“GOD’S DESIGN FOR THE FAMILY”

19 “Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Matthew 19:19

Today, people and cultures have different views of the family. Some consider family as more than just their biological kin, consisting of a group of friends they can laugh and cry with. Others believe that family is about caring for one another and wanting you to grow and flourish. Still, others say family is whoever they can depend on for support—regardless of blood connection. While everybody is entitled to their own opinion, I believe we have to form our views of family from the very Author of it: God.

Let’s continue our study of Jesus’ conversation with a rich young ruler. In our last blog, we discussed the four negative commands. Today, let’s talk about the two positives: honoring parents and loving others.

Jesus points out that the law promotes honoring parents, making it clear that it was God who established the foundation for the family.

The Bible describes a family as an institution founded by God with the creation of Adam and Eve. It is rooted in marriage, a life-long covenant between a man and a woman to leave their parents, love one another, and "become one flesh". This union is designed by God for companionship, procreation, and raising children in a God-centered environment.

In a family, each member has a specific role to play, and these roles demand respect. The father is the selfless leader and protector of the family, while the mother is a supportive, caring partner in everything. On the other hand, children are expected to listen to their father, who gave them life, and honor their mother until her old age (Proverbs 23:22). This is the biblical design of the family.

In today's text, Jesus adds another commandment that is not found in the Moral Law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This command is a direct quote from Leviticus 19:18. True righteousness is shown by demonstrating selfless love (agape) to others. The term “neighbor” comes from the Greek “plesion,” which means “near," or "neighbor”. In the NT, it refers to the one whom a person interacts with in daily life. It is anyone you encounter, including those considered outcasts or enemies. In other words, a neighbor isn’t just someone who lives next to you; he or she is every other human being.

The Bible teaches that we should love others and regard them as people made in God’s image. As such, we are to look out for their best interests, even at the expense of our comfort and security. In fact, Paul even says that we should consider others as more important than ourselves.

3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Philippians 2:3

We live in an age when people would rather preserve their comfort and convenience than help those around them. Everybody strives to be number one—sometimes, to the detriment of those who can’t defend themselves. This is not God’s will for you and me.

Instead, God’s word demands that we have a self-denying, self-sacrificing attitude toward others—just like how the Lord Jesus lived not for Himself but for others.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Ta Focando on Unsplash