Ephesians 6:5-9
I hate my boss: How to be a Christian in the workplace
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just
as you would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of
Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does,
whether he is slave or free.
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 favoritism with
him.
(Eph 6:5-9 NIV)
Pray
I don’t like my boss
My boss was kind of a jerk. I had already survived two other bosses that they brought in and this
was the third and she seldom made me happy. One time she straight up lied to my face. The truth
manifested itself right in our face and I just stared at her. She knew she had been caught and
basically said, “yeah, so I lied,” and moved on with her work. But worse than being lied to, at
least for me at the time, was her expectation of me after work. She didn’t have a car and pretty
much insisted that if we closed with her we took her home.
This was a big deal to me because at this time in my life we were meeting with great regularity to
play beach volleyball. When we closed at 10, I would grab the gear and head to a field with
friends. We would park the cars in a circle with their headlights on and we would play doubles or
triples volleyball till midnight or whenever. There was always a net and ball in my car. And now
I had to take her home.
I didn’t like my boss.
Yep, that’s the worst boss story I can come up with in my experience. Pretty blessed huh? I
worked selling electronics, books, painting houses, building decks, landscaping, tree climbing,
assisting professors, being a professor and in a few churches and that’s the worst “boss” story I
have.
But yours are worse I am sure. You have a boss like Dilberts. Or you got Michael Scott. Or like
the trio on Horrible bosses where they actually plot to kill their boss.
If you do an internet search for “my boss is killing me” you get more than 20 million results.
I loved some of the stories of these bosses:
Showed appreciation by giving an employee an ipod (but he’s deaf).
Her boss eats pork chops in team meetings, then picks her teeth
My boss kept me from conferring with the doctors that were treating my mother for a
brain tumor
My boss used to call meetings, invite lots of people but not give an agenda. Then just as
everyone arrived, he would take that lengthy personal call while everyone else just
twiddled their thumbs.
My boss gave his employees used, counterfeit designer watches to reward them for their
efforts.
He clipped fingernails in meetings.
He gave the first employee of the month award to himself.
I will tell you this, I am glad to serve now with three men who account for my work, but do so
with compassion, wisdom, honor and Christ’s love. That is a blessing that so many of you do not
know and I am truly sorry. I actually want to talk a bit about this today—about bosses and
employees and our responsibility to each other. I also want to show you why this topic is so very
important to the gospel and to showing people Jesus.
Is God okay with slavery?
But we can’t just jump into that, because there is this glaring problem that the text absolutely
requires us to consider. I mean, I started off talking about employers and employees, but this
isn’t found anywhere in our text this morning. The words there are master and slave. That seems
quite a lot different to me.
It says to serve them wholeheartedly, but it also says to obey. And also to obey with respect and
fear. That’s a relationship I really know nothing about.
When I think of slavery my first thought is the African American slave trade. I see ships full of
black men and women in chains. I see the Amistad. I see 12 years a slave. I see Jim trying to
escape his master with Huck Finn and I see Uncle Tom abused.
And then I read this text and am completely blown away. I would totally expect God to have
inspired a text that says something like “if you are a slave owner, STOP. Free all slaves. For
Christ’s sake (literally, I am not using inappropriate slang) Put an end to the horror and atrocity
that is slavery.”
So what do we do with this text?
Is the Old Testament okay with slavery?
And just so we are very clear, it’s not just this text?
Jump to Exodus with me
Exo 21:20-21
“If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result,
he must be punished . . . 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or
two, since the slave is his property.” (NIV)
Exodus 21:28-32
29 “If a bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept
it penned up and it kills a [free] man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner
also must be put to death. . . .32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must
pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned.” (NIV)
Deut 22:25-26
“But if out in the country a man happens to meet a [free] girl pledged to be married and
rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the girl; she has
committed no sin deserving death.”
Lev 19:20-22
If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl . . . there must be due punishment. Yet
they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man must bring a
ram . . . for a guilt offering to . . . and his sin will be forgiven.”
I am not sure how you read that, but free people are certainly more important than slaves.
Exodus 21 actually says they are property.
And let’s not turn to Lev 25:44-46 but it says that if you are taking slaves, make sure its from the
heathen and foreigners and then they will become an inheritance for you and your children
forever.
Is the NT is okay with slavery?
So you say, well that’s OT, we don’t follow that anymore.
I have to say that’s a little too simplistic, but even if it’s right, we still have Ephesians 6, our
passage today and …
I Peter 2:18-20
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good
and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
Tit 2:9-10
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything,
So what the heck?
What kind of slavery are we talking about here?
And I will go ahead and grant that slavery was seldom the picture we have of it today.
Philosophers had long argued that masters should treat their slaves well and many slaves
preferred slavery to freedom. Some sold themselves into slavery because their life would actually
be better. Some could own property, even other slaves and they could take other employment in
addition to their duties as slaves. Things were pretty okay for a good amount of slaves. But the
legal position was clear—they could be whipped, confined, even killed by their owners. And of
course they were considered property.
And God seems okay with it, even commanding it.
Do Christians continue to practice slavery after the NT?
Oh yeah, and it didn’t end in the NT.
Augustine of Hippo argued that slavery was part of the mechanism to preserve the natural order
of things.
John Chrysostom, argued that slaves should be resigned to their fate.
St. Thomas Aquinas taught that, although the subjection of one person to another (servitus) was
not part of the primary intention of the natural law, it was appropriate and socially useful in a
world impaired by original sin.
And the Methodists supported slavery until the 1780s. Stinking Methodists
The Catholics supported it till 1839. Stinking Catholics
And the Southern Baptist Convention was founded six years later in Augusta GA in challenge to
the Home Mission Society’s view that slavery be abolished. Our denomination was founded to
preserve slavery.
The Old Testament seems okay with it, the New Testament seems okay with it, church history
seems okay with is and I hope and pray that every one of you finds the idea of slavery (at least
some of the slavery mentioned even in scripture) reprehensible.
A possible answer to the “Bible justifies slavery” problem
This isn’t an easy and quick answer, but let me see if I can do it justice in only a minute or two.
The truth is that Christians simply missed the progress of redemption here. For centuries we
Christians fought for slavery and we used the Bible to justify it. But we missed the direction the
Bible was pointing us. You might say that Christians finally saw the trajectory of movement and
finally after millennia heard from the Holy Spirit.
See in the times of the Old Testament, slavery was horrifying. People were treated with excess
and there was no recourse. There were no punishments, but the Old Testament put forth
punishments for excess.
Even during the Greco Roman/Second Temple period time the motivation for slaves might have
been staying alive, but Paul and Peter suggest an altogether different motivation. In every case,
the ethic of the time is advanced.
And I think we need to admit that the New Testament did not leave us with a completed and
ultimate ethic. It fully expected that we would move forward in our understanding following the
path that the Bible was laying out for us. And Christians, have generally all arrived at a more
ultimate ethic—few if any Christians support slavery now. This doesn’t mean we have truly
reached the ultimate—there may indeed be further to go as we ask how the example and sacrifice
of Christ shapes our modern questions about slavery, women, children. . . all the areas that
Ephesians takes for granted.
See, each one of these texts is written with their context in mind. Paul wasn’t trying to root out
the “slavery problem”, there was no “slavery problem.” He wasn’t trying to reveal God’s
ultimate will about slavery—he was using common conceptions and accepted practices of the
time to carry the revelation that God had for them at their time.
It's like saying that the point of story of the Rich man and Lazarus isn’t designed to explain a
literal chasm between hades and paradise. Rather, many people pictured it that way and he was
using a commonly understood conception to get across, to reveal, a greater point.
Perhaps the story of the gods gathering in Job 1 was not to tell us about what was literally going
on in heaven, but to use the commonly understood council motif to express his real will on
something—to reveal the theodicy and his higher understanding of suffering in the world.
So these texts about slavery neither condone nor argue against the practice. Just as the text on
wives and husbands is not necessarily a text explaining the roles, but simply accepting the roles
as they were and putting some nuances on how Christians should react in these accepted roles.
That means even the children and father roles aren’t designed to tell us that these roles will
always be inferior/superior roles. That’s just the way it was. Now I can’t imagine how it could
ever be otherwise, I am just saying this text isn’t designed for that.
All of these are designed to give examples of ways that mutual Christian submission can be
shown depending on your context. If you are a slave, here is how you be a Christian slave. If you
are a husband or a master or a child or a wife or whatever, here is how you be a Christian one of
those.
For Paul, the key to gospel proclamation was the way of submission. The way of the cross. No
matter what position you are in, Jesus needed to be our guide. This is still true today Christian.
Look to the cross. Stop seeing the cross as some kind of token of power. It's a sign of weakness
and meekness and submission. It’s a sign of letting go rights, of humility and of true sacrifice
and service. There is nothing in the cross that calls you to demand your rights, to stand up to
those who hurt you. This goes against everything we think, but the good news is quite clearly
that the King of all creation came and gave up his glory, submitted to torture and death, so that
we, the slaves, might become free. Let me come back to this.
Practical thoughts for Christian employees
So, finally we get back to the question we began with. How might you be a Christian employee
or employer? Inferior or superior? How do you do that when your boss is clueless or patronizing
or abusive, or just a jerk?
1. Obey
First, if you are an employee then you are to obey and serve. That is the activity that Jesus is
calling you to. But this was a no brainer for them and probably for you. Do the work you are paid
to do. Hopefully no brainer.
Are there times you have to disobey? Of course there might be. God outlines all kinds of reasons
you would not submit to an authority all revolving around the idea that God’s law must be
obeyed before mans. So don’t ever break God’s law as you submit to your boss. But these are
exceptions. Generally we are called to obey.
2. Obey with right attitude
But here is where it goes next. Don’t just obey, but obey with fear and respect and sincerity of
heart, just as you would obey Christ. Your motivation moves from staying alive, or keeping a
job, to wanting to obey Jesus. Our motivation isn’t just to win their approval (that’s verse 6), but
it’s like we were slaves to Jesus, doing God’s will from a totally different place. We aren’t
serving men primarily, but serving Christ.
3. Hidden blessing
Oh, and he will reward too. Just in case goodness isn’t enough, he will (vs 8) reward for
whatever good is done.
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does,
whether he is slave or free.
Friends, if you have someone over you, your call is to submit, to serve, to give of yourself as
Jesus gives of himself.
Giving up our rights
Notice, nothing here about rising up and demanding your rights. I wonder how much of this has
application for us in the world of sit-ins, strikes, pickets and the like.
I won’t pretend that this text has all the answers to these tough questions, but I fear Christianity
has somehow melded in with being an American and therefore we must demand our rights. I see
it on Facebook every day—we have rights.
We may have American rights, but as Christians, we are promised no rights. In fact, you might
say that we are promised hardship. Because when things go against us, we are called to humble
loving interaction. We are called to submission and to love.
I like that one part in Edward Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
While that great body [the Roman Empire] was invaded by open violence or undermined
by slow decay, a pure and humble religion gently insinuated itself into the minds of men,
grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigor from opposition, and finally erected
the triumphant banner of the cross on the ruins of the capital.
Christians gain power in laying it down. In submission. I know this goes against every fiber of
our being. It does against mine anyway.
And don’t get me wrong, this obedience with “respect and fear” (vs 5), doesn’t mean that
Christians are trembling, spineless wimps in the office. Ray Stedman says this fear and trembling
is directed at oneself. It is a healthy recognition of the danger of a Christian going along with the
philosophy of those around, and acting as they do, thus destroying the possibility of God
working through him and the power of God being released in that situation. It is fear and
trembling lest we abort the greatest force of all in these situations of strife and difficulty.
Paul comes to the Corinthians in fear and trembling (I Cor 2:3-4) lest he come with the wisdom
of the world, lest he come reflecting the dominant philosophies and ideas and attitudes of the
culture. He fears he will rob them of the power of Jesus at work.
He also says do it with sincerity of heart (vs 5). Or singleness of heart (KJV). This means don’t
divide your loyalty—settle it once and for all that you are there to please not your boss, but your
Lord. Work unto Christ, be loyal to him. Don’t be pleasers of men, but as servants of Christ
doing the will of God from the heart. That’s verse 6
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ,
doing the will of God from your heart.
If you approach your job this way, it will make every day an adventure. Because if you are doing
everything for Jesus, every moment is a new question of how to please him. What an adventure
and my guess is that everyone will be totally blown away with who you are.
You won’t only work when the boss is watching. You won’t be only about pleasing the boss—
there won’t be flattery, there won’t be a need for office politics, no brown nosing, no buttering
up, all the games disappear.
Can I summarize the benefits real quickly?
1. No need for games
2. Boss is always amazed
3. There is always an adventure
4. There is actual reward from God
5. Jesus is displayed beautifully—the true picture of Jesus—submissive and sacrificial.
Practical thoughts for Christian employers
How about for bosses? Many of you have authority over others and I think the same general
principles apply
1. There is an activity required by the relationship
2. An attitude which accompanies it and
3. an awareness of a hidden fact.
1. Do the same for them
The activity is “do the same to them,” “treat your slaves in the same way”
Obedience might not be the best word for this relationship, but the treatment looks the same—
that is, listen to your employees, take what they say seriously, adjust in ways you can adjust, pay
attention to what is wrong. Colossians 4:1 says treat your slaves justly and fairly. Even though in
their time they were basically property, they are not to be treated as such. They aren’t to be
exploited, they aren’t to be used for the purpose of making you rich.
2. Non-threatening attitude
And this is to be done with a certain attitude. A non threatening one. We can’t threaten our
employees with beatings, but we do threaten them. We threaten them with being fired or less
hours or cutting wages or not getting the promotion. We think this is good motivation, but it
brings tension and resentment.
And our goal is peace. Our goal is joy. Our goal is a world filled with people submitting first to
Christ and then to each other.
3. Remember that you are a slave
The hidden factor is that you, the employer, are a slave as well. You and the worker share the
same master and that master doesn’t think one of you is more important than the other.
Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven,
and there is no favoritism with him. He is not impressed with your better house and car.
Don’t forget Jesus’ words employers:
Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto
me. (Matt 25:40b)
Don’t forget Jesus words Christian
The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for
many.
We serve others so that his ransom might be seen. We fill up what is lacking in the crucifixion.
Not that Jesus didn’t accomplish his task on the cross, he so did, but people can’t see the cross
anymore. They need you to see it. They need you to carry it, so Christ is displayed.
The work you do, whether as employer or employee is done to Christ
Howard Hendricks sat in a plane that was delayed for takeoff. After a long wait, the
passengers became more and more irritated. Hendricks noticed how gracious one of the
flight attendants was as she spoke with them.
After the plane finally took off, he told the flight attendant how amazed he was at her
poise and self-control, and said he wanted to write a letter of commendation for her to the
airline. The stewardess replied that she didn't work for the airline company but for Jesus
Christ. She said that just before going to work she and her husband prayed together that
she would be a good representative of Christ.1
Dear Family,
If you have actually planned out how you would kill your boss if God wasn’t watching raise your
hand. If you praise God every day when you leave work that you haven’t throttled that employee,
well, you are in a very big club. We spend more time doing our job than just about anything and
the employee/employer relationship is often a frustrating necessity. This week I want to preach
from Ephesians 6:5-9 and help encourage us and charge us in regard to our duty at work. In case
that isn’t enticing enough, I also want to deal with this whole slavery issue. It sure looks like God
is in favor of it. You will want to be there this Sunday. Of course, you should always want to be
there. I know I can’t wait to worship with you.
1
Lorne Sanny, "The Right Way to Respond to Authority," Discipleship Journal - March/April 1982