“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exo. 20:12 ESV) 

Complete disrespect

I happened on a modern sitcom while flipping through the dial (I don’t usually watch them) and I was taken aback by how the main character, a teenage youth, addressed his parents. He called them by their first names, never mom or dad, laughed at them and treated them with complete disrespect. Each time he referred to them in an unflattering manner, the laugh track responded loudly. What really bothered me was that the show was teaching young viewers that it is acceptable to disrespect their parents. According to the Bible this is very dangerous. The Bible commands children to honor their parents and gives the promise that when they do, “It may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Sadly, if children don’t honor their parents the opposite will be true! Things WILL NOT go well for them, and they WILL NOT live long in the land! 

For this is right (means it’s righteous)

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Eph. 6:1-3 ESV)

Those who resist will incur judgement

“Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Rom. 13:2 ESV)

A sign of the end times

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5 ESV)

Therefore

Continue to honor them always,  even when they become old.

“Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Prov. 23:22 NIV)