Ephesians 5:22-6:9; Little Households of God
Ephesians 5:22-6:9; Little Households of God
Sermon in a sentence: My home will be God’s household.
Introduction
Improperly ordered family relationships hinder the work of the Spirit in the community.
Wives and Husbands (vs. 22-33)
The present imperative of the verb “love” (ἀγαπᾶτε) indicates that this kind of love should be the regular and hallmark feature of the husband’s affections and behavior toward his wife. It makes no provision for the wife to earn the husband’s favor. The command entails the husband’s responsibility regardless of his wife’s behavior, health condition, appearance, or any other potential deterrent. The fact that Christ loved the church—even in her most unlovely and unbecoming state—defines the love commitment that Christ expects from a Christian husband. His love should be unconditional.
Exhortations for men to love their wives are rare in Graeco-Roman literature and in the Second Temple Jewish texts. Men are never exhorted to love their wives in the household codes outside of the New Testament.
If one asked Paul, “Are we baptized in water or in the Spirit at conversion?” His reply would be, “Both.”
Children and Parents (vs. 1-4)
The “children” (τὰ τέκνα) he speaks of are those who are still in the home. They are old enough to understand instructions from their parents and deliberate over whether they should obey or go their own way. They are still being “brought up” (ἐκτρέφω), receiving instruction and correction from their fathers (6:4), and have not gotten married and left home (5:31). This would most likely place the age range of the children from early elementary to the late teen years or early twenties. It is significant that Paul addresses them directly and not through their parents. This implies that they are present when the community assembles to worship, to hear the reading of the Word, and to receive teaching.
This passage, however, teaches that fathers need to exercise a sensitivity and care in how they interact with their children, and especially in how they discipline them. Fathers should carefully weigh the potential impact of their words and actions before responding to their children. This passage effectively rules out reactionary flare-ups, overly harsh words, insults, sarcasm, nagging, demeaning comments, inappropriate teasing, unreasonable demands, and anything else that can be perceived as provocative. In his instructions to fathers in Colossians, Paul says, “do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged” (Col 3:21).
