Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
The Hebrew word for honour is “ka-bed”. In the context of this scripture, it literally means treating one’s parents with the gravity that their position demands. Honouring our parents means going beyond childhood and into their old age where we bear their burdens because they are no longer able to. We are to honour our parents through speech and actions, such as rising to greet them, offering them our seats, and maintaining regular contact with them such as calling them every week.
The Bible teaches us to give honour when it is due by submitting to the authorities that God has established, and we are to respect and honour the position even when we have lost respect for the individual holding the position. Likewise, we are to honour our parents even if we have lost respect and love for them as they are imperfect beings.
Luke 15:12,20 (NKJV) And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood…… “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
In this parable, this son was literally cursing the father and wishing him dead by demanding his inheritance when his father was still alive. The father had every right to be angry and take offense over the demand by his son, and to disown him for cursing him to be dead. He also had every right to be angry over how his son had squandered away the money and brought disgrace to the family. In fact, the father could have chosen to receive him back as a servant so that the son would live in regret for the rest of his life. However, the father chose to be gracious in his treatment towards his son. Because he viewed his son as much more important than money and possessions, he was willing to journey with him and extend grace to him. The father must have established enough unconditional love with his children for him to have the confidence that his son would one day come back; he didn’t burn all the bridges by being harsh with his words or by being physically abusive, but kept the communication channel open with the son.
We have much to learn from the father in the passage. We need to learn to treat others with the same kind of grace and love. He never expected his two sons to be perfect because he knew they couldn’t be. Similarly, our Heavenly Father is also aware that we are not perfect and will never be until we enter into heaven, but He chose to love us all the same.
Sermon Series: Extending Grace
人无完人
出埃及记 20:12当孝敬父母，使你的日子在耶和华你神所赐你的地上得以长久。
希伯来语中“尊荣”一词是 “ka-bed“，在这段经文中的意思是以父母的地位所要求的庄重对待他们。尊荣父母是指超越童年进入我们承担他们负担的晚年，因为他们已然力衰。我们通过言语和行动来尊荣父母。例如起身迎接他们，给他们让座，和父母保持定期联系，比如每周给他们打电话。
圣经教导我们对神所设立的权威致以敬意，我们要尊重和尊敬这个权柄，即便我们对在位的人失去了尊重。同样，我们应该尊荣我们的父母，即便因为他们的不完美我们已对他们失去了尊重和爱。
路加福音15:12,20 小儿子对父亲说，父亲，请你把我应得的家业分给我。他父亲就把产业分给他们…于是起来往他父亲那里去。相离还远，他父亲看见，就动了慈心，跑去抱着他的颈项，连连与他亲嘴。
在这个比喻中，这个儿子在他父亲还活着的时候就要求得到遗产，这简直是在诅咒父亲，希望他死。这位父亲完全有权生气并拒绝儿子的要求，有权不认那咒诅他死的儿子。有权为儿子挥霍钱财给家族带来耻辱而发怒。事实上，父亲本可以把他收回来当仆人，让他在悔恨中度过余生。然而，这位父亲却选择以仁慈对待他儿子。因为他认为比起金钱和财产，儿子要重要得多。他愿意与儿子同行并施恩给他。这位父亲已经对孩子们建立了足够的无条件的爱，因此相信儿子终有一天会回来；父亲并没有用严厉的言语、肉体惩罚来断绝一切联系，而是与儿子保持了顺畅的沟通。
从这段经文中的父亲身上我们可以学到很多功课。我们需要学习以同样的恩典和爱来对待他人。他从没要求过他的两个儿子是完美的，因为他知道他们不可能完美。同样，我们的天父也知道我们并不完美，将来也不会完美，直到我们进天国。但祂依然选择一视同仁地爱我们。
讲章系列：延伸恩典