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Explanation for:
Matthew
15
:
4
Honour thy father and mother: And: He that shall curse father or mother, let him die the death.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In Scripture, the term \\"honouring\\" encompasses not merely greetings and the fulfillment of obligations, but also involves acts of charity and the provision of gifts. As noted in Exodus 20:21 and Leviticus 20:21, the apostle advises to truly \\"honour widows\\" (1 Tim. 5:3), meaning to offer assistance and support. Moreover, it is stated that deserving elders should receive exceptional honour, particularly those who strive in teaching and preaching (1 Tim. 5:17). This directive also applies to the principle that we should not muzzled the threshing ox (Deut. 25:4), and acknowledges that the labourer is entitled to his reward (Lk. 10:7). The Lord established this commandment, potentially to remind us of the vulnerabilities associated with aging, weakness, or the financial struggles of parents, urging children to honour them by providing for their essential needs."},{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Anyone who slanders their father or mother shall face death (cf. Exodus 20:12, Exodus 21:17), and those who blaspheme the Lord shall be condemned to crucifixion (cf. Leviticus 24:16). Through this, God equated the respect due to parents with the reverence owed to Himself. Likewise, the prophet draws a parallel when he proclaims, \\"If I am a father, where is the honor due to Me? And if I am the Lord, where is the reverence for Me?\\" (Mal. 1:6). The Lord affirms this as well, instructing, \\"God said, 'Honor thy father and thy mother.'\\""},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"God initially presents the commandments, emphasizing the importance of honoring one's parents. \\"Honor your father and mother,\\" He proclaims, \\"and you shall have long life on the earth.\\" Furthermore, it is stated, \\"He that speaketh evil of father or mother shall surely be put to death.\\" Yet, Christ focuses more on the dire consequences awaiting those who fail to show respect towards their parents, rather than highlighting the rewards for those who do. His intention is to instill fear in the wrongdoers while uplifting the well-intentioned, thereby identifying the true offenders deserving of death. He suggests that if those who are verbally disrespectful face punishment, how much more severe will the consequences be for those who act disrespectfully, particularly if they not only engage in such behavior themselves but also lead others to do the same."},{"author-name":"Ambrose of Milan","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88871ceef8c96e0998cd0_Ambrose%20of%20Milan.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Respect your father and mother, as stated in Exodus 20:12, which has a broad interpretation. However, you assert that your charitable donations, which you could have used to assist your parents, are instead given to the Church. God does not seek offerings that come at the expense of parents in need. The Lord addressed the Jewish leaders who criticized His disciples for eating without washing their hands, saying, \\"Anyone who says, 'A gift to God is that which you would receive from me' has not honored his father and mother\\" (Matthew 15:5-6). He questioned them: \\"Why do you say to the father or mother, whom the law instructs you to honor, 'A gift to God is that which you would receive from me'?\\" (Matthew 15:5). This implies that when a father or mother in need reaches out for assistance from their child, it was common for some to evade their responsibility, fearing the law, by claiming that what should be given to God cannot be used for parental support. This behavior reflects human selfishness, as God's command emphasizes the necessity of caring for parents. If disregarding a parent, as mandated by the divine law, warrants severe consequences (Exodus 21:17), then the plight of a hungry parent is even graver than death. \\n\\nThe Lord admonishes against empty displays of piety. Many individuals, in their quest for human admiration, contribute to the Church with what they withhold from their own families, when charity should first be directed towards familial obligations. Provide support to your parents first, then to the needy, and also to the clergy, using the abundance you possess, so that you may receive spiritual blessings in return. Those who honor others will themselves be honored. Recognize that in receiving, one also gives, as such a person does not receive out of want but with the intention of returning even more generously. Aid the poor to ease their burdens so that you may experience relief through your generosity. Scripture instructs us to honor our parents, yet it also allows for separation from them when they impede the spiritual growth of a faithful individual."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"God has established, as illustrated by the fifth commandment of His commandments: \\"Repent, in both word and action, love your father and mother with all your being, and honor them.\\" Furthermore, the Lord declares: \\"And whosoever hates his father or mother shall surely be put to death\\" (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17), meaning that such a person will undoubtedly face death."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The directive given by God is articulated in the fifth commandment, which is also part of the tenth commandment (Ex. 20:12) and the legal stipulation outlined in Ex. 21:17. To honor one’s father and mother means to duly respect them in both speech and action, to obey, and to love them. To disparage one’s parents signifies not only a lack of reverence but also an expression of contempt through words or actions—“By death shall he die”—is a heightened declaration indicating that such a person must undoubtedly face death. \\n\\nMoreover, you assert, in accordance with the traditions of the elders, “if any man shall say,” etc. The Jewish custom involved dedicating various items of one’s possessions to the Lord, which the law necessitated to be presented to Him without fail if they were promised as gifts (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). The tradition emerged that the gift to God holds greater importance than that given to even one's closest kin like parents, leading to the belief that no offerings needed to be made to parents if those items were promised to God. Consequently, the Pharisees instructed young men to disregard their fathers under the false pretense of piety. If a parent requested, “Give me this sheep, or a bullock, or any other item,” the young men would respond, “What I would give to you I now offer to God; therefore, you cannot have it.” As a result, a twofold injustice occurred: not only were offerings to God neglected, but parents were robbed of their rightful gifts under the guise of piety, leading to an insult towards them while simultaneously misrepresenting their duty to God.\\n\\nThus, the Pharisees not only sinned themselves but also led others to break God’s commandment for the sake of their own religious observance. The Lord does not condemn the act of giving gifts to God; both the Gospel and the law uphold its significance, and the Savior Himself praised the widow who contributed two mites to the temple treasury (Mark 12:44). He solely condemns those who, under the guise of devotion, neglect the command of God by denying their parents the necessities and essentials they require."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The commandment given to you instructs: Honor your father and mother, and it imposes a penalty of death upon anyone who disparages them. Yet you? You instruct others to neglect the needs of their parents, claiming instead to dedicate to God what they require; thus, those who follow your traditions are excused from fulfilling this paramount commandment. The Pharisees, under the guise of religious devotion, taught young men to disrespect their fathers. When a parent requested their son to give him his sheep, calf, or any other possession, the son would reply, “What you desire I offer as a gift to God and you cannot take it.” Consequently, a dual injustice occurred: neither God was truly honored, nor were parents given what was rightfully theirs; thus parents were insulted under the guise of obligation to God, and God was disrespected under the guise of honoring parents.\\n\\nThe words of the Lord, as recounts the Evangelist Mark, remind us: For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'Whoever speaks ill of his father or mother must be put to death.' This command to honor father and mother is the fifth commandment from God established at Sinai through Moses; alongside, the pronouncement of death upon those who speak against their parents is one of the provisions laid out by Moses. The Evangelist Mark captures both the laws of God and Moses in one statement, indicating that since the laws of God communicated in the Ten Commandments were revealed to the Jewish people through Moses, Mark identified both as the laws declared by him. He aligns with Matthew's account when he records the words of Jesus concerning the commandment of God, which the Pharisees and scribes disregarded in favor of their own traditions.\\n\\nThis raises the question of which commandment the scribes and Pharisees set aside. It is unequivocal that they disregarded God's command, as the Lord explicitly reveals. The command to honor one's parents is indeed seen as a divine command, and since it alone was neglected by the scribes and Pharisees—while the Mosaic law concerning the death penalty for speaking ill of parents remained—there is a clear understanding that the Lord said: For God commanded: Honor your father and mother, and Moses stated: Whoever speaks against father or mother must be put to death. This understanding of the Lord's words harmonizes the accounts of both Evangelists well.\\n\\nFurthermore, advocates of capital punishment cannot rationalize it based on the Lord’s seeming endorsement, for in teaching us to love our neighbors, including our adversaries and those who wrong us, and emphasizing our duty to aid sinners, the lost, and the wayward, Christ could not support capital punishment. Such a punishment does not lead the sinner to redemption or return them to the fold of Christ; rather, it ultimately bars their path back to salvation."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Saviour seized this opportunity to impart a lesson to the unfortunate scribes, emphasizing that they must focus on the essence of the law rather than its literal interpretation, or they would end up opposing the very law they believed they were defending. In response to their criticism, He inquired: “Why do you also violate the commandment of God for the sake of your betrayal? For God commanded, ‘Honour your father and mother;’ but you say, ‘If anyone says to his father or mother, “Whatever you would have received from me is a gift to God,” he is exempt from honouring his father and mother.’” In other words, when parents expected respect and especially support from their children, the Pharisaic guidelines allowed a person to verbally dedicate their property to the temple, thus freeing themselves of the obligation to care for their parents. According to this interpretation, what was consecrated to the temple or to God could not be redirected to other obligations. This insincere pretense was confronted by Christ."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"It is clear that the consistent cleansing of the body and everyday items, which fosters hygiene and orderliness, has its positive aspects. Had the legal scholars of Jerusalem maintained a simple understanding of these rituals, they would not have faced condemnation. However, by elevating these natural practices to the status of divine mandates and constructing a complex web of trivial regulations around them, they effectively placed their own man-made traditions on equal footing with, and even above, the most vital commandments of God. The Lord addressed this inconsistency with His reply: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your traditions? God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother, and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, ‘If anyone says to his father or mother, “Corban,” that is a gift to God, which you might have received from me, he need not honor his father or mother.’ And thus, you have made the Word of God of no effect by your tradition, which you have handed down.” The Lord referred to the fifth commandment among the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) and the laws regarding the treatment of parents (Exodus 21:16) as illustrations. \\n\\nIt was customary among the Jews to dedicate voluntary offerings from their possessions to God, and such vows were taken seriously (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). According to St. John Chrysostom, the Pharisees misled young men, under a guise of piety, to disregard their fathers. If a parent requested a sheep, bull, or any possession, the son would respond, “What you desire I devote as a gift to God, and you cannot accept it.” This led to a dual injustice: they neither truly offered to God, nor did they honor their parents, all under the false pretense of devotion to God. Thus, parents were dishonored under the guise of a duty to God, while God's rightful honor was neglected in favor of a supposed duty to parents."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The remarkable event of feeding the multitude occurred shortly before Passover. ‘After this Jesus walked through Galilee, for He would not go through Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him’ (John 7:1). At this time, after the third Passover, a group of scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem approached Jesus. They could only journey to Galilee after the days of unleavened bread had concluded, likely having anticipated finding Him during the feast in Jerusalem. Failing to locate Him there, they traveled to Galilee, where they searched for and eventually discovered Him.\\n\\nIn their discourse, the Evangelists convey with great accuracy the dialogue between Christ and the Pharisees regarding the traditions of the elders. Mark, writing for a Roman audience less familiar with Jewish customs, provides clarifications. He elucidates what it means to eat bread with unclean hands and details the Pharisaic customs related to ritual washings. Matthew, on the other hand, includes a unique account of the Lord’s response to the news that the Pharisees were offended by His remarks concerning the betrayal of the elders before inviting the disciples to interpret the parable. Both Mark and Matthew note that this dialogue and the parable's explanation occurred within the privacy of the disciples' company in a house.\\n\\nThe Evangelists differ mainly in the sequence of the specific sayings in Christ's conversation with the Pharisees. In response to the Pharisees’ accusations against His disciples for not observing the traditions of the elders regarding handwashing before meals, Christ points out: a) that many of these traditions were merely human constructs created to evade God's commands. For instance, the commandment to honor one's father and mother carries a grave warning against neglect (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17), yet the Pharisees taught that a person declaring ‘Let there be a korban,’ meaning a gift to God designated for the temple, is released from the obligation to honor and support their parents (Matt. 3-6); b) that in prioritizing human traditions over divine commandments, and in their meticulous adherence to bodily regulations, what the prophet Isaiah once declared regarding his contemporaries was fulfilled (Isaiah 29:13 in the LXX; Matt. 7-8). In Mark’s account, these two concepts are presented in the opposite order (9-13; 6-8)."}]}
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