A matter of life and death – disrespect for parents (Exod 21:15, 17)

The regulations we encounter in today’s reading are a good example of what readers struggle with concerning OT law. For most of us, the death penalty seems an unduly harsh punishment, especially for the kind of thing that is increasingly commonplace today: a child’s temper tantrum that might involve physical and verbal abuse. We may disapprove and get angry but what parent would drag their child to court to be executed for such acts? Moreover, what kind of picture does this paint of our God who would require such a thing?

Once again, we need to reflect on how these laws were meant to be used. On the one hand, the cases are described as specific scenarios, on the other, they lack a lot of detail that would be necessary to pass a legal verdict. For instance, does it matter how hard a child hits a parent (Exod 21:15), how many times, whether there is any injury, how old the child is? On this basis, scholars argue that the laws are specific examples of broader principles rather than intended as legal code in court cases. Thus, the cluster we encounter in today’s reading illustrate the kind of crimes worthy of the death penalty. It does not follow that in all these cases and without any regard to the details, capital punishment should be applied. Rather, the seriousness of the penalty indicates the weight God attaches to a crime and thereby highlights what matters to Him.

The issues around children’s attitudes to parents (Exod 21:15, 17) are an expansion on the commandment in the Decalogue about honouring parents (read my post on this here). Striking a parent signals the crossing of a significant boundary of respect. Cursing was taken seriously because it was seen as a performative speech (like the ‘I do’ at weddings) with the potential to bring about the harmful reality it invoked. The examples in the law single out specific actions, but we are to read these regulations as illustrative of a wider problem of rebellion and disobedience in relating to parents. Since the family is foundational to society, disorder in this area would inevitably lead to insubordination to authority in other spheres of life and ultimately to chaos, hence the severity of the punishment. It is not hard to trace the effects of such rebellion against authority in our modern context. It is visible in the struggle of parents and teachers to discipline children and in the questioning of authority in general. Even among Christians, we can no longer take for granted the acceptance of the authority of church leadership or even of Scripture itself.

There is an interesting reflection on the issue of disrespect to parents in the Book of Hosea, which highlights the two sides to dealing with sin. On the one hand, the laws are necessary to teach Israel what is right and just, so that they recognise the significance and weight of certain sins. On the other, there is the issue of love and compassion, which at times collide with justice. In Hosea, God speaks of Himself as the loving father, and of Israel as His disobedient son who worships idols (Hos 11:1-4). In the background is the law of the rebellious son (Deut 21:18-21) that is similar to our passage in Exodus and calls for capital punishment in such a case. While Israel deserves death and God in His justice has every right to act accordingly, He cries out in pain, ‘How can I give you up… how can I surrender you? […] My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled’ (Hos 11:8). Knowing the wider context of Scripture, we learn that both justice and mercy has its place even though at times we may struggle to know how to balance the two.

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