JESUS SPEAKING
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
The oldest son in the Jewish faith was responsible for taking care of his mother. Jesus, being the first of Mary’s children, was fulfilling his obligation when he gave his mother over in to John’s care. The fifth commandment was to “Honor Your Father and Mother,” and he was being obedient even to the very end. In his absolute agony, near death, he wasn’t focused on his own pain, or his own trials. In torment, Jesus was still teaching the world what true self denial looked like; and true love for his mother. [John was the disciple who was standing by; he was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, and it is a bit of a mystery as to why he did not flee with the rest of the disciples; some believe his Dad was one of the wealthiest men in the area, and therefore he had less fear of persecution from the Jews and Romans; although we can’t know for sure. Ultimately, God ordained it so Jesus could fulfill his earthly obligations.]
There was a time when the term ‘rest home’ wasn’t in the vocabulary of the average American. The elderly weren’t put aside so their children could have more freedom and time to enjoy themselves. Rather, children used to not feel obligated to care for their parents in old age, rather they felt privileged to do so. Children would marry young, and often would grow old in their parents’ home. The parents helped to steady the family, and would be able to help raise their grandchildren; a huge benefit in the home. Somewhere along the way, in our culture (not all cultures), children began to despise their parents, and the elderly had a new phrase of their own, “I don’t want to be a burden on my children.” Is it any wonder then that young children, not seeing the daily example of their parents honoring their grandparents, have begun to rebel horribly.
Today, as Christians, we aren’t obligated to love our parents and to honor them, but we are privileged to be able to do so. Anyone who can’t honor their earthly mother and Father, can’t possibly honor their Eternal Father. What does it look like to honor our parents? One of the best ways is to love them. If you talk to your mother or father once every 6 months, something has gone terribly wrong. Next, you must live properly yourself. For example, if your parents don’t want you to get a tattoo, you shouldn’t get one. If you have one, and it pleases your parents for you to have it removed, remove it. If your parents don’t want you living with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you get married, you don’t do it. If you’re doing drugs, or living a life that is destroying the body your parents worked so hard to feed, clothe, and protect, then the first step back toward honoring them is to stop those things that are destroying you. Parents are to become more honored in our lives; they’re concerns and their desires for us are to be weighed very heavily and often times with greater authority than our concerns and desires. When we begin to honor our parents, we can begin to Honor our Father in heaven.
“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You today and we honor You, and we lift You up. You are awesome, powerful, full of truth, and worthy of praise. We ask You lord, to help us to honor our parents, and our grandparents. Help us Lord to keep Your command and to love them, and esteem them as more honorable than ourselves. Give us opportunities to respect them, to obey them in matters that would adhere to your commandments. Lord, if any of our lives are lived in a manner that is unpleasing to our parents, help us to can honor them by making those changes. We love You Father, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 