Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.’ He answered them, ‘And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, “Honor your father and your mother,” and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” But you say that whoever tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God”, then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.” ’ (Matthew 15:1-9, NRSV)
The scribes said that because they were devoting their lives to God they did not have to honor their parents. Yet which commandment is higher? Which is more important?
You see we get hung up in the “I’m doing this for God, so I don’t have to do that…”
God calls us to live in right relationships with everyone. God, our parents, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies, our bosses, our children, every last person on the face of this planet needs our right relationships.
We can not pick and chose the people whom we honor and treat rightly. If that is the case, why did God chose to pick me and you to give His love to. Neither of us deserve it, so if we go by who deserves our love, we are picking and choosing and not following God.
So live with everyone in right relations!
aSacredRebel 