In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: Honor Your Father and Mother)
Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we're considering the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics:
On Sunday, we discussed the fifth commandment: Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you. [Exodus 20:12, CEV] Below is the text and a recording of the sermon.You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.
Well, here we are, continuing our little journey through the Ten Commandments as interpreted and applied by Jesus Christ. And y’all may not have realized it, but the ones we’ve covered to this point have one pretty important thing in common. Let me show you what I mean. After spending the first week looking at how, in general, Jesus fulfilled and radicalized and summarized the commandments, we focused on commandment number one:
I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.
Do not worship any god except me. [Exodus 20:2-3, CEV]
And then we went on to commandment number two:
Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. [Exodus 20:4-6, CEV]
And after that, we tackled commandment number three:
Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. [Exodus 20:7, CEV]
And finally, after we had our church picnic in the Fellowship Hall instead of the pool, we talked about commandment number four:
Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me. [Exodus 20:8-11, CEV]
Now let me ask you, what do those first four commandments have in common? They all involve God in some way, don’t they? In other words, when Jesus sort of collapsed the entire Old Testament Law into two commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’” [Matthew 22:37b-39, CEV], given that this summarizes the Law, the first four commandments address loving God. Which means the last six must involve how we might show love to others, starting with our parents. According to commandment number five:
Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you. [Exodus 20:12, CEV]
Now that’s what it says. And as some of y’all might remember from last week, this was a Sunday I really wanted my daughter Maggie to be here, especially since, in its original context, this commandment was directed to adults, not children. You see, while I still have the chance, I really want to impress upon her the importance of showing respect to her mom and me, even though personally, I expect only small, insignificant things, you know like an occasional phone call or an occasional card or a room for us in whatever house she might buy in the future. You know, small things like that. You see, I think a little fear of God just might reenforce this lesson.
But of course, sometimes Jesus can really throw a monkey wrench into our best laid plans, and without giving any kind of spoiler alert, I think he certainly did this with the Fifth Commandment. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, we’re going to look at this respecting your father and mother business through the eyes of Jesus. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’re left with three pretty important conclusions.
For example, according to what Jesus said, first, I think respecting our fathers and mothers should be valued. In other words, it should hold an important place among all those values that shape our lives. And you know, I think it’s importance for Jesus was shown in a conservation he had near the end of his ministry, one that we talked about a few weeks ago:
As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, “Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments. ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’” [Mark 10:17-19, CEV]
You see, as Jesus was talking to that rich young man about eternal life, “respecting your father and mother” was important.
And I’ll tell you, when you think about it, that just makes sense. I mean, give me a break, our parents put us in the position to receive God’s gift of life. And for most of us, they supported us and sustained us as we grew up. And they protected us and prepared us so that we could move forward without their constant care and concern. And in that way, they really were our first lesson about God, the ultimate giver and sustainer of life. As a matter of fact, I believe how we treat our parents may most clearly reflect how we regard God. And for that reason, respect for parents has always been one of those building blocks for civilizations. You see, in my opinion, communities that respect parental authority and care for their elders maintain historical wisdom and social order. And maybe that’s why, after talking about respect, the commandment ends with “...and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.” [Exodus 20:12b, CEV] My goodness, for the sake of everybody, respecting our parents really should be valued.
And you know, I think we can do this kind of thing when we decide to focus our minds intentionally. For example, we can intentionally recognize their sacrifice, and I’m talking about all the sacrifices made by our parents and parental figures God has sent into our lives. I’ll tell you, the fact that they gave us existence, man, that’s got to be worth something. You see, we can recognize their sacrifice. And along with that, we can also intentionally preserve their wisdom. I mean, we can tell and retell the stories, you know, to pass on their struggles and successes, their triumphs and trials and of course, all the lessons they acquired from both. We can preserve their wisdom. And we can certainly appreciate their presence while they’re with us, to appreciate every minute we have, because there are no mulligans in life and when they’re gone, all we’ll have are the memories. You see, first, I think respecting our fathers and mothers should be valued.
And second, according to Jesus, I think it should also be shown. In other words, although valuing respect is important, it really doesn’t mean a whole lot if it can’t be seen. I mean, if we’re serious about the fifth commandment, folks should be able to see the respect we feel. And I think that was Jesus’s point when he had this little encounter with some religious leaders.
About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don’t even wash their hands before they eat.”
Jesus answered:
Why do you disobey God and follow your own teaching? Didn’t God command you to respect your father and mother? Didn’t he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they have has been offered to God. Is this any way to show respect to your parents? You ignore God’s commands in order to follow your own teaching. [Matthew 15:1-6, CEV]
You see, although they talked a big game, those Pharisees and scribes were pretty laid back in demanding that folks actually showed the kind of respect they claimed to value.
And I’ll tell you, when you’re talking about showing respect, man, that’s got to relate to how we actually treat our parents and others who are older than us. I mean, let’s get real, as we age, we just plain need more. We need more physical help. And we need more mental support. And we need more emotional comfort. I remember, when I was in Weirton, a woman about fifteen years older than me would come every Thursday afternoon and talk about some of the issues she was having with members of her family, particularly her sister. Well, one afternoon, she came in hopping mad. She said, “It’s just not fair, and I’m going to tell God when I see him. I just went to my chiropractor because my body’s falling apart. And you’d think, if God were fair, since physically I’m going down hill, mentally I’d be getting sharper. But I had to be reminded of my appointment and I think I lost my checkbook. This hasn’t been a good day.” You know, at that point, she needed the kind of respect that could be seen and not just felt.
And I’ll tell you, that’s something I think we can all do. Now I recognize that most of us just aren’t able to show respect to our parents any more. But you know, we can do it for one another, particularly for folks who may be struggling with issues we’re not facing. I mean, most of us can give some physical help to those who are ailing, even if we’re not able to move furniture like we once could. And most of us can also provide mental support to those in need, something my daughter has gotten used- to doing whenever I get a new phone or have to figure out how to watch the football game on Amazon Prime. But you know, even if we’re sort of like that woman in my office complaining about physical and mental decline, we all can offer emotional comfort to our parents if possible, and certainly to one another, and I’m talking about the kind of comfort that just might make the physical and mental stuff easier to handle. You see, second, I think respecting our fathers and mothers should be shown.
And I’ll tell you, if I stopped right here, I think we’d all be happy. In fact, y’all might leave here saying to ourselves, “My goodness, what a positive sermon. Why doesn’t he preach like this every Sunday?” Good question. Well, be prepared, I doubt that what I’m about to say is going to make any parent feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But to be straight with you, don’t blame me; blame Jesus. Because along with saying positive stuff like respect for parents should be valued and shown, based on what he said, I think Jesus also believed that respecting our fathers and mothers should always, and I mean always be secondary, and I’m talking about secondary to something far more important. Just listen:
Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said:
You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot follow me unless you love me more than you love your own life.
You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and follow me. [Luke 14:25-27, CEV]
Now that’s what Jesus said. In other words, as important as valuing and showing respect to parents may be, for Christians, doing this kind of thing should never be our highest priority: period, close the book, Elvis has left the building. And I’ll tell you, even though, as a parent, that’s uncomfortable to hear, it actually makes a lot of sense. I mean, even though my parents certainly provided God the opportunity to breathe life into me, only God is the ultimate creator. And even though mom and dad were always around when I was growing up and really helped me when I was in trouble, only God is the final redeemer. And even though, without question, they raised me and fed me and clothed me, only God is the constant sustainer. You see, on our best day, we’re still limited but God is not. In fact, God is perfect; therefore, he must be our priority.
And you know, this is something we can do, and here’s the good news, I think we can do it without showing disrespect to our parents or to anyone else. And this is how we can do it. I mean, one, we can decide to resist the distractions, the interruptions, the confusion, even when they’re thrown up by the folks we called to respect. And two, we can decide to focus our attention on the one who loves us and who will save us and who surrounds and fills us all the time. And three, we can decide to allow him to shape our relationships. Last Wednesday morning, during our Bible study, we talked about First Corinthians 13 and this is what it says:
What if I could speak all languages of humans and even of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. What if I could prophesy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others. What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others. Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails!
Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear.
When we were children,we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love. [1 Corinthians 13, CEV]
Now this is how God can help us show the kind of love that gives meaning and substance to all our relationships, including the ones at home. And I think that’s why respecting our fathers and mothers should be secondary, secondary to our love for and openness to God.
Of course, since Maggie isn’t with us, she didn’t hear any of this. And although it would put a smile on this old man’s face, I seriously doubt that she streamed it on Youtube. But that’s alright, because I just might share it all when next I see her. You see, as she thinks about her relationship with Debbie and me, I really want her to understand that, according to Jesus, her respect for us should really be valued by her and by us. And her respect for us should really be shown, you know, in ways that can be seen. But her respect for us should also be secondary, secondary to her love for God. Now, for me, doing that would be showing respect for her father and mother.
And next week, we’re moving on to the Sixth Commandment:
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