Jesus and the ten commandments: Honor your father and mother.

Contrary to what we may have been told, this was never a one-dimensional command to obey our parents. Jesus himself did not always do what His earthly parents expected of Him; and of course, it originally given to adults, not children. Far from being about control or blind loyalty, it must be rooted in the ancient wisdom in the Genesis story, that tells us all it’s necessary to ‘leave’ our parents in order to love others well. In fact, only when we are rightly defined by God’s perfect love can we truly honor our parents. Of course, this isn’t a call to abandon or dishonor them either (which is clearly instructed by Jesus’ teaching!).

His way for us includes giving weight to those who came before us - even when they no longer seem useful to us - so that we may see ourselves in them and be free to learn from our pasts from a place of freedom and grace.

By Hannah Flint