"Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy FATHER and mother; which is the first commandment with promise" (Eph. 6:1-2).
"Honor thy FATHER and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exod. 20:12).
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HONOR YOUR FATHER, EVEN IF……!
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Children are commanded to obey and honor their fathers and mothers.
Children are called to put themselves under the words and authority of their parents. (Because Father's Day is celebrated in June,
I will limit my comments to children and the admonition to obey and honor their fathers).
What does it mean to honor one's father?
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To honor one's father means to give respect, reverence, love and obedience.
Honor of father includes caring for them when they can no longer care for themselves. It encompasses providing financial
support when it is needed in a loving personal manner. Money can be an expression of love but never a substitute for love.
To honor one's father is to acknowledge by words and deeds the gratitude for his involvement in your life, be it small or
large.
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As we prepare to celebrate Father's Day this year, I want to suggest that the
men in our community have gotten a bad rap-some of it deserved and some of it not deserved. In just about every social
category you consider, the men in our community are on the negative end of the statistic. For example, William Raspberry
in his column in the Washington Post, October 17, 2005, "The Price of Low Expectations," stated, "In one recent year,
just under half of all young men in the District of Columbia were in prison, on parole or probation, awaiting trial or
sentencing, or being sought on a warrant. In Baltimore, one in five black men aged 20-30 was in custody." Sadly, these
numbers are probably true in many of our cities. An article by Erik Eckholm, in The New York Times, March 20, 2006, "Plight
Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn," confirms the dire situation of the men in our community. Negative adjectives like,
dead beat, absentee, non-support, non-custodial and no-good, are added to the word father in describing the men in our
community. In light of these realities, children could ask the question, "Am I still obligated to honor my father, if he
is a part of one of these dismal statistics?"
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Yes, children should honor their fathers, even if their fathers are not all
they should be. (My position on this issue, maybe radical and unacceptable to some. However, before you judge me consider
my rationale). First, Children should honor their fathers because it is a biblical mandate. Both of the texts above exhort
children to honor their fathers. We are to honor our fathers "for this is right." Children are to honor, love and respect
their fathers and to hold them in high esteem. The honor of father is of such grave importance to God that Moses
commanded, "He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death," and "He who curses his father or his
mother shall surely be put to death," (Ex. 21:15, 17, Lev. 20:9). The stability of the family and the health of
relationships within the family structure are dependent upon children honoring their fathers. Second, children should
honor their fathers, because it teaching them how to submit to authority. I dare to say that the large majority of
children that are incarcerated or involved in the judicial system did not learn to honor their fathers. Third, children
should honor their fathers, because they should treat them the way they want them to be. Often, low expectations result in
low performance. A quote from Goethe sums up this position, "If you treat an individual as he is, he will stay as he is,
but if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be."
Finally, children should honor their fathers, because the Christian family serves as a model to the rest of the world.
We have a unique opportunity of witnessing to the world by being different. We should not follow the ways of the world.
We are called to be transformers not conformers. We can honor, love and respect our fathers and still condemn his behavior.
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There is a two-fold reward for those who honor their father.
"That it may be well with thee" relates to the quality of life, "and thou mayest live long on the earth" relates to the
quantity of life promised (v3).
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This year, let us honor our fathers, even if……!
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