12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

— Exodus 20:12-13

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise)

3 that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.

— Ephesians 6:1-3

21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.

22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

— Matthew 5:21-22

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer

— 1 John 3:15

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Law #5 Honor your father and your mother. God commands all children to honor their parents. As a child, to fail to obey a parent is to dishonor him or her. This is not just for children to respect parents and authority. It should start with the parents’ hearts respecting God’s authority. God-fearing and God-honoring parents lead to a healthy spiritual life for their children and a stable society. Parents are often the seed for a broader rebellion against God or a submission and respect for God.

Law #6 You shall not murder. God has given life to all of humankind. God alone has the right to decide where and when a life will end. Murder begins in the heart. Anger, bitterness, resentment, and hatred is murder in a seed form. Jesus makes it very clear and His sermon on the mount and the Law exposes our need for forgiveness and transforms us from the inside out. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus expanded the interpretation of this Law to include malice and hatred. According to God, hatred is as vile as murder.