Do Christians honor their parents? Many Asian Buddhists who hear the Gospel have this question on their minds. This article contains the text of a gospel tract written for these Buddhists that addresses this question.
Ancestor veneration and worship is a key component to religion for hundreds of millions of people. In these cultures, moral teachings about honoring parents and elders is well-ingrained. Those with any interaction with Christianity understand that Christians do not participate in ancestor worship. This presents an obstacle for many, hindering them from considering the claims of Christianity.
Since the tract below deals with this obstacle to faith in Christ that is on the minds of many, it has been well-received. While it answers this question, it also leads readers to understand how the answer relates to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The tract is meant to be an introduction to the Gospel.
The English translation of the Khmer (Cambodian) original is below. The artwork used in the tract was done by a Cambodian mural painter in the traditional style (He actually painted Buddhist temple murals for a living). Here is the tract:
What Did Jesus Teach about Honoring our Parents?
This is an important question that many who have not yet believed on Jesus Christ ask Christians. It is a good question, one that requires an answer, for all of us have heard from the time that we were small that children must honor their parents. Teachers continually teach their young students that when they grow up they must repay their parents in gratitude for what was done for them. Children must not forget to show this gratitude towards their elderly parents.
In order to repay their parents out of gratitude in this way, those who follow traditional religion will perform many religious rites for their parents, especially when the parents are dying or during their funerals. They do this in order to show honor to their parents.
Not only this, those who faithfully follow the traditional religion believe that these religious rites will create merit that will help their deceased parents. According to beliefs concerning these merit making ceremonies, they think that these will help bring the children greater prosperity in this life and add to their merit for their future reincarnation.
Those who believe on Jesus also believe that it is very important to obey and honor their parents. Those who follow Jesus have a true desire and will to honor their parents because God gave these clear Words to mankind:
“Honor your father and your mother”
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”[1]
In the Scriptures it is written that, when God created mankind at the beginning of the world,
He placed his law within their hearts.[2] For this reason, it does not matter which nation in the world in which you travel, if you ask there, “Should children honor their parents?” you will find that nearly 100% of those you ask will respond with something like, “Yes, children must obey and honor their parents.” Why is it that people from every nation understand and believe that it is right for children to obey and honor their parents? It is because mankind really has only One True God, God who is the source of all life, and the one who created us all.
These laws about honoring parents are very important to God. Why? It is because God created us. He is the one who ordained that parents rule over their children. He is the one who created male and female, marriage, the family, and community. Because of this, when children do not obey and honor their parents, it means that they are also disobeying and dishonoring God
The Scriptures tell us:
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother.”[3]
We all know and understand that this law of God is good, but none of us can keep this law. All of us fail in obeying and honoring our parents. We have argued with them, stolen from them, spoken evil to them and about them to others, hidden things from them in dishonesty, said evil things in our hearts to them that we kept inside, been ungrateful, disobeyed their instructions, and have brought shame to them.
Some people think that they can fulfill their obligation to be grateful to their parents by performing many religious rights when their parents are dying or during their funeral. They make offerings to the dead, burn incense, and do other rites. The Scriptures of Jesus teach us very clearly that when we die each one of us immediately rises up to heaven to be with God or descends into hell to receive punishment. Those who are yet living cannot influence, help or have a relationship in any way with those that have gone before. It is too late. For God says,
“it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”[4]
Because religious rites for the dead have no value or benefit, believers on Jesus no longer perform them for the dead.
What is important to the believer in Jesus is to honor their parents while they are yet living. Believers in Jesus, whether they live near or far away from their parents, they should take seriously the need to obey and honor their parents. They will actively love and seek to meet their parent’s needs. When their parents pass away, believers in Jesus desire to have a honorable funeral for them that shows their gratitude and helps comfort the family.
One more way that believers in Jesus show honor to their parents is by following God’s path of righteousness. When the children get older, if they lead their families according to the wisdom of God and His righteousness, such as love, faithfulness, meekness, mercy, patience and goodness, the parents will rejoice and have joy because of their children. If the parents have already passed away, if the children live according to the wisdom of God and lead their children to do the same, the result will be that children bring honor to their parents name and memory. The Scriptures teach:
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
“A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.”
“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.”[5]
There is not a person reading this little book right now that wants to be known as ungrateful to his parents. Do you know something? We are all guilty of being ungrateful to our parents and our guilt is very great! We all know that we are to live in gratitude to our parents, but we do not do so as we ought.
In truth, all of us are guilty of an ingratitude much worse than this, for we have failed to live in gratitude who gave us life, who created our soul. God is like a parent above all parents and we are all as His children. All of us constantly use what God has made with a heart of ingratitude, including the air that we breathe, the rain, the wondrous bodies we are given, water with which to plant and raise crops, the animal kingdom, all vegetables and fruits, and flowers. Whether we speak of the sun, moon, or the innumerable stars in the heavens, all of these are created by His hand. God even created your own parents, both your father and your mother. Not only this, but everything that God has created He also sustains to this very day. For this reason God is worthy of great gratitude and praise from us. But mankind has not glorified God:
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God, or give thanks to him.”[6]
God is holy and just, therefore He is full of wrath against mankind because of this great sin of ingratitude, as well as for all of our other sins. It is a great truth that all children must honor their parents, because of what their parents have done for them. But there is one person that deserves much more honor, far more honor than any human parent, and that is the God who made us.[7] Because this is true we must honor God in gratitude. Because we have not honored Him, our guilt in very great.
Praise be to God that He has prepared a way of salvation for mankind so undeserving and full of sin, a way of love and mercy instead of judgment. God knew that man could not save himself through his own attempts and following religious laws. So God humbled Himself by leaving heaven and being born as a man so that He could save mankind. When God was born as a man, His mother gave Him the name that she had received from the angels: “Jesus”, also known as “Jesus Christ.” He was born in holiness and maintained His holiness all the way to His death on the cross. About 750 years B.C., it was recorded in the Scriptures that the Savior who be put to death and that He would pay for all of the sins of mankind on His own body:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”[8]
God the Savior would have laid upon Him “the iniquity of us all.” This means that the Savior would pay for our sins in order for us to be delivered. All of these prophecies were fulfilled over 2,000 years ago. After Jesus died, He rose again, because He had victory over sin and death. Later He returned to heaven from where He came.
Everyone who humbles themselves in repentance to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord in faith will know the love of God, and never face His wrath. Those who believe in God repent from their life of dishonor towards God to become one who brings Him honor instead. They have a heart to follow God until they see Him face to face in heaven. God has this Word to the peoples of the earth:
“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”[9]
In summary, when we honor our parents we are actively honoring Jesus. When we fail to honor our parents we are also failing to honor Jesus. Because of this, all those who believe on Jesus must honor their parents according to what has been written.
May Jesus give His blessing to all who took the time to read this book and consider the Scriptures contained in it. May God lead each one to know Him as their own Lord and Savior.៚
PDFs available online in the Cambodian language (Khmer) and in English. It is also available in Cambodian and Thai alongside our other resources in these two languages HERE.
[1] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus : Exodus 20:12; Colossians 3:20
[2] This footnote explains the various ways of describing God’s law in the Khmer language and how Christians use these terms
[3] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Ephesians 6:1-2
[4] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Hebrews 9:27
[5] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Proverbs 17:6, 25; 23:24-25
[6] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Romans 1:21
[7] This footnote discusses several words used for the idea of Creator in Khmer
[8] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Isaiah 53:5-6
[9] Taken from the Scriptures of Jesus: Isaiah 45:22
No Comment