Its harshness shows us just how serious it is to despise and dishonor our parents. Now, let's consider what the command to honor our parents means for us today. First of all, this command affirms the authority of parents. The command is to honor. Honor is not a sentimental word, a feeling.
Honor is a word that has to do with recognizing and obeying authority.
Love and affection are important in the home, of course, and parents and children should always be able to kiss and hug each other, but that is not what the fifth commandment is talking about. Rather, the fifth commandment tells us there is to be a definite structure of authority and obedience in the home. Authority and obedience are not very popular concepts today. Our culture views it almost as a moral obligation to question and disobey authority. Whether it is government, police, teacher, pastor, church, or parents, people today tend to resent authority.