RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS PARENTS

The Word of God states that children are a gift from God…to the parents – “3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” – Psalms 127:3. This gift entails, that the parents should do their utmost, in bringing up the children, in the good and proper way. Most parents do their best. Some parents fail. Some others are terrible.

However, the command that the LORD given to Moses, about parents, is to the children, and not the parents. We are to honour our parents. If one notes of it, there are no clauses and conditions, about our responsibility, towards our parents. Whether they are good or bad, we are commanded to “honour” them.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our LORD and our Redeemer, has given us such a wonderful example…even while suffering excruciating pain on the cross, He was mindful of His responsibility towards His mother – “25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” – John 19:25-27

Taking care need not necessarily mean, we all have to live together in one house. There is nothing worth, if someone could do it. The point for the children, is to ensure that, their parents are mentally, emotionally, financially and otherwise are properly take care of, within the limits of the resources of the children.

Parents and children need not agree on all things. We can have our disagreements, howbeit, in a civilised manner. Our disagreements, should not be, and cannot be, the reason for abandoning, our God given responsibility, towards our parents. This is serious matter with God. That is the reason, God chose to put it as the first commandment in regards to human relationships, in the Ten Commandments.

True incidents – A widowed mother is abandoned by her two sons, who are nothing more than scoundrels. After the sudden death of the father…one son got the job of his father, on compassionate grounds. The second son, got the house as his own. Now what about the mother? She was mercilessly kicked out from the house that her husband bought, by the sons, and was abandoned to find her own way. 

Another case of such cruelty toward parents – a son accompanies the father to the pension office, on the day the father gets his pension. The son takes all the money, and give a very tiny amount to his father, for his expenses for the whole month. This happens every month. Shameless and incompetent son.

The above two are cases are true incidents, and I know it personally. How about us? Are we taking care of our parents? If we don’t, then who will? There is no blessing of God upon our lives, if we abandon our responsibility, and run after our progress. God would not be happy. Violation of God’s command is sin…and sin does never bear good fruit. May the LORD guide us.