“Then he went back with them to Nazareth, and continued to be under their authority; his mother treasured up all these things in her heart” (Luke 2; 51)
When Jesus was getting crucified he told john to look after his mother, as he didn’t want to leave her alone. This shows his mother was important to him.
“Jesus said to her, ‘mother, there is your son’, and to the disciple, ‘there is your mother’.” (John; 19; 26)
The bible states that family life was created by god and endorsed by Jesus. The family are supposed to teach their children about god.
“Love the lord your god with all your heart…never forget these commands that I am giving you today. Teach them to your children…” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
Among the Israelites, priority was given to the establishment of marriage and family life. This quote shows that family has a great importance over any other.
“When a man is newly married, he is not to be drafted into military service or any other public duty; he is to be excused from duty for one year, so that he can stay at home and make his wife happy.” (Deut. 24; 5)
The ‘levirate law’ of the Old Testament protected the family, which also shows a family’s importance. In the bible there are obligations for both parents and children if family life is to function well.
“Children, obey your parents in the lord, for this is right”
“Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the lord.” (Ephesians 6; 24)
The bible also states that family members have a responsibility to care for one another. This quote states this very clearly.
“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”(1 Timothy 5;8)
There is no doubt that family is important, but it isn’t necessarily the most important aspect of life. What about god and friends? God is supposed to be more important than anything, so wouldn’t he be more important than family. Surely faith itself would come first? For people whose families are supportive to them and give them the love a family should provide, then family is important, but what about the people whose family isn’t like that. Some people turn to god because they have no family to support and comfort them, so how can family be the most important part of their life? Orphans have no family. The homeless have no family and some of them have nothing but their faith to keep going in life.
Sometimes people treat friends like their real family. The saying ‘blood is thicker than water’ isn’t always true. Some people’s friends treat them better than their blood family, so it is not fair to say that family is the most important part of every believer’s life, as it only applies to a few people.
When you reach adulthood you can become less dependent on your family and your career can become a big part of your life. When people are dedicated to their jobs, they might say that is an important part of their life. Money is needed to stay alive, to put a roof over our heads, to feed ourselves. Without food we would die, without money we cant buy food so a job can be very important to life.
I think that the extent of being able to agree or disagree with this statement depends on what kind of family you come from. For instance it is hard to agree if you have no family or your family are not supportive to you. However if you come from a very close family full of love compassion and support, then you may agree with the statement.
By Lianna Bullingham.
