Young Jesus and His Parents

Have you heard of the bible story about Goodness and Perfection taught by Jesus?

In Matthew 19, a man came up to Jesus and asked him what good things he must do to get eternal life. Jesus replied, “there’s only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbors as yourself.”

Jesus particularly pointed out “father and mother” from people we should love. Our parents are whom we should honor. Not only love them as ourselves, but even more than that. Do you know how Jesus, our role model, loved his parents?

When Jesus was twelve years old, his parents travelled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. Leaving for home, they didn’t know Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. As they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him. The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt since they had been half out of their minds looking for him. They couldn’t understand that Jesus had to be here, dealing with the things of the Lord, his Father. But after all, Jesus went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them.

This is how Jesus obeyed his parents. Although they didn’t understand the purpose of his mission, he still prioritised the feelings of his parents and went back home with his parents.

There are circumstances in which we think we are doing the right thing. However, it is more important to care about the feelings of our parents. Dreaming big, doing volunteer work and helping the needy. While doing all of these kind acts, have we also looked into the needs of our parents? We often neglect the feelings of our parents but we need to bear in mind that they are not supermen, they still need our love. But still, they love us unconditionally, not asking for anything in return. Love is their super power to us.

In our daily lives, the love from our parents is often overlooked. They care about us, anytime, anywhere, and in any circumstances. They cheer us up and guide us when we are lost. Sometimes they may not understand us. At that time, we may think that they ignore our feelings. However, they do care. They love us and worry about us. Till the day we were born, the strong bonding between us and our parents has already been built. Therefore, we should love them, as much as they did, not asking for their love in return, just unconditionally.

So as to love our parents, we should do so in both words and action. With words, you could tell them how much you love them and thank them for their hard work. With action, you could give a helping hand when it comes to housework and give them a massage.

Volunteer Team Permeance
12 October 2021