Topic: Question about Matt. 15:5-6

[MaryCecilia]

Matt. 15:5-6  "...But you say, "Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God-- then he need not honor his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition." (emphasis mine) 

i had a question on these verses. i don't understand what they are trying to say, especially the part i bolded...what is that supposed to mean? i know He's talking to the Pharisees, i just don't understand it aside from the fact that what the Pharisees does is disrespectful to their parents, can you please explain this to me? Thanks very much!

mary

[ialmisry]

Matt. 15:5-6  "...But you say, "Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God-- then he need not honor his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition." (emphasis mine) 

i had a question on these verses. i don't understand what they are trying to say, especially the part i bolded...what is that supposed to mean? i know He's talking to the Pharisees, i just don't understand it aside from the fact that what the Pharisees does is disrespectful to their parents, can you please explain this to me? Thanks very much!

mary

What is being condemned here is a legal loophole: by saying something was dedicated to God, the person was relieved of counting it in the aid due to the support of aged parents.  Sort of like a tax shelter to get out of paying social security, just more direct.

[Justin Kissel]

I also wondered about that passage. Fwiw I checked out the commentary on it by Chrysostom, and his answer seems to be along the lines of that given by ialmisry:

And what He saith is like this. “They taught the young, under the garb of piety, to despise their fathers.” How, and in what way? If one of their parents said to his child, "Give me this sheep that thou hast, or this calf, or any such thing," they used to say: "This is a gift to God, whereby thou wouldest be profited by me, and thou canst not have it." And two evils hence arose: on the one hand they did not bring them to God, on the other they defrauded their parents under the name of the offering, alike insulting their parents for God’s sake, and God for their parents’ sake. - St. John Chrysostom, Homily 51 on Matthew

[SolEX01]

^ OSB (Orthodox Study Bible) comments that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by man's religious traditions.  Devotion to God includes both obediences to His commandments and service to others - these two cannot be separated.

For example (and to use a controversial topic as such), Same Sex Marriages are accepted by many "Christian" demoninations based on man's religious traditions even though they violate God's commandment prohibiting homosexual behavior.  The concept of same sex marriages will never supersede the commandment prohibiting homosexual behavior.

[PeterTheAleut]

For example (and to use a controversial topic as such), Same Sex Marriages are accepted by many "Christian" demoninations based on man's religious traditions even though they violate God's commandment prohibiting homosexual behavior.  The concept of same sex marriages will never supersede the commandment prohibiting homosexual behavior.

Be careful now, lest this statement leads to this thread getting hijacked.

[MaryCecilia]

thanks everyone for your responces, i think i understand it a bit better....so thanks again and i agree with peter, i hope this thread stays on topic!

mary

[ialmisry]

Be careful now, lest this statement leads to this thread getting hijacked.

I've woven this into another thread on same sex marriage.

as I thought it was an interesting take.