Taking Care of Our Own 12/2/2011

He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH';
but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that." Mark 7:9-13

In this passage, Jesus is rebuking the so called spiritual leaders of the time. At some point, they lost sight of the spirit of the law and became outrageously consumed with the letter of the law. Their traditions became more important than the work of God. Offered as an example was the way they treated their parents and by extension the elderly of what we would today call the church. What they should have known from the commandments they so revered is that to honor mother and father was 1) the fifth commandment, 2) the first of those directed toward our treatment and love for others and 3) the first with a promise attached to it ("that your days may be prolonged in the land)." The Pharisees were teaching that people should take that which they would ordinarily support or assist their parents and give it to the Lord. This goes against everything that the God intended and commanded.

Beloved, there was a time that the care of our parents and the elderly of the church was a no-brainer. It was just done. However in these days of "me first" those who raised and taught us are cast to the side and left to their own devices. Not so rarely, the family waits at a distance, consumed by their own lives, and waits for death to come that the spoils might be divided. This makes it that much more important that the church be there to step in. We must be involved in counseling the families to do what is right as well as being there ourselves. James said that "True religion is this: visiting the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and keeping oneself spotless from the world."

We have a moral obligation to care for those who once cared for us. Let us never use the fact that we must give to God or go to this or that church function as an excuse to care not for our blood or spiritual family. Serving God's children is giving to God. One day, through the grace of God, our days may be long on this earth and we may know what it means to have need while others make excuses.

Loving Like Jesus,

Lee