The Bible speaks repeatedly of honoring our parents: Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16; Proverbs 1:8; 23:22; Malachi 4:6; Ephesians 6:2. However, other verses seem to indicate disrespect or hate toward parents: Matthew 12:47-48; 23:9; Mark 3:32-33; Luke 9:59-60; Luke 14:26.
Response
No, the Bible never mentions disrespecting our parents. We are to honor them.
In Matthew 12:47-48, Jesus is not disrespecting his mother, He is simply using an illustration to indicate that we can be adopted into Jesus’ family. In Matthew 23:9, Jesus is prohibiting the use of the term “Father” as a religious title (read the verses before it). In Luke 9:59-60, Jesus is telling this man to leave his parents, but obviously this man is already grown, and it would not be disrespectful for him to leave. (Also, this man was not asking to attend a funeral, he was asking to wait until his father was dead to receive an inheritance.) Finally, Luke 14:26 is not saying we should actually hate others; He is saying that we need to love God so much more than others, even our family, that we are willing to obey God even if His calling means leaving our parents (see the related argument).
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