The Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words, as they're called in the Bible, are a pathway to life.

They're not just a list of rules to check off.

They're a collection of wisdom that invites us to reframe how we think and relate to everything.

The first four commands tell us about how to relate to God.

No other gods, no idols, carry the name of Yahweh and keep the Sabbath.

And then the last five commands become all about how we relate to other humans.

Don't kill.

Don't commit adultery or steal or lie or covet.

But right in the middle is command number five.

And it acts like a hinge between how we relate to God and how we relate to other humans.

In particular, two humans.

Honor your father and your mother.

And this is the only command that comes with a promise.

So that your days may be prolonged in the land, which Yahweh

your Elohim gives you. So it seems that honoring your parents is connected to receiving life from

God. But there's a lot of people we could honor. Why focus on these two humans? Your father and your

mother are the ones who gave you life, and your

Elohim is the one who gives you and your father and mother a land where you can have life. How I relate

to somebody who generated and sustained my existence, that's a unique relationship, and that

needs to be treated in a special way.

And that special way is called honor.

For followers of Jesus, the wisdom of the fifth command became how they honored everyone

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