As Christians, we have heard of the Fifth Commandment many times throughout our lives. Usually, it is directed toward children. Pastors and Sunday school teachers apply this commandment to children and how they ought to obey their parents in the Lord, as Ephesians 6:1-3 reiterates.
But the Ten Commandments are directed toward all people, regardless of age. There is not a single command directed only toward a certain age group. So how does this commandment apply to adults?
We will get back to the answer later on.
You can take this next question as rhetorical... At what age should children not have to obey their parents?
In the American culture, people see age 18 or 21 as the age when children become legal adults. They are allowed legally to decide to do certain things for themselves, such as buy and consume alcohol and cigarettes. But does this apply to the Christian command - Honor your father and your mother?
The answer is "No!" Every person must honor their father and their mother throughout their lives. Of course, there is a certain shift of authority once a man and a woman get married. That is why Genesis 2:24 says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." But I believe this does not negate the Fifth Commandment for married adults. The obligation to honor one's father and mother continues throughout a person's life, just as we are obligated to not commit murder and to not covet throughout our lives.
Adults can and should obey this commandment by financially taking care of their parents in their old age. We can provide for our parents in other ways too, such as emotionally and spiritually. We can honor our father and our mother by treating them with respect and love and involving them in our lives and in the lives of our children. We can honor our father and our mother by speaking graciously about them and to them.
What do you think? How does this Fifth Commandment apply to adults?
