When I was younger, I used to get tired of hearing older people say, “Back in my day ….” More often than not, the full phrase was, “Back in my day, young people respected their elders.”
However, more recently, I do think that generally society (not just young people) has lost respect for their elders and for those in authority. In many ways, authority seems to have become a dirty word. This is driven by the decline of absolutes. As former Prime Minister John Howard said
I think we live in an age where we have slid too far into relativism. There must be some absolutes in our society.
One of the products of this slide into relativism is that we have lost a lot of respect for those in authority over us, including parents. In many ways, many children appear to have come to think they are on equal footing with their parents. Additionally, many parents seem to have been disempowered.
So, the 5th Commandment speaks loudly into this culture, “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
The way in which Christians honour and respect their parents can be a great testimony to a society that has given away absolutes. In a society that sets the elderly to one side, Christians are called to honour them. In a society that rejects authority, Christians are called to honour it.
Ultimately, the greatest example of someone fulfilling the 5th Commandment is Jesus Christ Himself, who perfectly obeyed and honoured His Father. In one place, Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) In another place, Jesus prays, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1)
So, honouring our parents is about more than just correcting societal norms. When we honour our parents, we are pointing people to see the pre-eminent Son honouring His Father – we point to Jesus. Even honouring parents can lead to outreach. That’s a vision worth living for!