Ephesians Devotionals
Bob Morris
Masters/Bosses (Ephesians 6:9)
And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favouritism with him.
The advice to owners of slaves is far briefer than the instructions to slaves, but is based on them. If we translate “in the same way” into instructions for masters it might be as follows:
- Treat your slaves with respect and with sincerity of heart, just as you would treat Christ Jesus.
- Manage them, not just for your own convenience or to make them productive, but doing what is right because you serve Christ.
- Supervise them fairly knowing you are both being supervised by Jesus.
- Remember you will be rewarded for the good you do, just as they will.
Slave owners had the same Master in heaven that slaves had. Both were expected to serve him faithfully, whatever their respective roles.
More to the point, why didn’t Paul just tell all slave owners to set their slaves free? Surely any human “owning” any other human is immoral. Yet we tolerate slavery in our world, from the bonded labourers of rich landowners in southern Pakistan to the sex workers being pimped in downtown Toronto.
Why didn’t Jesus himself speak out against this horror that was so common in his world?
We must beware of judging people of another culture and another era by standards which we have adopted after many decades of debate and political action. The early church was born and grew in a world that fully integrated slavery into the economy and society. They themselves were marginalized and powerless and had little or no impact on their world as a whole. Even if they had, slavery could not be eliminated very easily; slaves outnumbered free people in many cities. [To get a measure of the complexity of abolishing slavery, think of what it would take to abolish the modern slavery of prostitution worldwide] Given this reality, it is remarkable to see the radical steps the church had taken.
In this passage, Paul assumes that slave and free will be worshipping together in the local churches. Not only were they equal before the cross, but they both came under the law of Christ and were responsible to him for their treatment of each other. In another place (Philemon), Paul appeals to a slave owner to welcome back his runaway slave Onesimus as a brother. In the church, slaves and masters were brothers and sisters, whatever they were in the world. It was that attitude and those values that would eventually lead to the abolishment of the slave trade and slavery itself. In the words of O Holy Night,
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
None of us should tolerate slavery of any kind. Any servanthood amongst Christians must be voluntary, for the sake of Christ and the good of the one being served.
Lord Jesus, you called yourself servant of all, yet are the Master of everything. Help us to serve others in your name, regardless of rank or title, and without favouritism toward any.
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