Jesus honoured the home. His birthplace was mean (Luke 2:7) so far as
external things go. The house and the city, where His parents lived,
showed plainly the poor estate of the family which, while it was of
noble lineage, was greatly reduced in circumstances. Jesus Himself
learned and practiced the trade of a carpenter. In living in this home
at Nazareth for thirty years of His life Jesus showed that it was
possible under hard outward conditions to live a noble life and to
cultivate and practice those virtues and qualities which were
afterwards so greatly to bless the whole world.
Duties of Husbands and Wives.--The beginning of every Christian home
is in a supreme affection between two, a man and a woman. "For this
cause," Christ said, "shall a man leave his father and mother, and
cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh, so that they
are no more twain but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:7-9). He honoured and
sanctioned the marriage relation by His presence at the marriage in
Cana (John 2:1-11). In the first century divorce was very common;
Hillel, the Jewish teacher, held "that the bond was so loose and
flexible that if a wife burnt her husband's food while cooking it, he
was justified in procuring a writ of divorcement from her." Jesus
denounces this practice and declares (Matthew 5:31,32; Mark 10:2-12)
that there is only one cause that justifies divorce.
1. Love to one another. In the various vicissitudes of married life,
and in the bringing up of children the bond which needs to be
strengthened, and the duty which needs to be urged, is that of love.
Love can alone carry husband and wife over the more difficult places
of life. Paul says, "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the Church and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25-33;
Colossians 3:18,19). "Let every one of you so love his wife even as
himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband" (Ephesians
5:33). No stronger language can be employed than Paul uses in urging
husband and wife to love each other with a whole heart, yet he
provides for cases where one or the other party in the married
relation is not a Christian, and where a strong love may be absent (1
Corinthians 7:12-17). He further says, "Unto the married I command,
yet not I, but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband; but
and if she depart let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her
husband: and let not the husband put away his wife" (1 Corinthians 7:
10,11). But a supreme love settles all troubles (1 Corinthians,
chapter 13).
2. Forbearance and kindness towards children. "Provoke not your
children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21). When Christ was upon
earth, "a father had the power of life and death over his offspring. A
weak and sickly child might be abandoned to death; and this was
approved by such eminent authorities as Plato and Aristotle." Jesus
declared for the rights of the children. He not only opened His arms
for them, but He gave them a new standing in the world (Mark 10:
14-16; Matthew 18:5). He said, "See that ye despise not one of these
little ones; for in heaven their angels do always behold the face of
My Father, which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10).
3. Hospitality. True Christian love will extend itself beyond the
bounds of the household, and seek to do those outside of it good by
drawing them within its charmed circle. This hospitality should be
given not only to those who can return it again, but also to those
from whom no return can ever be expected (Matthew 5:46). "Use
hospitality one to another without grudging" (1 Peter 4:9; 1 Timothy
3:2; Titus 1:8; Hebrews 13:2). "But when thou makest a feast, call the
poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for
they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the
resurrection of the just" (Luke 14:13,14,11,12; compare Matthew
25:35,42). In the midst of our splendid charitable boards, which do
such a needed work, individual charity and hospitality should not be
forgotten and put out of its rightful place.
4. Commending the home to God. In writing to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5)
Paul calls to mind the unfeigned faith that is in Timothy, which dwelt
first in his grandmother Lois and then in his mother Eunice. Paul
himself was brought up by devout parents. The Bible has many instances
of men, like that of Samuel, who have been trained for great parts in
the world in a religious household. The old proverb has it, "Like
father, like son." If God is honoured by the parents and the home
commended to Him, the children will be quite sure to honour Him
also. Bring up your children "in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Have them ready to meet Christ at any time
(Mark 13:34-37).
Duties of Children.--1. Honouring parents. "Children obey your parents
in the Lord, for this is right" (Ephesians 6:1,2,3; compare Exodus
20:12; Colossians 3:20). The first necessary lesson in every human
life is to learn the lesson of obedience; if this is not well studied
and practiced in the home, the child, when he grows up and goes out
for himself, will be quite sure to have a hard time of it and receive
some severe buffetings. Those who break the laws of society and the
state are those who have first broken the commandment to honour father
and mother.
2. Care of parents. Children, when grown up, are sometimes apt to
forget the love and care bestowed upon them when they were
young. Their parents become old and feeble and are often unable to
look out for themselves. In Jesus' time there was a bad custom of
repudiating parents who for any cause needed to be helped. The
children had only to say "Corban," that is, that their goods were
dedicated to a sacred purpose, to secure release from their filial
obligations. Christ denounced this custom in the strongest terms and
declared that the children ought to honour their parents by caring for
them. Thus He became an advocate for the rights of parents as He had
of the rights of children (Mark 7: 11, 7-13; Matthew 15:3-6). When in
His last agony, on the cross, Jesus provided a home for His mother
(John 19:26,27).
Duties of Dependents and Servants.--Jesus commended the honourableness
of service. He washed the disciples' feet (John 13:4-16) and then told
them that He had given them an example of the kind of service which
they should render to each other. He took upon Himself the form of a
servant, hiding His glory, that He might accomplish His great work
(Philippians 2:6-9). Paul exhorted servants of the household to be
obedient, serving, "not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (Ephesians
6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Corinthians 9:19). Masters are told to
be just towards their servants, remembering that they have a Master in
heaven (Colossians 4:1). When the runaway slave, Onesimus, is sent
back to his master, by Paul, he is commended to Philemon as a brother
beloved (Philemon 16). We should hear but little of strikes and
lockouts if employers and employees would only take these principles,
laid down in the New Testament, for the guidance of masters and
servants, for their rules of conduct towards each other and seek to
carry them out.
Duties of Young and Old.--"That the aged men be sober, grave,
temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women
likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false
accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they
may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love
their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good,
obedient to their own husbands that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to the sober minded" (Titus 2:2-6).