Blessed Assurance – Take This Job and – Pastor Dave Page

These verses continue the House Codes or Pauls’ instruction for household living that started in 5:21. What’s interesting to me here is that while Paul almost certainly drew from well-known early Christian teachings in framing these sections, he could have talked about numerous relationships or problems, but these 3 areas Paul has chosen – Marriage, Family and today Slaves and Masters….these are the topics he chose,

I believe for 2 reasons:

1. The relationships that Paul is addressing here are some of the most intimate that we encounter – they occupy the vast majority of the hours in our day…
2. But there’s a second reason as well. These relationships were traditionally pivotal in how life was lived in the 1st century, and Christians—like Jews—were seen as subversive elements in the society and especially as a threat to the family structure. So, because of that, Paul gives some much needed counsel here because in that setting, Christians needed to show they did not threaten order and decency. This is one of the reasons Paul would want these ways of living to be a witness to the people around them.

Paul did not merely adopt the society’s instructions to these three groups we have looked at. (Marriage, Child/Parent and now Slaves/Masters)

Rather, he infuses his instructions with theological motivations, just as he has done in treating other ethical issues. Remember that as we’ve pointed out before, unlike non-Christian house codes, he addressed the subordinates directly—not just people in authority. This is a key difference.

Husbands/fathers/masters as an example were the unrestricted participants in the community and would have heard the letter being read publicly, that’s why Paul placed restrictions on the husbands/fathers/masters and instructed them about their responsibilities in the light of the gospel. He assumed the cultural framework about authority and then subjected it to reorganization by recognizing a higher authority in Jesus Christ.

As we come to the end of the Ephesian House codes, it would only be natural that advice regarding the conduct of masters and slaves be given by Paul, because nearly every household was affected (or even dominated) by master/slave relationships. It has been estimated that there were approximately 60,000,000 slaves in the Roman Empire at that time, and that as many as one third, possibly more, of the populations of large cities like Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus were slaves. People became slaves through many varying avenues: birth, parental selling or abandonment, captivity in war, inability to pay debts, and voluntary attempts to better one’s condition. Race (outside of war) was not a factor.  Some in the Ephesian church were very likely masters, as was Philemon in the Colossian church. Many in the church themselves, were either slaves or ex-slaves. So virtually everyone in the Ephesian church had an interest in the Christian Household code for masters and slaves.  By addressing Slaves and Masters, Paul was addressing an enormous number of people.

Now, in order to understand what Paul’s teaching meant then, so we can apply that same teaching to today’s relationships, we need to know what slavery was like in New Testament times.

And I’ll just say at this moment here, bringing this section on slaves into our age is more difficult than the section on parents and children or Husbands and wives. Slavery is foreign to us, while the relationship of parents and children for example is essentially the same, even if attitudes are different today.

In the context of Slaves and Masters in the first century, I expect that we may blow up some common misconceptions. The greatest of these is that the average slave was subject to extreme exploitation. In the vast majority of households – not all – this simply was not so! Not only is slavery foreign to us, but our understanding of it has been determined by nineteenth-century slavery in the United States and Western Europe.

In the Greco-Roman world, slavery was so much a part of life that hardly anyone thought about whether it might be right or wrong – it just was. In fact, by the time of the Christian era and the writing of this Ephesian Letter, sweeping changes had already been introduced which radically improved the treatment of slaves. Slaves under Roman law in the first century could generally count on eventually being set free. Very few would ever reach old age as slaves. Historical documents tell us that at one point, slave owners were releasing slaves at such a rate that Augustus Caesar introduced legal restrictions to curb the trend. Writings that we have from antiquity would indicate that almost 50 percent of slaves were freed before the age of thirty. The other fact that might surprise some of you is that while the slave remained his master’s possession, many of those same slaves could own property — including other slaves! — and completely control their own property, primarily so that they could invest and save to purchase their own freedom.  Finally, one very significant reason that people became slaves was b/c selling oneself into slavery was commonly used as a means of obtaining Roman citizenship and gaining an entrance into that society.  So we have to reframe our perspective on this – Roman slavery in the first century was far more humane and civilized than the American/African slavery situation that we would commonly think of.

Now, I also want to concede that no doubt, for many slaves, life was harsh and cruel, but for the most part their circumstances depended on their owners.

I have two reasons for wanting to clarify this with you this morning.

First, to equip you to be able to answer those who would criticize Christianity because the New Testament nowhere directly attacks or condemns slavery.

The are specific reasons it did not do so:

• because the institution of slavery was not generally considered evil by slaves or masters;
• because of the positive reforms being put in effect in regard to Roman slavery;
• because to attack slavery would have wrongly labeled Christianity as economically subversive (besides, the immediate demise of slavery would have reduced both slaves and masters to poverty); and
• because the radical nature of Christian relationships, as we have already discussed, and equality, plainly obvious in the gospel, would be a natural barrier to slavery

The other reason we have to reframe some of the false conceptions we have about first-century slavery is to help us understand that parallels between the relationships of first-century slaves and masters and between twenty first century employees and employers are closer than one might first think.  This Household code that Paul is teaching the Ephesian church is directly applicable to today’s employer/employee dynamic.

So, let’s look at our text, where we will some see behavioural principles for slaves/employees in verses 5 to 8 and their counterparts for masters/employers in verse 9.

INSTRUCTION FOR SLAVES (vv. 5–8)

This comes in four consecutive bits of advice which are summarized in Paul’s use of four adverbs. Slaves were to obey and serve their masters respectfully, sincerely, faithfully, and cheerfully.

First, respectfully.  “Slaves,” says Paul, “obey your earthly masters with respect and fear” (v. 5a) This does not suggest that they should be shaking in their boots in fear make a wrong move, Rather, it suggests Christian reverence and respect for the master’s position and authority.

The Christian slave being instructed here would probably have a non-Christian boss. Normally the slave would be an integral part of his boss’s household, so that he would know him and his affairs inside out — a situation which could lead to feelings of contempt on the slave’s part. Do you know the saying — “familiarity [especially that which is literally familial] breeds contempt.” It would not be to hard to imagine a slave in a household descending to hypocritical, or even a sarcastic inner attitude: “I know I’m better and smarter than you, but I will pretend I’m inferior. But if I ever get the upper hand, you’re in big trouble!”

This is why Paul advised Timothy to instruct Jesus following slaves that

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered”

— 1 Timothy 6:1

This is something that is so applicable for us today. There can be no place in a Jesus-followers, employee life, for even subtle insubordination toward an employer or for smoothly concealed contempt, or worse. This is a real issue in the workplace today – God’s Word says that as employees we must conduct ourselves “with respect and fear” toward our earthly employers — not because we think they have earned it, but because they are in that position.  Instead, today, many people just get up and leave-the Great Resignation, or worse they stop contributing altogether and stay in the workplace, collecting a pay cheque-the Silent Resignation

I know many people who think or feel that work is part of the curse of sin. But it is not. Before Adam and Eve ever sinned, God had given them work to do in the Garden of Eden. They were to tend the garden and its plants (Gen 2:15). Adam was to name and care for the animals (Gen 1:28, 2:19). And together, Adam and Eve were to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth (Gen 1:28).

But when they sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, they still had to work, but now they would have to deal with aging bodies, weeds, and wearisome toil. Whereas work before would have been enjoyable and exciting, because of sin it was allowed to become burdensome and exhausting.  I truly believe that’s the root of why so many people hate their jobs.

• That’s why so many people do just enough at their jobs to not get fired.
• That’s why so many people say they can’t wait until the weekend.

Work is supposed to be good thing, and work will always be a part of our lives, whether we are here on earth, or up in heaven.

But I know that sometimes, work is not enjoyable.  Sometimes, we detest going to work.  Sometimes it’s that we’re not getting paid enough. Other times it’s because we have to work too much.

Sometimes it is the job itself we don’t like.  Often it is the people we have to work with or the person we are working for which makes our job miserable.  I always think of Joseph as the premier example of a faithful servant. No matter where he was and what he was doing, he worked as hard and as faithfully as he could. When he went to check on his brothers who tended the sheep, we’re told he went quickly.  When he was a slave in Potiphar’s house, he worked as hard as he could, and was faithful and honest with everything—even when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him.

When he was sent to prison, he even worked so hard there that he was eventually promoted to the second in command in all of Egypt.

Joseph is an excellent example of what Paul calls us to do in our jobs. Obey your earthly master to the best of your ability.

Now, human nature has not changed much since Paul’s day, and so, like today, we can bet that some of these servants would be thinking, “Well, okay. I’ll obey and do what I’m told, but I don’t have to like it and I don’t have to work hard. I’ll do just what I have to do, and nothing more.”

That’s where Paul’s next point comes in — that we should conduct ourselves sincerely (v. 5, “and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ”) — perfectly complements Paul’s direction for respect. “Sincerity” literally means singleness of heart, that we ought to obey and serve with an undivided mind – with no ulterior motive.

 “just as you would obey Christ,” Paul says. In fact, it is this focus on Jesus which overshadows all the advice to slaves/employees. Verse 6 says we are to be “like slaves of Christ.” Verse 7 similarly says, “serving the Lord, not men.” And in verse 8 we read, “the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.”

What Paul is saying is that we are serving Jesus as we serve those over us and that should be the 1st motivation behind our work.

A well-know parable of work tells of three workers building a cathedral who were questioned by a visitor as to what they were doing.

The first answered, “I am chipping these stones.”

The second answered, “I am earning wages.”

The third answered, “I am building a great cathedral.” This third response is the attitude that we are called to when we see our lives as Cathedrals, being built to the glory of God, and so that is what produces our respect and sincerity toward those we serve here on earth.

Now, Paul uses a word next that our culture today tends to bristle at…  (v. 6, “Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart”). This is the principle of faithful service..

When I played football at Kingsville High School – Go Cav’s!! At the beginning of every practice we did push-ups. The coach ordered everyone down and began to chant, “up-down, up-down,” and all of us began our pushups… until he looked away. In that moment some would stop until he turned around again, then back to the pushups. There are employees who are all action when the boss is around, but otherwise loll around the watercooler…. For them, out of he Bosses eye there is no industry, no enthusiasm, no heart of faithfulness.

This is apparently what happened in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. The two servants who were given the five and two talents immediately got to work even though the master was gone on a journey. And when he returned he praised them with “‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’” (v. 23). But to the slave who did nothing with his talent, while the boss was gone (he buried it!), the master gave this rebuke: “‘You wicked, lazy servant!’” (v. 26). Let me assure you, God has no use for laziness. There is no such thing as a lazy-faithful servant.

And lastly, Paul tells slaves/employees to be cheerful: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free” (vv. 7, 8). The idea here is that we are to go about our tasks with a cheerful disposition. Have you ever met a Christian sourpuss?( now, that should be a contradiction in terms, but they do exist)- people who bring unpleasantness to everything — even driving. I saw an Instagram meme, that quoted a little boy who innocently said to his mother, “Mommy, why do all the idiots come out when Daddy drives?” Little ones have good hearing, don’t they!!

Folks, our work is to be done with good cheer because we know that “the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do.” What a motivation for a different attitude – even when we find ourselves doing the drudgeries of life. God’s word tells us in many places that there is a reward coming to those who serve God by serving others, Heaven and all it’s glories. The Spirit-filled first-century slaves knew this and held it close to their hearts, and the twenty first-century Jesus follower who understands this as wisdom will know the same reward.

FOR MASTERS (v. 9)

Despite the pandemic, economic crisis, mass layoffs, and the increase in the unemployment rate, job satisfaction climbed from its lowest ever rate of 42.6 percent recorded in 2010 to 56.9 percent in 2021 – the highest in 20 years. The percentage of workers reporting engagement in their work also increased from 53.2 percent in November 2019 to 54.3 percent in November 2021. ~The Conference Board (Job satisfaction 2021)

This report shows us some improvement, the fact is that more than 40% of the people surveyed don’t like there job and a similar number are not engaged in their work…..But, we know that it doesn’t have to be this way…if we live out what Paul says here, if the Bible triumphed over culture in our lives –  we could see something of a revival in the workplace – what Paul was encouraging then and what we have the opportunity to do now is to employ truly revolutionary social ethics.

Look at this – first Paul states the Managerial Golden Rule: “And masters, treat your slaves in the same way.” Just as the mutual submission invoked in 5:21 controls first husband-and-wife relationships, and then parent-and-child relationships while maintaining a divine order, so does the principle of mutual submission apply here, leaving the employer/employee relationship in proper order.

What Paul is telling those in authority today is, treat your employees the way you want to be treated.

• If you want respect, show respect.
• If you want sincerity, be sincere.
• If you want faithful employees, you be faithful to them.
• If you want cheerful, model cheerfulness.

Today we call this is ‘enlightened management’,  in workplaces where this has been the norm and where it has been in effect for some time there is always more harmony and productivity.

Paul says, there has to be an understanding of the radical spiritual equality of both slave and master. “Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him” (v. 9b).  The master/employer, though they hold superior authority, they must view themselves and their employees or reports as equal before God. It’s not lip service that is required but an attitude of heart.

Mutual submission demands that the employer doesn’t resort to harshness and doesn’t use their superior position to bully.  Because God is the judge, superiors must be careful to:  pay fair wages and benefits, must care about his employees’ illnesses, must be concerned for their marriages, for their children, for their education and future…. Employers, Managers, leaders – you are called to think differently too…

As with everything we’ve looked at in the past 3 weeks, the living out of this is not easy – but it is tremendously impactful in our lives and for us as Jesus followers, it’s not an option to be considered, it’s how we are called to live. God’s Word to those of us who are employers or managers or supervisors is clear, just as it is for employees.

No relationship is just a relationship; it’s a context for relating to Jesus.  No job is merely work; it is a context for serving Jesus. What we do matters. The most important application of this word is the realization that we are slaves of Jesus. We belong to him and serve him. If we take seriously that he is the origin and recipient of every act that we undertake, all our work takes on greater meaning and our treatment of people changes.

• Work will be done with care, not just to get by.
• People will be nurtured, not used or ignored
• Our call is to reflect His love and truth.

Here’s my question to you today – Who is your audience? That’s right – who is the audience that you are focused on in the relationships and tasks of your everyday ?

So many people spend their lives seeking respect and admiration from what I think is often a poorly defined audience. Let me explain what I mean – I tend to notice that as humans interests and wants become more aware to people, the audience that is influencing them becomes more defined.

• We choose the audience we want to impress.
• We act in direct response to the audience we think is watching.

The more we care about the audience, the more diligent we are.

• We work hard if the right audience is watching.
• We dress carefully if certain people will see us.
• We watch what we say more carefully in certain groups.

But all to often it seems that if ‘the audience’ is not present, neither is the effort. And I also tend to notice that a direct result of that kind of thinking is why we demean some people but go overboard to impress others. With the first group we don’t seem to care about the audience; but if there is something for us to gain, all of a sudden we can have a new found source of effort to impress who’s watching.

Church, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are asked to remember only one audience, the audience who’s always present and to whom we are accountable—The Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit – Our God. We are not to play to a secondary audience, and we are not to seek to impress some other group. We are to honor God by living in truth and love…as Wives and Husbands, as Children and Parents and yes as Slaves and Masters in our context today….Then not only will we know harmony and an eternal reward…but as Jesus tells us, people will know that we are his followers because we ‘love one another’. We are going to jump deeper into this idea of loving one another in our upcoming Series – How to Neighbour.  Every day, we have the opportunity to live out our faith in front of people, to be different on purpose….we are not called to keep our faith behind stained glass windows. If our faith cannot move out of the sanctuary and get out into the the everyday instances of these relationships we’ve discussed in the past 3 weeks, there is something very wrong.

Following Jesus doesn’t bring about harmony by erasing social or cultural differences. Servants are still servants when they trust Jesus, and masters are still masters.  

Following Jesus brings harmony by changing our hearts b/c we are Spirit filled people. Next week will be the last in our Ephesian series – we’ll finish with an understanding of how God equips us through the Spirit to accomplish this different way of thinking and put it into practice.

Let’s Pray.