2013년 7월 21일 주일 영어예배 설교
에베소서 6:1-3

Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
(Ephesians 6:1~3)
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right

The Bible emphasizes to respect one’s parents in various parts of the book. Whenever mentioned, the Bible suggests its own reason for Christians to respect their parents in the contexts. Among the commandments to honor parents, the instruction in today’s text has the most strong and simple reason for the commandment of respecting one’s parents. It even seems to be too old-fashioned and stuffy. It is ‘for this is right’. The phrase teaches us to honor our parents and at the same time gives us the reason or ground for it. The very reason is ‘because this is right’. The Bible declares that to respect one’s parents is quite natural and the right thing to do. Today, we are going to be considering why respecting parents is so right and natural for people, especially Christian people.
In verse 1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Here, the word “obey” means to be ready to follow some orders or instructions. This kind of obey signifies the posture that one’s subordinate takes toward his or her superior. Now, we must recognize that the relationship between children and parents begins not from the relationship of equality such as mutual understanding and each other’s love, but begins from the relationship between subordinates and superiors.
Then in verse 2, it insists to “honor your father and mother.” It emphasizes the mind-set that children should take for their parents. In other words, when children obey their parents, the obedience is not accomplished under pressure of just sense of obligation, but must be accomplished out of respect. In honoring their parents, there is a very crucial modifier. It is “in the Lord.” This important qualifier is interpreted into “because you are in the Lord,” or “being like the men in the Lord”. To respect parents is one of the most universal humanity, but above all, it is Christians’ bounden duty as the people belong to God. That is to say, to honor parents is directly connected to have a right faith in God. This principle is taught throughout the Bible. One of the representative teachings is Leviticus 19:32, “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” It shows us that to honor elders is linked directly with honoring God. It will be seen upon a moment’s reflection. Honoring God means to revere the invisible highest being. It is to recognize that there is a higher being above him, and lower him before the higher being. However, all human beings naturally dislike this. They don’t like the fact that there is some authoritative higher being above them that command to, restrict, and control them. So people, in history, have tried to narrow the gap between the people on the high standing and on the low standing. They have tried to diffuse power of the higher classes by the action such as revolution or fight for democracy. As a result of it, today, everyone acknowledges the slogan, ‘all men are created equal’, right in principle.
Of course, there is no doubt that equality and democracy are really good. However, if everyone pursues only the equality at all occasions, the concept of ‘obey’ and ‘honor’ based upon the relationship subordinates and superiors will disappear. Then ‘the order’ in this human society cannot be maintained, and it finally will lead to self-destruction. Moreover, the bigger problem is that if men ignore the sense of respect to superiors or elders, they are not able to have any relationship with the absolute being or God who is there higher above any beings in the universe. This is because in order for human beings to have the relationship with God, the recognition of the relationship between subordinates and superiors that men must revere God is inevitable.
Are you a Christian? Then obey your parents who are just before your eyes with respect. Only children who obey and honor their parents can rightly serve God in the highest. There is no exception. I hope you realize that respecting your parents is a necessary process for being a real Christian who reveres and fears God. According to the firm declaration of the Bible, ‘this is right’, please obey and respect your parents as a real Christians who revere God in the highest.
In verse 2~3, ““Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” This phrase indicates that ‘to respect parents’ is ‘the first commandment with a promise’. As we know well, to respect parents is the fifth one of the Ten Commandments, and this is the one and only commandment that is given any promise. So it is called ‘the first commandment with a promise’. And the verse explains concretely the promise. The content of the promise is “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” as directly quoted from the Ten Commandments. The commandment of respecting one’s parents promises us to insure wealth and a healthy long life in the land. A healthy and stable society is established through a healthy family, and the healthy home is rooted in to respecting parents. Therefore, only the group and society that is composed of individuals who obey and respect their parents are able to lead more of a mighty and prosperous society.
There is no way to achieve a blessed society without keeping the morals of respecting one’s parents. This is because God set the respecting their parents and elders as one of the basics of human society. So God declared it the ‘right thing’ that all children should follow. I hope you all become decent men and enjoy the promised blessings through obeying and respecting your parents.
In this generation, God’s word, ‘obey your parents’, seems to become more and more old-fashioned. Today’s people, not in small number, consider the commandment that people should obey and respect parents’ authority as the saying of authoritarians or totalists. It became natural for so-called intellects to gratitude, understand, and respect their parents just as much as parents did to them. A father-son relationship has become the same as friendship more and more. Of course, parents can be very best friends in part. But today’s generation has forgotten the fact that parents are undoubtedly parents before they can be best friends. As a result of it, the commandment of respecting your parents became an old-fashioned word, and the counseling such as ‘try to understand your parents’ or ‘keep a friendly relationship with your parents’ has replaced the position of the fifth commandment. This phenomenon is the failure of our generation to understand the fact that respecting one’s parents is the Bible’s instruction and the absolute ‘right thing’. The duty of respecting one’s parents is an unchangeable and absolute command of God. The individuals who don’t follow the ‘right thing’ finally will be dehumanized. The society established by the individuals who don’t respect their parents will lack virtue and affection more and more, and will be a playground for greed and coldness. The Christians who don’t keep this commandment certainly will be de-Christianized. The generation that doesn’t respect their parents necessarily will ignore God, and lead to the evil society that everyone did as he sees fit. In one word, the individuals and the societies that don’t respect their parents necessarily will ruin before the living God.
So the Bible firmly warns that disobedience to their parents is the sign of the last days, in 2 Timothy 3:1~2, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty….. For people will be disobedient to their parents”. The Bible continually says that to respect one’s parents is so natural and the matter of course for human beings, and declares ‘this is right’. Today’s text tells us: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’” ? Let’s recognize that this old phrase is the commandment that leads us to live as true men and real Christians. By keeping this commandment, let’s please our parents and enjoy the blessing God promised to the people who respect their parents.