, indeed, long and prosperous.

I know.  It is hard.  It is hard for children to trust that their parents are right, and it is hard for children to listen, and to follow.  Adam and Eve could not do it, and their only parent was God!  Our parents are not perfect, but Adam and Eve had God!  It is hard.  In fact, the commandment exists because it is hard.

I know.  It is hard.  If is hard to care for your parents in old age.  Parents listen about as well as adolescents, and forget to do the most basic of things just about as often. 

“Mom, where are your car keys?”

“They are in the fridge.”

“Why are they in the fridge?”

“So that I can find them in the morning.”

I know that it is hard.  But, never forget that your parents were formed and molded in the image of God for you.  They are God’s gift to you, so that you would have a chance to live and grow in the ways of the Lord; so that “your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” 

“Honor your father and your mother.”

I know that it is hard.  I also know that a few of you still remain conflicted because it is true that not every parent shows the glory of God in what they do and say.  Again, this commandment is an ideal.  If parents are Godly, showing God’s image in all they do and say, then children should listen and honor them so that they too can be Godly and learn to show God’s image in all they do and say.  Again, that is the ideal, but frankly, there are some parents that fall well short of the ideal.

The Bible talks about them also.  When referring to bad parents, the Bible say, “[God] does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth [generation]” (Exodus 34:7b). 

Now, do not worry here.  The Bible is not saying that you will be punished because you had rotten parents.  Rather, God is trying to impress upon us that each generation will be held accountable if they continue the mess that their rotten parents created.  And, parents can certainly pass on a rotten mess.

You have seen this.  You have seen children follow the same wrong path, and make the same mistakes as their parents.  It happens all the time.  Even in the Bible we see that the mighty King David’s children follow in his adulterous footsteps, ruining women’s lives created havoc in the nation every step of the way.  You have also seen children who have had to continually clean up their parent’s messes.  You have seen young children acting as the grown up because, well frankly, someone has too.

Obviously, the command to “Honor your father and your mother” is not a command to jump off the cliff just because your parents did.  If parents cannot at least bear a passing resemblance of God, then there is no expectation that they be honored in the ways that we normally would. 

For those who struggle with less than good parents, never forget, God’s love is not absent just because your parent’s love may be.  In fact, God’s love and God’s power can inspire children to turn the generational curse around.  God will try again and again, as long as it takes, to turn things around. 

God looks with love on you who have not had the most honorable of parents.  God looks on you with an unending, steadfast love.  The Bible says that God is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The Bible promises that to those who honor God and have no choice but to choose God as their parent, God will show steadfast love to the thousandth of generation.

Rather than repeat the mistakes of our parents, we can view those mistake as a gift, as a warning, so that we do not repeat those mistakes and suffer in the same way. 

We can walk in the ways of love.  We can walk in the ways of God.  We can desire to follow Jesus.  After-all, parents desire nothing more than for their children to become honorable people of God also, that their days may also be long and good.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”