January 16, 2025 

Today's Reading: Catechism: The Fourth Commandment

Daily Lectionary: Ezekiel 38:1-23; Romans 7:1-20

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Luther’s Small Catechism says, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.” Parents are special and distinct neighbors who serve in a vocation backed by the divine command to “honor.” We don’t just love our parents. We extend them honor differing from other neighbors we’re called to love, yes. But honor goes to the parents. The Fourth Commandment prioritizes parents above others, as Luther explains in his Large Catechism: “It is a far higher thing to honor someone than to love someone, because honor includes not only love, but also modesty, humility, and submission to a majesty hidden in them” (LC 4:106).

Parents are fallible, with sins requiring a Savior. Children see this and so suffer the temptation to despise their parents and rebel against their wisdom. The Old Adam drives us to think we’re always smarter and stronger than others, which is another reason to repent. We should repent for relying on the flesh, trusting in ourselves, and shirking advice at every turn. No matter a parent’s sins, they still inhabit a vocation established by God deserving honor based on the Word. That’s a crucial point. Parents are due honor not because they’re flawless. We honor them according to God’s Word, calling us to see them for what they are, in Luther’s words, “the most precious treasure on earth” (LC 4: 109). 

Luther’s meaning of this commandment extends beyond the parental office to include “other authorities.” Teachers, policemen, magistrates, and principals serve in vocations requiring faithful obedience. We may not like it when the police officer gives us a speeding ticket, but he’s enforcing a law to curb us from sin that could hurt others. The teacher and principal may be hard on a student when desiring the best alongside the father and mother. Such authorities work in tandem with the parental office with the hope children grow, we pray, into faithful, God-fearing adults. Such vocations, though good and beneficial, are often abused by sinners. Still, we live by the Word and God’s call to recognize those authorities He has established and thank Him for faithful servants. When we fail in our vocations, whether parent or child, the Gospel reminds us we’re not saved by our stations in life. We’re saved only by Jesus, which is the comfort we need while laboring in those blessed vocations of God. 

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

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