THE HYPOCRISY OF CORBAN:

Jesus had a strong rebuke to those Jews who tried to use their own laws to escape
their responsibilities to care for their elderly parents. We read about this in Mark,
when the Pharisees were criticizing the disciples for breaking one of their laws:

"Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to
the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said
unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people
honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they
worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the
commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups:
and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the
commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour
thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift,
by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no
more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect
through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."
(Mark 7:5-13)

Jesus is charging the Pharisees with hypocrisy. In their efforts to follow their tradi-
tions, they overlook the primary laws of God found in the Ten Commandments. The
example Jesus gives is of the command to honor father and mother. He uses the term
"Corban," (also spelled Korban) which needs explanation. I turn again to William
Barclay: "The word mean a gift. It was used to describe something which was
specially dedicated to God. A thing which was Korban was as if it had already been
laid upon the altar. That is to say, it was completely set apart from all ordinary
purposes and usages and became the property of God. If a man wished to dedicate
some of his money or his property to God, he declared it Korban, and thereafter it
might never be used for any ordinary or secular purpose." (WB,The Gospel of
Mark, pg. 169-170)

Barclay continues: "It does seem that the idea of Korban was already capable of
misuse. If that be the idea behind this, the passage speaks of a man declaring his
property 'Korban,' sacred to God, and then when his father or mother in dire need
comes to him for help, saying, 'I am sorry that I cannot give you any help because
nothing that I have is available for you because it is dedicated to God.' The vow was
made an excuse to avoid helping a parent in need. The vow which the scribal
legalist insisted upon involved breaking one of the ten commandments which are the
very law of God."

"Jesus was attacking a system which put rules and regulations before the claim of
human need. The commandment of God was that the claim of human love should
come first; the commandment of the scribes was that the claim of legal rules and
regulations should come first. Jesus was quite sure that any regulation which
prevented a man from giving help where help was needed was nothing less than a
contradiction of the law of God." (ibid pg. 171)

This section proves that Jesus upheld the Fifth Commandment -- that nothing
should prevent us from coming to the aid of our earthly parents in their times of
need, which was the original meaning of the Fifth Commandment. We cannot resort
to any excuse, legal or otherwise, to avoid our duty to our parents or to show them
mercy.

In her Message to The Mother Church for 1901, Mrs. Eddy speaks about the
treatment of "reformers" in society. In making an analogy, she highlights the problems
some elderly parents have: " . . . well-meaning people sometimes are inapt or selfish
in showing their love. They are like children that go out from the parents who nurtured
them, toiled for them, and enabled them to be grand coworkers for mankind, children
who forget their parents' increasing years and needs, and whenever they return to the
old home go not to help mother but to recruit themselves. Or, if they attempt to help
their parents, and adverse winds are blowing, this is no excuse for waiting till the
wind shifts. They should remember that mother worked and won for them by facing
the winds. All honor and success to those who honor their father and mother. The
individual who loves most, does most, and sacrifices most for the reformer, is the
individual who soonest will walk in his footsteps." ('01, pg. 29)

JESUS AND MARY AT THE CROSS:

Let's see how Jesus discharged his duty to his mother at the time of the crucifixion:

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the
wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and
the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold
thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that
disciple took her unto his own home." (John 19:25-27)

Jesus had an undeniably good excuse for not paying attention to others below him as
he was suffering on the cross. Yet, in his infinite unselfishness, Jesus took note of his
mother. He was the "eldest son," and had responsibilities for her care. Notice that
he did not entrust her to the care of his younger brothers. Why not? Let us look at
William Barclay's commentary on this event:

"In this passage there is something which is surely one of the loveliest things in all
the gospel story. When Jesus saw his mother, he could not but think of the days ahead.
He could not commit her to the care of his brothers, for they did not believe in him yet
(John 7:5). And, after all, John had a double qualification for the service Jesus
entrusted to him -- he was Jesus's cousin, being Salome's son, and he was the disciple
whom Jesus loved. So Jesus committed Mary to John's care and John to Mary's, so
that they should comfort each other's loneliness when he was gone." (WB, The Gospel
of John, Volume 2, pgs 256-257)

Here, Jesus not only honors his mother, Mary, by arranging her future care, but he
also honors that true kinship he had with John, his beloved disciple, and bestows upon
him the responsibility that might normally go to a brother. Jesus shows, by example,
how to obey the Fifth Commandment, and at the same time honor those who are our
spiritual kin.

JESUS AND HIS FATHER:

Jesus taught: "Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is
in heaven." (Matthew 23:9) We have no record of what name he used with Joseph, but
during the time recorded after his baptism, we know that God was the only one he
referred to as "Father." In fact, in Mark 14: 35-36, when he was praying in the Garden
of Gethsemane, he used the term "Abba," an affectionate term which might be likened
to our "daddy."

Think of this whenever you pray the Lord's Prayer -- what it really means to have
God as your Father, your "Dad." Not in a mortal sense, obviously, but as the only
Cause and Creator, who loves and cares for all eternally, and would never wish
any harm, but has planned for His family great blessings and a harmonious existence

filled with joy and progress. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good

pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

If this is true -- that God is our Father, and therefore we are God's children or off-
spring -- how can we "honor" God? Jesus shows us by his life, and in statements
such as:

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
(Matthew 5:48)

By these statements, we can see that Jesus wanted us to "shine." We want to show
off what God has created! We let our spiritual nature shine through our lives to bear
witness to God's perfection and supremacy. Those of us who study Christian Science
strive to learn about God's nature, and then to manifest those qualities of God as best
we can in our daily lives. Our Wayshower in this endeavor is Christ Jesus. Mary
Baker Eddy explains:

"In divine Science, man is the true image of God. The divine nature was best
expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God and
lifted their lives higher than their poor thought-models would allow, -- thoughts
which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying. The Christlike understanding
of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea, -- perfect
God and perfect man, -- as the basis of thought and demonstration." (S&H, pg. 259)

Part of Jesus' mission, then, was to show us how to honor God by demonstrating His
nature in our present lives. Just as we would love to make our earthly parents "proud"
of our accomplishments, we should want to please our Heavenly Father by being the
child He created -- the perfect, spiritual image and likeness of His Being. And, just
as we hope our own children represent us well in society, all the while loving them
no matter how long it takes for them to "reach their potential," God knows all along
that we are His perfect reflection. In fact, that is all He knows of us -- our perfection.
From our limited human perspective, it appears He has infinite patience and forgive-
ness.

To fully develop this theme, I recommend a study of the parable of the Prodigal Son.
It is found in Luke 15:11-32. Analyze the story from the point-of-view of all three
characters. There is so much to learn from this parable on many levels, but in using it
to illustrate the theme of the Fifth Commandment, focus on the issue of relationships.
For instance, if the Father symbolizes God, what is Jesus telling us about God's nature
and His love for His children, even when they have "left" His "house"? Where is
home? Why was the Elder Son in the field with the servants, rather than at home
taking advantage of his "sonship." The Prodigal was willing to be a "servant" for
his father. Should we aim to be servants or sons? Christian Scientists familiar
with "the three degrees" found on page 115 of "Science and Health" might consider
if each character illustrates one of the degrees or its inversion: the physical, the
moral, the spiritual, and discuss how the higher ideas embrace the lower as material
beliefs fade away.

Click here to continue with the Fifth Commandment