God's Purpose Is Radically Different

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Kyle asked to take Eph 5 household code :)

He set the stage

just like Paul subverted the very nature of men and womens relationships in chapter 5, in this passage Paul takes on the other 2 parts of household relationships and does the same thing.

The radical reframing of Eph 5 &6 should startle us even today.

New Living Translation Chapter 5

16 “Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Again, start with weaker party and their obligation…but stated as an invitation....to be blessed through kingdom relationship. This is a rock solid promise that we see take root even today.

There is no transaction in parenting.

-It is a relationship

-They are humans with incredible dignity and worth

-they will be your brothers and sisters in Christ

-you have responsibilities to one another

-respect, Dignity, care, generosity,

-Generational connection and care is the center of God’s provision for his people:

-Poverty (kids and old age)

-fundamentally altered by lifelong care in loving family relationships

-When we follow the way of Jesus, when we use confession, humility, holiness, gentleness, long suffering, love and forgiveness....as the basis for our relationships, we see an unparalleled power to keep connected over a lifetime.

“In Ancient Rome, fathers were endowed with nearly limitless power over their family, especially their children. This patria potestas, or "the father's power" gave him legal rights over his children until he died or his children were emancipated.[3]: 36 These powers included the right to arrange marriages or force divorce, expose a new born child if he did not want him/her, and even disown, sell, or kill his child.”

the father had limitless power....why is the mother not in this picture?

A woman in Ancient Rome was under the social expectation to become a wife and mother. Despite the importance of the mother in the family structure as the bearer of the children, she had no legal control over her children.

3/10 babies died in childbirth

1/3rd of all women died in childbirth (1/50 births) 5-10 births

Men were the ones that were responsible for raising kids because they were around for so many

There are two sides to every relationship…and this is an interesting turn:

-start with the weaker party (covenant)

-See it as a gift of compliance rather than a duty

-challenge the stronger party to act like God.: generous, kind, long suffering, not power hungry.

Back to Gen 15: the suzerain treaty

-the strong takes on the penalty for the weak.

Now the harder passage

New Living Translation Chapter 6

Slaves and Masters

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Slavery is an important thing to understand about the ancient world:

-different than chattel slavery of US (national not racial), intimate familial---why war was wrong then and is wrong now.

-whether Slave or free:

The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5–6).

-there were laws against releasing slaves

-from the beginning of Rome....but never a part of God’s purposes

household slaves:

-part of the family

-responsibilities in both directions

-debt slavery (children, self)

servus non habet personam (slave does not have a person)

Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary (c. Servants and Masters (6:5–9))

Then a very practical point is touched on. Threatening came very easily to the lips of the master of slaves in the ancient world, and the slave could not answer back. It involved their ‘trying to extort the last ounce of effort from their slaves by threat of punishment’ (Mitton, NCB). The employer may still today speak and act as the one who has the ‘whip-hand’.

what an interesting thing we see here about our work and the work of the slave driver.

we live in a time of bondage to work…and our corporations demand more and more from us:

-hours

-engagement (24-7)

-unpaid work

-little time off

-maximum efficiency

-minimal resources

the economics of work have always had these same temptations:

-more work

-less pay

-more profit

-less work for owner

-faster ROI

God hates this mentality

-its about us not trusting him

-it is about us ignoring his commitments and commandments

-it is evil

-it is about inequality

-there will be no slavery in God’s kingdom

-there will be no capitalism in God’s kingdom

Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary c. Servants and Masters (6:5–9)

It means, moreover, the transformation of the Christian’s entire standards of work and service into something totally different from the standards of the world. Work and service are to be rendered to an earthly master, as if they were being offered to the heavenly Lord himself. This would hardly have been easier to accomplish for one who, in Paul’s day, was a slave against his will, than it would be for an employee today, with all the arguments based on materialistic concepts to face. But once again Paul does not merely present a high spiritual ideal and leave it there. He is searchingly practical. He demands that service be given in singleness of heart. Honesty of purpose and wholehearted effort must characterize the Christian employee.

the relationship with employers is different today but holds the same commitments as followers of Jesus.

New Living Translation (Chapter 3)

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

what does this mean:

-in every relationship we have one of three postures, over, under or equal

-when over: radical care and service like Jesus

-work relationship…we do not Lord over like the gentiles do

-in our families: we do not exasperate our kids, treat with dignity

-in our church family: servant leadership

-When under; radical service and submission like Jesus

-work relationship: transformed relationship with work

-we don’t work for our employer, we work for Jesus to provide for our families

-We are the best employees because it is not a transaction but an act of Love:

-roofing construction

-boys and girls club

-janitor

-soccer coach

-Selling insurance: act of love of protection

-Banking: help the avoid fees and find the right products that help them meet their goals

-ministry: even---work for Jesus on the institution....loving our people rather than serving our organization

-Media-design: make beautiful designs that lovingly help my clients

-Investment Advisor: help people use their money for eternal significance and to provide for their families

-Real estate development: Built great dwellings, at an affordable price that protects our investors from losing their money.

-learn to love work by learning to serve people: understand how your work serves and use that as your motivation.

What about when it is awful?

-some of you hate your job because you don’t enjoy work.

-learn to enjoy work, learning and challenge. Growing

-it is a part of the kingdom

-when you have an abusive boss, sometimes God calls us to quiet submission (Jesus and Jewish Authorities/Rome) because our time has not come yet. Sometimes he calls us to a prophetic voice to provide for the weak, not protect ourselves.

-Create a culture of joy, of service, hard work and real boundaries and see what happens around you.

-Sometimes we can’t stay…but leaving with a blessing is a powerful witness.

-Sometimes it is not the boss but the job

-too many hours

-not enough breaks

-not enough pay

-too demanding,

-our bodies cannot handle it

-As leaders we have to fight the dehumanizing effect of modern work that treats people as cogs rather than humans.

-We need realistic expectations and commensurate pay

-Our employees should love working for us because they are treated with dignity and respect.

-When equal: mutual submission like Jesus.

-We don’t try to find an edge

-we treat others with dignity

-we treat our friends and other adults as adults

-we trust God to work in their lives

-we speak truth lovingly not arrogantly

-we do not lord over one another like gentiles

-we lead like Jesus

-identity work (insecure leaders are a risk to the world)

Radical ways that we can follow Jesus in our work lives:

-Generosity rather than greed

-clear relational contracts

-open trusting communication

-shrewd-loving business relationships

-good boundaries, accountability, willing to walk away when forced, trusting God for provision