Honor.

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, by saying:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.” Matthew 15:1-11

What exactly is honor? Do you ever dig into the meaning of so many well-known scriptural quotes? Understanding that the enemies of God have worked from the very beginning to twist and confuse God’s words.

The Greek word honor in this passage is τιμάω / timaó / tee-MAH-oh… it means to estimate, to fix value of something belonging to oneself, to revere, venerate. The earliest New Testament use of the verb occurs where Jesus, Paul, and the rich young ruler all cite the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother”. By echoing Exodus, the writers affirm that filial respect remains integral to covenant life. The commandment’s placement among the moral laws underscores that reverence for parents is neither optional nor merely cultural but part of the Creator’s enduring design for human society. Jesus not only repeats the commandment; He intensifies it. He rebukes the Pharisees for nullifying parental honor through self-serving vows, declaring, “You have made the word of God void for the sake of your tradition.” Here, honor is not ceremonial but practical, involving material and relational care. Christ thereby guards the commandment from legalistic loopholes and restores its ethical force. Jesus quotes Isaiah, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” The contrast exposes a false piety that speaks well yet withholds true allegiance. Honor in Scripture is never mere flattery; it demands sincerity, obedience, and devotion. The prophetic charge warns believers to match confession with conduct, reminding the Church that worship devoid of heartfelt reverence falls short of God’s standard. (Biblehub)

Honor must be more than just spoken words. For honor to be real it must come with honest heartfelt practice. To truly ‘honor’ God it MUST come from the real heart core of the individual. You don’t think God can’t tell the difference? Who are we trying to ‘fool’? Mainly we are trying to fool ourselves into believing if we ‘fake’ it – it will be ‘good’ enough for God. Ahem. NO! Jesus literally called out the spiritual leaders and their false beliefs. Their hearts actually were FAR from God and just self-serving.

How do you honor God? What practices do you have that give Him honor? Are you doing it with an expectation of a return… from anyone?

Eventually the act of honor will go to Jesus by absolutely EVERYONE.

For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Do you now kneel before Him out of love and honor? Do you humble yourself before Him?

Father …we honor YOU! Jesus …YOU deserve ALL of our honor! Holy Spirit … we give YOU honor, for YOU are our life-giving power!