Ephesians 6:1-4

Ephesians 6:1-4

Children, obey your parents in the Lord – for this is right.  Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment in a promise – in order that it should become well for you and you will be long-lived upon the earth.  And fathers, do not provoke your children into anger but raise them into maturity in discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The word that opens this section of scripture that catches everyone’s attention is obey.  And the word is obey in the Greek (ὑπακούω).  But it is an obedience that comes out of listening, as the root of this word is “to hear.” (ἀκούω)  Paul isn’t telling children to blindly do what they are told.  Neither is he telling them to “learn how to play the game.”  In this Greek word, Paul is telling children to listen to parents, to absorb what they are trying to tell them, and then to live it out because they have assimilated the culture being passed onto them.  This is not just a word of “do as you are told.”  It is a word of “assimilate a good culture” – the culture your parents teach to you.

How often do you tie the idea of obedience to the idea of assimilation?  In what way is assimilation a necessary first step to true obedience?

Second Thought:

There is a point to assimilation and obedience.  Young people are known for having energy and creativity.  But young people in general do not have the wisdom of the ages.  In their enthusiasm, young people are prone to make mistakes even if they are well-meaning.  But Paul tells us that in honoring our father and mother – that is, in assimilating the culture of wisdom that comes from people who have more experience than we do – then things will go well for us.  By assimilating the culture, we will be able to make wiser decisions before we actually could have naturally developed the wisdom within ourselves.  By assimilating the culture that comes before us and obeying our parents, we will make better decisions and live longer and better lives.

Can you think of a moment when you got into trouble because you struck out on your own against cultural wisdom?  How has the wisdom of other people been able to help you in your own life?

Third Thought:

Paul’s last note here in this section is specifically to fathers.  That’s an interesting point, because in the typical worldly culture it is not the father upon whom the responsibility for raising children rests.  But Paul specifically calls out the fathers.  It is the father’s job to make sure that his children are given access to the faith.  This doesn’t mean that the mother cannot do it, but it is fundamentally the father’s responsibility.  God will hold the fathers accountable for the faith transmission in a household.

Why is this an interesting point?  Do you think many men and fathers feel equipped for this task?  What can spiritual people do to help fathers understand and accomplish this role?

Passage for Tomorrow: Ephesians 6:5-9