The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-08-09
JESUS AND HOME
RELATIONSHIPS

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LESSON TExT-Exodus 2o:12: Mark
1913: Luke 2:51. 50; Ephesians 6:1.4.
MEMORY sELECTTON-Honor thy ia.
ther and thy mother; that thy days may be
long upon the land which the Lord thy God
giveth thee.-Exodus 2O:12.
Home-that place so dear to the
heart of each one of us-is even
more precious in the sight of God.
He is concerned about our homes
and those who live in them.
Right relationship between chill
dren and parents have much to do
with the peace and prosperity of a
community and nation. Expert
ence has demonstrated that to be
true, but even more basic is the
fact that it is in accord with the
promise of God.
One of the sad breakdowns in
modern life is that of proper honor
and obedience to parents by chill
dren. In all too many homes Gods
order has been reversed and in
stead OF honoring and obeying their
parents, children (both young and
old) have taken the place of "boss,"
and mother and father must obey
if they want peace and rest.
The problem of juvenile delin-
quency, or perhaps we should say
more correctly, parental Delinquent
cy, is right on our doorsteps now.
That means that the need for our
lesson is both great and acute. The
future happiness of hundreds of
thousands Of children and the pres
ent welfare of thousands of neglect
ed and boss-ridden parents will de-
pend on the intelligence and faith
fulness with which this lesson is
taught in our churches, and the hon.
esty of heart with which we all re-
ceive its truth.
/ l. The Responsibility Stated
(Exod. 20:12).
Honor thy father and thy moth
er"-how good, and substantial, and
right those words sound.
We are told by Paul that this is
the First commandment with prom
Use" (Eph. GLIB. The Lord was
not making a bargain with man, or
seeking to draw out obedience by
prize, but there is obviously a great
reward in the observing of this COM
mandment.
Then too as the children of God
(if we are such) through Jesus
Christ, the first and most important
consideration to come before us is.
What is the mind and will of the
Maker of us all regarding this mat
ter of the relationship between par
ents and children? His words are
plain: we are to 'honor" our ia
theirs and our mothers.
The word ''honor" carries with it
a great many things, but per-
haps the three outstanding elements
are respect, obedience and affection.
But men do not wish to follow
Gods direction, so we see next
III. The Responsibility Evaded
MARK 1919.
Such an important commandment
naturally held a high place in the
thinking of the community. To vio-
late it involved measure of shame
which men sought to avoid. So the
Jews of Christ's day devised a
scheme which made it possible for
a man to appear to be very religious
even as he deprived his parents of
the honor and help to which they
were entitled by the law of God.
The man who did not wish to sup:
port his aged and needy parents
could entirely evade that God-given
responsibility by declaring that his
property was "Corban"; that is.
dedicated by a VOW to God. There
after no matter how great was the
need of his parents they could re-
ceive nothing, and yet he could keep
it and use it for himself.
Thus do men make "the word of
God of none effect" ". 13) through
their traditions. The method differs
but the spirit persists even in
our day.
Jesus made short work of such
trickery and evasion. He declared
their man-made creeds and tradi-
tons to be simply a means of MAX
ing the command of God of none
effect. Once more he condemns that
formal religious observance which
serves as a cloak for sin and
selfshness.
III. The Responsibility Fulfilled
(Luke 2:51-52; Eph. 6:1-4).
The manner in which children
should be obedient to their parents
and honor them in the home is beau
tifully exemplified in the life of our
Lord, living as boy in Nazareth.
In the home the growing youth
finds the best place for normal, we'll
rounded development ". 52). There
is no substitute for the home.
The words of the Holy Spirit
through Paul in Ephesians 6:14
stress the same truth and enlarge
upon it.
This matter of honoring and obey-
ing parents sis right" says Paul.
It is the Lords way, but it is also
that which commends itself to ev-
..<xl, 4 Il.