When abortion on demand swept the US, many Christians responded: “This world refuses and even murders its children. But children are an heritage from the Lord; they are a blessing; therefore we will welcome them. We will adopt children. We will birth children and raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This has spoken with more volume than a thousand bull-horns outside abortion mills.
Today, on the other end of life, the noisy advocates of euthanasia are giving Christians a platform to speak again. How will we treat our weak, infirm, and elderly? Can we show the uniqueness of authentic Christianity? I am talking here about witnessing on the home front in obvious ways.
Christ’s life was in stark contrast to the pseudo-spirituality which excuses itself from home duties. To His pious, play-acting contemporaries, Christ said, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered…” (Mk. 7:9-13).
They neglected to care for their parents, and who got the blame? They blamed the God they claimed to worship! The resources that should have gone to requite their parents, they claimed had been sacrificed to God as “Corban,” meaning a gift.
By contrast, look at our Lord’s example. If ever there was a life so totally dedicated that He might be exempted from domestic duties, we would think it would be the Son of God. Did He say “Corban” to Mary? “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto His own home” (Jn. 19:26-27). While agonizing on that torturous cross, He took care that His mother would be provided for.
In accord with Christ’s words, Paul says, “Honor widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God… But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (l Tim. 5:3-8).
The force of these verses could not be more plain. Then why are they not obeyed? The verse, “If any provide not for his own,…he…is worse than an infidel!” is sometimes used to urge Christians to up their all-too-lush standard of living, or is offered as a reason for buying life insurance (the last time an insurance salesmen used that verse on me, I discovered that was the only Bible verse he knew). But have we heard it taught that this verse applies directly to our care of parents and grandparents?
To “requite” our parents means that they changed our diapers, housed us and fed us, and the time may come for us to reciprocate. They cradled us during weary days and nights, and we should be willing to do the same. Our parents or grandparents may someday need to be spoon-fed, as they spoon-fed us. Christian nursing homes were never invented to shield us from this responsibility. If I have chosen to delegate this task, by paying someone to care for my family member, I dare not forget that before God the responsibility is still mine. “Despise not thy mother when she is old” (Prov. 23:22). This responsibility is mine before it is the church’s, and it certainly is my responsibility before it is the government’s.
While unbelievers surrender home duties to state agencies, and some even call out for the extermination of “unproductive members of society,” Christians can show a radically different kind of love to this self-serving world which has grossly dishonored the gray head. The world is governed by convenience, expedience, and economy. The Christian is empowered by the indwelling Christ, and guided by His example and non-negotiable teachings.
God forbid any reader of these words to say “Corban.” Rather, let us count the cost of this divine calling. As we calculate what may be an heavy expense, we must keep whispering to ourselves, “His commands are not grievous,” and then rise up and show that we are not infidels.