What was Jesus was even saying, “Hey, obviously you already love yourself. Can you now love your neighbor as much as you love yourself?”
SEEN ANY DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE?
Yes, but I like how honest the Bible is -- it even tells the whole truth about its own heroes!
Q; How are believers to live Spirit-led, controlled, and refilled? Here is how Jesus looked:
"But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 amp
Q: Are you walking in the Spirit? Zoe life, not law, changes behavior; and as you yield to the Holy Spirit, Christ’s life is then manifest in the fruit of the Spirit. People see the Lord in you. Law works by compulsion from without, but God's grace works by compassion to change us from within.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
— John 3:6
The Bible does not merely record sins; it exposes natures. Disrespect is not accidental — it flows from an unregenerate heart. As you said well: sinners sin because they are sinners. They need a new nature, not a new lecture.
I. DISRESPECT TOWARD PARENTS
1. Ham toward Noah
* Genesis 9:20–27
Ham exposed his father instead of covering him.
Shem and Japheth honored; Ham mocked.
“Love covers a multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8
Principle: dishonor multiplies shame; honor restrains it.
2. Absalom toward David
* 2 Samuel 13–18
He stole the hearts of the people, publicly shamed his father, and seized authority.
“Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” — 1 Samuel 15:23
3. Hophni & Phinehas (sons of Eli)
* 1 Samuel 2:12–25
They despised both their father and God’s offerings.
“Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” — 1 Samuel 2:30
4. The disrespectful son in the Law
* Deuteronomy 21:18–21
God treats persistent parental dishonor as rebellion against divine order.
5. Proverbs’ warnings
* Proverbs 20:20; 30:17; 17:25
“The eye that mocks a father… will be plucked out by the ravens.”
This is not poetry only — it is moral reality.
II. DISRESPECT TOWARD AUTHORITY (God-ordained or human)
"Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things." 1 Timothy 6:1-2 esv
"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." Colossians 3:20
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." Ephesians 5:11
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
6. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
* Numbers 16
They mocked Moses’ leadership and God’s appointment.
“You have gone too far!” — Korah
God answered: “The earth opened its mouth.”
7. Miriam & Aaron against Moses
* Numbers 12
They spoke against God’s servant — and God struck Miriam with leprosy.
8. Saul toward Samuel (and God)
* 1 Samuel 13, 15
Saul’s partial obedience was disguised disrespect.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
9. Rehoboam toward the elders
* 1 Kings 12
He despised counsel and fractured a nation.
10. The youths mocking Elisha
* 2 Kings 2:23–25
They mocked God’s prophet — and judgment followed swiftly.
III. DISRESPECT TOWARD JESUS CHRIST
11. Nazareth (His hometown)
* Matthew 13:53–58
“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.”
Familiarity bred contempt.
12. The Pharisees
* Matthew 12; 23; John 8
They accused Him of demon possession and mocked His authority.
13. Herod Antipas
* Luke 23:8–11
He dressed Jesus in a robe and mocked Him.
14. Roman soldiers
* Matthew 27:27–31
They bowed in mock worship before crucifying Him.
15. The two thieves (one repented - this felon was the first believer into heaven)
* Luke 23:39–43
One mocked.
One bowed.
Only one went to paradise.
IV. DISRESPECT TOWARD THE HOLY SPIRIT
16. Ananias & Sapphira
* Acts 5:1–11
“You have not lied to men but to God.”
They treated holiness casually — and died instantly.
17. Simon the Sorcerer
* Acts 8:18–24
He tried to buy the Spirit.
18. Israel grieving the Spirit
* Isaiah 63:10
They rebelled and grieved Him.
19. Blasphemy of the Spirit
* Matthew 12:31–32
Persistent, hardened rejection of God’s testimony.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7
V. NEVER BE DISRESPECTFUL TOWARD GOD. DECIDE NOW, DON'T DO IT!
20. Pharaoh
* Exodus 5–14
“Who is the LORD that I should obey Him?”
21. Nadab and Abihu
* Leviticus 10
Strange fire — casual worship — instant judgment.
22. Uzzah
* 2 Samuel 6:6–7
Touched the ark irreverently.
23. Nebuchadnezzar (before his repentance)
* Daniel 4
God humbled him until he learned honor.
24. Belshazzar
* Daniel 5
Used holy vessels to party.
That night, the kingdom fell.
25. Israel in the wilderness
* Psalm 78; Numbers 14
They tested God repeatedly — and died in the desert.
VI. DISRESPECT BETWEEN PEOPLE
26. Cain toward Abel
* Genesis 4
Jealousy turned to murder.
27. Ishmael mocking Isaac
* Genesis 21:9; Galatians 4:29
28. Job’s friends
* Job 16:2
“Miserable comforters are you all”
29. Diotrephes (church leader)
* 3 John 9–10
Loved preeminence, rejected authority.
30. The Corinthians toward Paul
* 1 Corinthians 4; 2 Corinthians 10–12
They mocked his appearance and authority.
POETRY & LYRICS ON DISRESPECT
Biblical poetry
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” — Psalm 14:1
Disrespect always begins in the heart.
Christian quote
“You cannot honor God while despising His order.”
— A.W. Tozer
Secular
“When respect is lost, everything becomes permissible (in the world).”
— Dostoevsky
Poetic-like
They strike like snakes with borrowed fangs,
Not knowing why they bite.
Their venom flows from Adam’s wound,
Not from the lack of light.
I love time with my Lord
You can polish the outiside of the scales, but that inner nature remains (unchanged),
Until heaven breaks-through into you, and rewrites the veins (so to speak).
Just be a prayerful witness before a watching world--consistently live that way, and give witness verbally too when the time is right.
Give them an opportunity here and now.. to come repent and come to Jesus.. on the spot.
You said it rightly:
We real Christians (most of em) don’t seek to reform rattlesnakes or the rattlesnake-like-people who strike at us randomly — we simply opt to pray for Christ to save em, to resurrect em on the inside, and to change em. To change us too. He does that one by one. They are won by One. God changes us all from the inside out. That's sanctification.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
We look to God alone to save and change people. Scripture never calls believers to reform the unrepentant; it calls us to bear witness to the truth. Our task is not behavior management, but gospel proclamation. When hearts are open, we speak; when they are resistant, we pray. We labor not to polish the old nature, but to point people to the cross, where a new nature is freely given. True change begins only when a person is genuinely converted to Christ—when repentance is real, faith is living, and the Spirit makes all things new.
“'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts." — Zechariah 4:6
Jesus did not die to merely improve the manners of sinners.
He died on the Cross to grant you the gift of true repentance (not merely remorse) and saving-faith. Forgive and give you a brand new nature inside.
Qs: Do you disrespect your own parents, or just other people, or do you disrespect Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father? Repent, give no excuses.
Do you hate all police, your own president, or disrespect other current authorities or past authorities.. or even non-authorities? Hey, repent of being a rebel.
Reborn Christians (most of us) don't waste any time trying to reform the attitudes and ugly behaviors of sinners (who are not open to truth). Nope, including nominal poser Christians (who are lost but don't want to look like that). We simply pray and seek to win them and their close friends to Christ so they all will repent and be born again with a new nature inside.
Do you know some rattlesnake-like folk who strike at random?
Remember, sinners, sin cuz their sinners. They're not sinners per se cuz they sin (though we've all sinned. Yes, all have sinned, but many still have that old nature inside. They are completely lost needing a new nature planted inside em.. free of charge.
Jesus prays for those who are born again, we believers (not to ever act all self-righteous) are the ones to pray for those with a rattlesnake nature inside that strike randomly. It's really ugly when those carnal and worldly so called Christians act like them.
Jesus prayed: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." John 17:6-10 niv
Today I loathe what I used to love (in the world), and love what I used to loathe (Bible teaching, praying, witnessing, church, and small group fellowship).
And as you also said — Jesus prays for us, and we pray for the lost, never self-righteous, never smug, always broken and grateful.
We're not to put on the breastplate of self-righteousness!
When Disrespect Reveals a Deeper Spiritual Disease Within
God can give you a new heart, instead of that stony old heart.
Remember when Egypt's Pharroh opted to resist and harded his own heart, and God firmed up his bad decision? Yes, God did that.
Disrespect is rarely loud at first. Are you disrespectful? Stop it, repent.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 nkjv
It begins quietly—an eye roll, a scoff, a dismissive tone, a silent refusal to honor what God has placed in front of us. But Scripture reveals something unsettling: disrespect is never a surface issue. It is a symptom of a deeper disease of the heart.
That is why the Bible does not treat disrespect as a manners problem, but as a nature problem.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” — John 3:6
Why would we believvers want to waste time in an attempt to reform the flesh of sinners. We don't waste time trying to reform sinners -- why merely get them to switch the idols they worship? Jesus wants us to deny our fleshly nature, not feed it. Let's crucifies it so to speak (not kill our person, but die to the fleshly nature and sow to our new nature in Christ). Jesus didn't come to dress up or improve the old nature within. He wants to give a new nature and fill you with His Spirit whose first name is Holy so to speak.. cuz He is Holy and wants us that way too.
Is There A Hidden Root Of Bitterness With That Disrespect In You?
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word most often associated with dishonor is קָלַל (qalal) — meaning to make light of, to treat as insignificant, to despise. When someone disrespects authority, parents, or God, they are not merely being rude. They are declaring, “This does not weigh much to me.”
The opposite is כָּבֵד (kavod) — to honor, to give weight, to treat as heavy, glorious, worthy.
Disrespect makes light of what God calls weighty.
This is why the Fifth Commandment matters so much:
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long…” — Exodus 20:12
The command is not about parental perfection; it is about divine order. To dishonor parents is to reject God’s architecture for life itself.
A Pattern Repeated from Genesis to Revelation
From the earliest pages of Scripture, disrespect reveals a heart that resists God:
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Ham exposed his father’s nakedness instead of covering it (Genesis 9).
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Absalom publicly shamed David and stole the hearts of Israel (2 Samuel 15–18).
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Korah mocked God’s chosen leadership and was swallowed by the earth (Numbers 16).
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Pharaoh sneered, “Who is the LORD?” and lost everything (Exodus 5).
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The Pharisees called Jesus demon-possessed while staring at God in the flesh (Matthew 12).
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Ananias and Sapphira treated the Holy Spirit casually and fell dead (Acts 5).
Disrespect toward personalities is not neutral.
It is always directional—either toward God or away from Him.
Sup With The Greek Diagnosis
In the New Testament, disrespect often flows from the Greek word ἀτιμία (atimia) — dishonor, disgrace, loss of value. Paul uses it in Romans 1 to describe a society that has lost its moral compass because it first lost its reverence:
“They did not honor Him as God…” — Romans 1:21
When honor leaves, chaos follows.
Modern statistics quietly confirm what Scripture has always said:
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Studies consistently show that fatherlessness and parental dishonor correlate strongly with higher rates of crime, addiction, and incarceration.
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According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over 70% of incarcerated youth come from father-absent homes.
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Good Sociologists note that respect for (Direct [God's word] and delegated) authority collapses wherever reverence for God collapses first.
The Bible said it thousands of years ago.
Mere Behavior-Modification Of The Unregenerate.. Fails
This is where the gospel becomes radiant.
The world tries to fix disrespect with rules, therapy, slogans, and shame.
God uses new birth.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
A rattlesnake does not need anger management.
It needs transformation.
As Jesus told Nicodemus, morality without regeneration is still flesh.
“You must be born again.” — John 3:7
The Disrespect That Broke Heaven’s Heart
The ultimate act of disrespect was not an eye roll or insult.
It was the cross.
“He was despised and rejected by men…” — Isaiah 53:3
The Son of God was mocked, stripped, spat upon, and nailed—by the very people He came to save. Yet He prayed:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:34
This is the heart of the gospel: God answers our dishonor with grace.
A Call to the Born Again
Scripture is clear: Jesus prays for those who are His (John 17).
And we, the redeemed, are called to pray for the lost—never with arrogance, never with contempt.
It is ugly when worldly people act worldly.
But it is tragic when believers do.
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander be put away from you…” — Ephesians 4:31
We were saved by mercy, not manners.
Would you pray something like this...
Lord God, please help me learn from Your word what to become in Jesus, and from arrogant fools what never to be like. Give me eyes to recognize arrogant disrespect not as a mere irritation as it were, but as a cry from the lost or carnal person.. for their potential rebirth and sanctifcation.
Keep me humble, gentle, and free from all self-righteousness. I'm not better, though better off.
Teach me to honor what You honor -- Your Word wherever You Lead,
And to pray for those who cannot yet see the weight of Your glory.
Amen.
Remember Noah’s words about disrespectful Canaan? Scripture is clear, yet history is so loud with lies. Noah never cursed Ham. He never cursed all of Ham’s descendants. And God never authorized racism, slavery, or prejudice—ever. Never.
Let it be said plainly: the Bible does not support racism in any form.
After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons with the same blessing He once gave Adam: “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). What sort of blessing was this? It was one of dignity, purpose, and hope for all humanity. Every son of Noah stood equally under God’s favor. God is no respecter of persons (meaning all believers are His favorites equally).
But then comes the fall after the flood.
Respecter?
Noah, a righteous man, failed in a moment of weakness (not sure why. He'd been on that stinky ship for quite a while). Wine with Noah, uncovered what water had washed away—his vulnerability. Life seems far better without any alcohol to me! Ham saw his father’s shame (hey, we all are flawed) and then chose exposure over honoring him. Love covers. Instead of covering sin, he broadcast it. Shem and Japheth, by contrast, walked backward with a garment and restored dignity without spectacle (Genesis 9:23).
And when Noah awoke, he spoke—not in rage, but in prophecy about the future.
“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25).
Notice what Scripture does not say. Noah does not curse Ham. He does not curse Ham’s descendants. The curse lands on Canaan alone, a single line among many, and history proves why. The Canaanites would grow into a culture of sexual violence, idolatry, child sacrifice, and moral collapse (Leviticus 18). God’s judgment was slow, patient, and measured—four hundred years slow. When Joshua entered the land, it was not genocide; it was divine justice long delayed.
The curse was not racial. It was moral.
Not biological. It was spiritual.
Not hatred. It was holiness.
As Chuck Smith once said, “God judges nations not by skin, but by sin.”
And this matters today, because when Scripture is misunderstood, families unravel.
From Ham’s Disrespect to Ours
Drunkenness is a sin and dumb. The sin in Noah’s tent was not nakedness—it was outright disrespect. And that same sin now walks freely through our homes, restaurants, schools, and streets.
Proverbs tells us plainly: “A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to his mother” (Proverbs 17:25). Disrespectful children do not emerge by accident. Disrespectful adult children don't either. They are often trained—by neglect, by inconsistency, or tby he silent sermon of parents who no longer model honor. Parent (branch, if ya will), keep living the life in close connection with the Vine and stay fruitful.
Children are not born respectful. They are born sinners (Psalm 51:5). Respect must be cultivated, shaped, and sometimes painfully corrected. Proverbs 29:15 reminds us: “A child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” And Hebrews adds that discipline, though painful for a moment, produces righteousness later (Hebrews 12:11).
In a culture where feelings are crowned king and correction is labeled harm, respect is disappearing. Barna research shows that fewer than 1 in 3 Christian parents consistently practice biblical discipleship in the home. The result is predictable: adults who never learned restraint, honor, or humility.
Billy Graham was respectful and warned, “A nation that forgets God will soon forget how to honor.”
Wiersbe taught about God's covenant was with Noah’s “seed” after him, (which this includes us today). It is for this reason that most Christian people have supported capital punishment (9:5–6). God had promised to avenge Cain (4:15), but in this covenant with Noah God gave men the responsibility of punishing the murderer.
It was a seasoned saint, over 600 years old, and not a young prodigal, that fell into this sin and shame. The Hebrew text suggests that Noah deliberately uncovered himself in a shameful manner; intemperance and impurity often go together. Some excuse Noah by suggesting that the new atmospheric conditions of the earth since the flood would lead to the fermentation of wine, and that Noah did not fully know what he was doing. But the Bible does not excuse the sins of the saints. This is the third failure on the part of man. He had disobeyed in Eden, resulting in his expulsion; he had corrupted the earth, resulting in the flood; and now he had become a shameful drunk! To make matters worse, Ham did not respect his father; instead, he “told with delight” what Noah had done.
Noah learned what Ham had done and pronounced his famous curse. (This is the third curse in Genesis. See 3:14–19 and 4:11.) The fact that he curses Canaan, Ham’s youngest son (10:6), suggests that the boy was involved in the sin along with his father and that God would punish the sins of both the father and the son. Canaan and his descendants (nations named in 10:15–20) were to be the lowest of servants to their brethren. It is easy to see that they were ultimately made slaves by the Jews and Gentiles. Of course, the Shemites (Semites) were the Jews. Their tribes are listed in 10:21–32, and 11:10–26 traces the line to Abraham. The descendants of Japheth are the Gentiles (10:1–5). The enslavement of Canaan’s descendants is mentioned in Gen. 15:13–21 with 10:15–20. We are not told how the various racial distinctions appeared, but Acts 17:26 teaches that God made all men of “one blood.”
Noah blessed the Jews (Shem) and gave the Canaanites to them as their servants. He promised that the Gentiles (Japheth) would be spread abroad, but that (spiritually speaking) they would dwell in the Jewish tents. Paul explains this in Romans 9–11.
Respect Is Learned, Then Modeled, and Then Required
Are the current boundaries wise? Respect grows where boundaries are clear and love is steady.
Children must learn to:
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That authority is not to be about abuse on any leve
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That discipline is not to be about rejection
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That obedience is not to be about oppression
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That humility is not about weakness
When parents model respect toward each other, toward grandparents, and toward God, children absorb it like oxygen. When correction is swift and consistent, rebellion loses its appeal. When children are heard—but not placed in charge—they learn confidence without arrogance.
Paul commands it simply: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). Respect teaches children they are not the center of the universe. It teaches them how to live in a world where other people matter.
John Piper says, “Children don’t need parents who feel deeply; they need parents who stand firmly.”
The Hope Beyond the Curse
The story of Noah does not end in shame, and neither must ours. God redeems families, restores honor, and reshapes hearts that yield to Him. Where disrespect reigns, repentance can still reign higher. Where rebellion grew, righteousness can still be planted.
As the old hymn reminds us:
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love.”
But grace still calls us home.
Respectful children are to become respectful adults.
Respectful husbands are to both gently and firmly lead their respectful wives. Respectful adults are to build stable families that show respect.
Stable, respectful families build godly societies.
And godly societies reflect the heart of God.. the people we win to Jesus do.
May we be the generation that covers nakedness instead of broadcasting it, that honors fathers instead of mocking them, and that teaches our children—by word and by life—that respect is not optional, it is holy.
I love that straightforward story of the lost son and his weird brother. Can relate to it. What's The subject? it is our perfect Father God. Yep, it's about Him.
The Bible says...
"Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Gal. 6:7
God is not mocked—but He is merciful so come to Him now. Tell on yourself.
He does not reform the old heart.
He replaces it.
And when He does, honor flows naturally, like fruit from a living tree.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” — Ezekiel 36:26
