Our Heavenly Master
Ephesians 6:5-9
Main Idea: We must treat others and approach our work in relationship to our Heavenly Master.
I. The Gospel & Slavery
Slavery and servitutde were a massive part of the structure of the Roman Empire, with some estimating there were upwards of 60 million slaves (or ‘bondservants’) at the time of Christ. In a city like Ephesus, a full ⅓ of the population may have been bondservants.“Paul could no more envisage a world without slavery than we can envisage a world without electricity.” ~ N.T. Wright
Though the practices of slavery varied throughout the Roman Empire, the practice during the time of the NT was different than slavery in the American South in some important ways:
It was based more in economics than race.
It was (usually) not lifelong; bondservants would work for compensation and could gain their freedom through release or payment.
Bondservants were a part of the structure of society at nearly all levels, often serving in roles like teachers, secretaries, and doctors.
Paul teaches Christians how they should live within this existing and culturally unquestioned structure without condoning it. The gospel itself undermined the very institution of slavery, creating a community of equality and justice in the church that helped lead to the end of this practice.
“While we cannot defend the indolence or cowardice of two further Christian centuries which saw this social evil but failed to eradicate it, we can at the same time rejoice that the gospel immediately began even in the first century to undermine the institution; it lit a fuse which at long last led to the explosion which destroyed it.”
~ John Stott
II. The Gospel & Bondservants (6:5-8)
Bondservants are to render their service and their work ultimately to Christ. Paul directly connections their work and their position four times to the Lord. They are to serve their earthly masters in a way that honors their Heavenly Master.
This gives them three new realities for their work:
New Motivation: purity and sincerity of heart (“wholeness”)
New Work Ethic: not for people-pleasing, but good honest work before the Lord
New Reward: working for treasures in heaven and a reward from their Heavenly Master
With these exhortations in mind, Christians today ought to approach treatment of others in authority and our work in the same way (cf. Col. 3:23-24). Our motivations for work should not be worldly, but instead Spirit-filled (5:18), reflecting our greater calling to the Lord in every area of our lives.
“Christians have been set free to enjoy working. If we begin to work as if we were serving the Lord, we will be freed from both overwork and underwork. Neither the prospect of money and acclaim, nor the lack of it, will be our controlling consideration. Work will be primarily a way to please God by doing his work in the world, for his name’s sake.”
~ Tim Keller
III. The Gospel & Masters (6:9)
Paul’s exhortations here would have been revolutionary in this culture; he assumes that within the church there is an equality and reciprocal treatment between master and bondservant (“do the same to them”). Like bondservants, masters must treat those under their authority as they would treat Christ (cf. Col. 4:1).
For those in positions of authority, they are compelled by the gospel to use their authority in a way that resembles Christ, embracing that they are “fellow-servants” of the same Heavenly Master who shows no partiality. They must not threaten or intimidate those under their authority, but treat them with dignity and respect.
As we draw our attention to our Heavenly Master, we are reminded that Jesus “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). He came in his incarnation “by taking the form of a servant” and counting others as more significant than himself (Phil. 2:3-7). The pattern of our Heavenly Master must be the foundation and source of strength for how we treat others and our work.
