But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
Summary: True religion begins at home.
Caring for family is one of the great blessings of life. It is also one of the great challenges! Interestingly, putting our religion into practice is a very similar challenge.
In some cultures today, and more commonly many years ago, the family was the primary unit of survival. The family hierarchy was an important structure that held the family together. Honoring one’s elders is hardwired into such cultures.
Old age is, in some ways, the ultimate test of being a parent. Do your kids respect and love you? Are they willing to take care of you when you need help?
Many people are obsessed with “I.” This is as true now as it was six thousand years ago. These people are so busy trying to get what they want that there is no time for anyone else.
God’s Word changes all of that.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)
The Fifth Commandment sets the stage — honor your parents.
Leaving your parents alone when they are old or letting them go hungry is not how we honor our parents. Honoring parents takes time and commitment. Most of all, it requires true love (agapē).
And what does all of this have to do with religion?
In his letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, James writes:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
After all, what is religion?
Isn’t it our commitment to God? Some associate religion with rules, and for the Jews, there is a reason for this, but for Christians, true religion is loving God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
Widows who have children and grandchildren who fear God should have no reason to fear hunger and loneliness. Children whose mother is alone in the world can honor God by caring for an old woman who can no longer care for herself.
Application: Honor your father and your mother, especially when they are old.
Food for Thought: What do we have to ‘repay’ our parents for?
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Now that is a question that can be answers in a myriad of ways. The most obvious being that they protected us, provided for us, and prepared us for life. They were God’s instruments to bring us into the world and to shelter us from the pain that is so prevalent within it. Most parents are flawed but good parents who love their children and sacrifice for them. At some point, it is out turn to care for them as they did for us (and we can honor and love them even before they are old).