Jesus Endorsed Executing Rebellious Sons, and He Won’t Apologize for It Either

[Sam Harris: “So why don't we stone our children to death for talking back to us?”] Okay. So in the Old Testament when the parents turn over the rebellious delinquent child, the level of rebellion had to have been really significant. It was not an example of mom and son getting an argument over the dishes and he said, “Do them yourself.” That's not a capital crime. It's interesting that that passage of executing a rebellious son is a requirement that Jesus repeats in the Gospel of Mark without embarrassment. Jesus said, you know, the word of God says honor your father and mother, and whoever curses father and mother, let him die the death. But you say—and Jesus attacks the Pharisees for jiggering with that requirement. So he was not about to apologize for it, and neither am I. But I do want to maintain perspective. So for a father and mother to turn their wastrel son over to the authorities to be executed, his behavior had to have been really, really bad.

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