The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures (Proverbs 30:17).

Do you remember that moment from Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" (2004), where the raven pecks out the eye of the thief on the cross next to Jesus?  It's a pretty graphic shot that definitely sticks in the memory... but I had always wondered where it had come from -- seeing how the raven isn't written into any of the Gospel accounts.  But when I read Proverbs 30:17, it suddenly made sense why that particular element was written into the crucifixion scene.  The mocker gets his eye pecked out by a raven; it's pretty straightforward, really.

But what does this really mean for us today (other than movie background trivia)?

I kind of wonder if this parable might have something to do with the concept of Provision -- that our parents provide for us as children, much in the way that God provides for us throughout our lives.  And it would seem that there is some biblical precedent for the raven serving as a symbol of provision.  For example, in Job 38:41 God asks, "Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?" And in Luke 12:24, Jesus uses the raven to illustrate God's Provision, saying, "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" So as I thought about these potential symbolic connections, I started to wonder if this particular Proverb is something along the lines of our modern-day saying, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

But honestly, as I meditated further on Proverbs 30:17, I started to wonder if the best meaning of the Proverb is the most apparent one:  We need to respect our parents.  We shouldn't mock them or scorn them.  We shouldn't speak to them in sarcastic tones or disregard their input for life.  No, we need to respect them.  Cherish them.  Obey them... Or else!