21) Slaves and Masters
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Today we look at a third group slaves and masters.
1 All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters as worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and his teaching will not be blasphemed. 2 Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but serve them even better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. Teach and encourage these things.
Slaves and Masters
Slaves and Masters
This is a group of people that is even harder for us to wrap our minds around then widows and elders. Due to the history of our world and the current state of our nation the topic of slaves is a difficult one to address. And though it is a hot button topic in our culture today, we do not get to sidestep the harder things in the bible. The bible speaks much on slaves and we must be careful that we do not read into the text what is not there or discount or gloss over what is there.
Masters, like widows and elders are also to be shown honor. In verse 5:3 he tells them to Honor widows who are truly widows, and in 5:17 he tells them that elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor. And here he states that Masters are to be regarded as worthy of honor or respect.
He uses the same Greek word in chapter 1 when he ascribes honor to God.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
This word can be used to mean both placing a value on something and giving great respect to a person. We see an issue of the people in Timothy's church that were not behaving or treating people with the respect that was pleasing to God. They were not being valued in the way that God has prescribed.
God should be given the ultimate expression of our respect, praise, and honor because he is worthy of it. He has shown he is worthy by all that he has done from creation to salvation.
22 The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not the Father who sent him.
There is a level of honor that is to be given in all relationships.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
In the community of God’s people he has established relationships between people that require honor and respect. Children are to honor their parents, wives are to respect their husbands, the church is to honor the elders and the widows. from emperors to slaves all of those that have been put in places of leadership and authority are to be given the proper honor and respect.
7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
Along with that is that every person who is put in the place of authority or leadership is to love and care for those that are in their care. They are to be good and worthy of the respect that is due them. Parents are not to exasperate their children and show them who the living God is in their lives. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, as he gave himself up for her. Loving her as he loves himself. Elders are to watch over the people, keeping watch over the souls of the people and who will give an account in the end for their work.
Here he turns to the slaves and masters and tells them that they are to give honor and respect to the masters.
Slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a tricky subject to talk about. It has been part of our history as a country as it was a part of the Israelite nation and the roman empire. Slavery continues to this day in many nations including our own. The US has one of the lowest rates in the world but it still exists today.
The history of slavery has made translating the bible a struggle for English bible translators, especially for our country. In the prefix of the ESV translation, it lists five words under a section that speaks of the difficulty of translating certain specialized terms. The third item on their list is the Greek word doulos. This word is used in our text and it literally means slave. But we find it translated as servant or bondservant in many of the English translations.
The reason that this is tricky for translators is that when they are translating the bible they are picking words that they believe best describe what was written. With our history when we think of the word slave, many immediately think of it as racial, involuntary, cruel and dehumanizing, and permanent, among other things. This type of slavery is evil and should never be condoned.
Slavery has been these things in our past but does not describe what the bible means when it used the term for slave in the Greek or Hebrew.
We see in the scriptures that the slavery the we picture in our head is not what was being spoken of by the writers. People could become slaves for many reasons.
Many times it wasn’t by choice. If a nation was conquered the people could become slaves to the victorious nation as prisoners of war. Others were sold by family members to pay debts that they owed. A person could be born into slavery.
There were also people who would voluntarily sell themselves into slavery.
39 “If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, ...
We might ask why would anyone do that? Why would someone sell themselves into slavery? One reason is that it was a way out of financial trouble but slaves were protected by the Levitical Law. Especially Jewish slaves. They had personal rights, religious rights, and were to be treated well.
They had rights like they couldn’t be held indefinitely.
2 “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything.
39 “If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him to do slave labor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he may work for you until the Year of Jubilee.
They were to be treated like hired workers. They were to be a part of the household and when their time was complete they would be sent away with the money that they earned that the master had stored up for them while they worked. Slaves were not to be abused or taken advantage of. If they were abused they were to be released.
They even had the opportunity to become permanent slaves if they choose to do so.
5 “But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,’ 6 his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.
The New Testament speaks of slaves as integral participants in the life of their master’s home. They had many roles including overseeing the entire household.
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?
When the master would leave he may even leave his possessions and his estate in the care of his slaves.
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
This is much different than what we picture when we think of slavery and this is what the translators struggle with. So they came to this conclusion.
They have tried to use the word slave when it was specifically dealing with a person who was sold or if it was relating to something that was not a person, as in a slave to sin. Instead they used the term servant to convey that these slaves were not under the same overbearing cruelty of slavery in our history. But in each case the writers were writing slave. The greek has other words that mean household servant, or servant boy that are used but we find over and over they used the specific word for slave.
The greek word for slave, doulos was a person who is under the complete authority of another.
Doulos
slave n. — a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master.
It did not matter the circumstances of how a person got to this position, or the reason they were there. It did not matter if it was temporary or permanent. It didn’t matter if the situation was good or bad. If a person was under the complete authority of another they were slaves.
The relationship between the slave and the master is one of authority. It was expected for a slave to obediently follow the commands of the master. So much so that they were not to seek thanks for just doing what was expected of them.
7 “Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did what was commanded? 10 In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’ ”
The reason we recoil from this is the reality that the life of a slave was dependent on the character of the master. When we think of slaves we think of horrible men and women who did atrocious things to other human beings. But this is not how the word was used in the early church.
Look at how the centurion cares for his slave.
1 When he had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.” 6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.
This man was the master of this slave. This boy was under his authority and he went to great lengths to has his slave healed. He was a man of great character as testified by the Jewish elders. This slave was highly valued by him he was part of his household and under his care.
The centurion reveals that the one who is under complete authority is a slave and he uses this definition in he requests that Jesus just say the word and his servant is healed.
This man was a good master for the slave boy. He understood the responsibility that he had for this person.
The word slave has taken on a fundamentally negative connotation as has the word master.
Master
Master
If a slave is simply one who is under the full authority and rule of another then master is the one who has the rule and authority. The word here means absolute rule and authority. It is the Greek word
Despotes
It is the word we get despot from. Which is another word that has a currently different meaning today than when the scriptures were written. The current definition of a despot is this:
Despot - a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.
When we think of people were in absolute authority - despots of history, who do we think of? We think of the Hitlers and the Stallans of history. The Neros of the past. But the issue when the scripture is translated is that despots were neither good or bad. They are just people in absolute authority over others.
18 Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel.
Peter here speaks of the fact that masters or despots can be good and gentile or also cruel. Who is the most good and gentle master?
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.
They raised their voices to God to the one with absolute authority and said Master, despotes. The ESV says sovereign Lord.
Christians are special instruments to be used by the Master.
21 So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
An in Revelation John writes.
10 They cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, the one who is holy and true, how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”
The word Paul uses here would have been a word that he used to refer to God himself. A similar Greek word kyrios also means supreme authority and is used over 700 times in the new testament. This is used in Romans
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you confess Jesus is the supreme ruler and has all authority and believe God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
It is extremely important that we come to understand that Paul is telling Timothy how those that are under full authority of others are to conduct themselves.
Slaves Good Conduct
Slaves Good Conduct
1 All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters as worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and his teaching will not be blasphemed. 2 Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but serve them even better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved. Teach and encourage these things.
There is a personal connection between the slave and the master. It says they should regard their own masters as worthy of all respect. He speaks of any person who has personal authority over them. They maybe believers or not. But any who are in this position is to deem them worthy of respect and honor.
It was likely there were those that were now rebelling against their unbelieving masters because of their newfound faith. But Paul is telling them that just because you are a believer and have been saved eternally it does not break the authority that was already established.
There were also people that were starting to be disobedient to their Christian masters because they are now equal in Christ.
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In the spiritual sense there is no difference between believers in nationality, economic status, gender or any other way that we can think of to categorize people. But it does not change one’s nationality, gender, or status in this world. We are equal in the spiritual kingdom. The slave and master relationship was not dissolved when a person was saved by faith.
In the contrary Paul calls believers to live in this way so that. For the those that have unbelieving masters that God’s name and his teaching will not be blasphemed.
For those that had the benefit of Christian masters they were to serve them all the better because they would benefit from their service and that they are bound by love.
This was a reoccurring issue in the early church as it had to be addressed many times.
18 Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel. 19 For it brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.
Paul writes to Titus
9 Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
Those that were under full authority were to honor those in authority. Ideally these would both be followers of Christ but even if the Master was not they were to live proclaiming the goodness of Christ to their masters through their godly behavior and respect.
We are Slaves
We are Slaves
Today we may not submit to full authority but the principle applies to anyone who has authority. Has anyone here willingly signed an employment agreement? These are not full authority but do we not submit ourselves to the will of our employer? Has anyone here ever joined the armed forces? Are there levels of authority there? Students how many of you would say you willingly go to school? but do teachers have authority over your time and your advancement? Who here has a mother or father? Do parents have any authority over your life? or what about church? We see scriptures about submitting to elders and obeying them? Do they not have a level of authority?
The principles here speak of the heart of a person when they are under authority of others. We are to serve well and work hard at what ever tasks we are given.
22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
We have much more freedom to choose who we submit too. Slaves worked for their masters and we still work today. But sometimes we work in a job that we really do not like, or for a person that in our mind is not worthy of any respect based on their character but what other option do we see before us? The bible says we are to work and those that do not work don’t eat but it never says we are guaranteed pleasing work that is wonderful to go to every day.
From the fall work has been hard,
17 And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.
Even today we still find it hard and we find ourselves under those with authority to do the work. So we are to do everything to the best of our abilities. We cannot think of a harder thing to do well, then to be a slave but even then they were to bring honor to God through their own work and attitude. Working from the heart as if it was for the Lord.
Before we end today I want to look back to Romans
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This is what we profess as believers and Christians that have been redeemed by the loving God by repenting of our sin, believing that he died for our sins, and confessing him as Lord and Master.
There is a reason that we must come to understand these terms and how God used them in the scripture. As translators have shied away from using the word slave because of the image it can paint in a person’s mind, they have brought forth a secondary potential issue. Just like slave creates an image in our minds, so does servant, and bondservant.
We can come to see that when we are called “servants” of God what do we imagine? Do we see a maid or butler? a part time employee? a Temporary season of service one that we can go to and come home from? One of the primary identities of believers in the new testament was one of slave. They claimed and taught that they were the slaves of the one and only true God.
When they claimed this they called him their supreme ruler and that he was to be fully obeyed with all authority. They claimed to be his possession. People who were bought at a price.
1 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.
The false prophets were accused of denying their master.
19 Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.
Here Paul claimed that the Corinthians are not their own but were bought at a price.
17 Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches. 18 Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. 19 Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter. Keeping God’s commands is what matters. 20 Let each of you remain in the situation in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Don’t let it concern you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity. 22 For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of people. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.
Those that are called to be Christ’s slave. Because of the work of the cross because of Christ’s sacrifice, because of his great love
8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.
The believers are called slaves throughout the new testament.
18 I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy.
It was what they claimed to be:
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, ...
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus: ...
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, ...
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: ...
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: ...
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
The apostles who could have used many titles to open their letters of encouragement and correction first and foremost claimed to be slaves. Those under the authority of another. They were proclaiming Christ as their Master.
They followed the example of Christ
7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
They were going out into the world and teaching and proclaiming that we are no longer our own. We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus. He is our master our despot, our king, our Lord, our total authority. We willingly submit to the one who is worthy of all honor and praise.
They fully believed they were slaves to the master. They choose to live in the reality of that position. To give up his life.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?
The apostles and the disciples gave up the hardest thing we have to relinquish, that is our own perceived freedoms. The slaves that were under good masters lived pleasant lives. They were cared for and secure in the hands of the master who took care of everything else.
These scriptures mean so much more when understood as slave. Because that is what we are if we call Christ our Lord. But along with that position. Where he has all authority, we are also called friends where we are given the privilege of knowing what the master is doing. And we become sons and daughters as we are adopted into God’s household. We become heirs in the inheritance of the household. And we become citizens in the masters kingdom.
Even with all of the great things we are still slaves of Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This is a battle for everyone today. We rebel against all authority naturally in our sin but we also live in a country that promotes so much individualism and self that we struggle to entertain the idea of being in complete submission to someone else. Children reject the authority of the parents. Children are taught that your parents do not know what is good for you. The state does. The people of the church reject the authority of the leaders. They are just employees of the church. If we don’t like them lets get rid of them and if that cannot happen then I will go down the street to the next church for awhile. Few are found that willingly submit to any authority.
The issue is also that those that have been given authority are not good masters or leaders. They abuse or neglect their duties as they fail to obey the master. So the cycle continues generation after generation. The cycle of hurt and selfishness, rebellion and chaos.
But the scripture speak of homes of peace, churches of unity, of slaves of Christ that live out the will of God by following the commands of God from the Word of God, by the power of God, in the plan of God.
The question for each of us today is: Can we claim to be slaves to the good master? We confess him as master but do our actions, words, and behaviors reflect the one who purchased us with his own precious blood.
Do we partially obey Christ? Or do we seek to please the master by being a good and faithful servant?
19 I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.
Our submission to Christ’s authority will influence our reaction to all earthy authority as well.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. 13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 16 Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Let us be a people that are God’s slaves. That what ever we do we do for the Glory of our master for Christ. Let the name of God be proclaimed by the service to our King and Savior Jesus Christ. For he is a good and faithful master. He will never leave us or forsake us. Who sustains us and guides us. Who loves us more deeply than we can comprehend.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
