by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
What the world generally knows as Mother’s Day is a tradition that has come down to us through many twists and turns through the centuries. We won’t go into that here. As we know it now, this day is a tradition that honors our mothers for all that they have done for us, for loving us in spite of ourselves (i.e., not destroying us), for nurturing us through every difficulty, and for just being “mom.” How do you really say “thank you” in an adequate way? We cannot. Cards, candy, and a nice lunch can hardly express what we wish we could say. We take solace in the fact that they understand because they, too, had mothers.<\/p>\n
What, then, is with the title, “Fear Your Mother”? We aren’t supposed to be afraid of them, are we? Well, yes and no. The biblical injunction is to “honor your father and mother<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 20:12). This command was given with a promise: “that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you<\/em>.” See also Ephesians 6:1-2. Failure to honor father and mother is a grave error.<\/p>\n “Honor your father and mother<\/em>” is the fifth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12). The placement within the decalogue is not accidental, for this is the “hinge command” that affects both the previous four commands and the latter five commands. At home, children first learn about God and how to respect and revere Him, and they first learn about respect for others. If children do not first learn about God’s authority and preeminence in the home, then from whom will they learn it, and what will they learn about it? If they do not learn how to respect others first in the home, where will they learn it, and what will they learn? Honoring father and mother is foundational for how we respect God and others.<\/p>\n Leviticus 19:3 puts it this way: “Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father<\/em>…” Reverence is a form of fear. This is the same idea used with reference to God:<\/p>\n “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge<\/em>…” (Proverbs 1:7);<\/p>\n “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom<\/em>” (Provervs 9:10); “<\/p>\n Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Fear” can mean that one is literally afraid with trembling, and there is a sense in which that ought to be the case. Children who disobey their parents should be afraid, not just because parents will punish, but because punishment for rebellion will ultimately come from God. The Law seemed pretty harsh on this point for those old enough to know better: “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death … He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death<\/em>” (Exodus 21:15, 17). See also Proverbs 20:20, Leviticus 20:9, and Deuteronomy 21:18-21. Acting dishonorably toward father and mother is “shameful and disgraceful<\/em>” (Proverbs 19:26).<\/p>\n “There is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother<\/em>” (Proverbs 3:11).<\/p>\n “The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it<\/em>” (Proverbs 30:17).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Afraid yet?<\/p>\n We continue: “Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother,” and all the people shall say, ‘Amen’<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 27:16). This curse is put right along the side of idolatry, stealing, perverting justice, adultery, bestiality, and incest. That’s a pretty bad list, and we rightly cringe. Yet there are those who will recoil at the idea of some of these heinous sins while speaking badly of their parents or willfully disobeying them. Being disobedient to parents is an open sign of rebellion against God Himself (see II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:28-32). So we should have reason to fear Mother. Truly, “a foolish man despises his mother<\/em>” and “a foolish son is a grief to his mother<\/em>” (Proverbs 15:20; 10:1).<\/p>\n “Fear” also contains that sense of respect that leads one to listen and obey. “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother<\/em>” (Proverbs 6:20). Even as they grow older, “do not despise your mother when she is old<\/em>” (Proverbs 23:22). Let her rejoice in her children (Proverbs 23:25). Let the children rise up and bless their mother (Proverbs 31:28). Listen to her. Honor her. Fear her. Not just one day a year, but until she departs this life.<\/p>\n Remember the teachings of Jesus in Mark 7:1-15. There is no honor in failing to show our parents due respect. Respecting them is a sign of how much we respect God.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer What the world generally knows as Mother’s Day is a tradition that has come down to us through many twists and turns through the centuries. We won’t go into that here. As we know it now, this day is a tradition that honors our mothers for all that they have done for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[352,1311,197],"class_list":["post-95527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-fear","tag-mothers","tag-respect"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":87124,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/honor-your-mother\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":0},"title":"Honor Your Mother","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you\" (Exodus 20:12). It is appropriate to think about the roles of father and mother as those who have had the most impact on our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33065,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-a-mother-have-a-role-in-the-development-of-her-son\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":1},"title":"Does a mother have a role in the development of her son?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was wondering if a mother has a role in the sexual development of her son like the father. Answer: What the Bible indicates is that mothers are important to moral standards that a child grows up to accept. \"Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87136,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-churches-have-a-mothers-day-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":2},"title":"Should churches have a Mother’s Day event?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Should churches have a Mother's Day event? Answer: Why? Where do you find God requiring churches to create special events around secular holidays? After all, Mother's Day in the United States started in 1908 and became an officially recognized day in 1914. It is easy to get caught up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35350,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-mothers-made-of\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":3},"title":"What Are Mothers Made Of?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 31:27-30 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To prepare the children for making a sweet Mothers Day card, the elementary school teacher asked her class some questions that she thought would cause them to appreciate their mom\u2019s more, then they could think of something sweet to write when it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28259,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-help-a-friend-who-is-blaming-god-for-her-mothers-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":4},"title":"How do I help a friend who is blaming God for her mother’s death?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A friend's mother has died. The friend is approximately 40. She blames God for the death of her mother and is becoming more and more bitter about losing her mother. What can we share with her from God's word to help her? Answer: While I considered your question important,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54879,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-need-her-mothers-permission-to-get-married\/","url_meta":{"origin":95527,"position":5},"title":"Do I need her mother’s permission to get married?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings in the name of God! I've read through\u00a0your response to a mail from somebody whose fianc\u00e9e's parents denied them consent to become one. Mine is a bit similar, except that my fianc\u00e9e's father is deceased and the mother is insisting her daughter cannot marry me. Initially, she was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95527\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}