There are two similar principles that form the framework for the verses we will consider today. Read again 3:17 and 3:23-24. Those principles establish the frame, the context, the reason behind the instructions that we find in this passage.
As you reflect on these instructions, always remember the culture that existed when Paul wrote. In the Jewish world at the time, a wife was the possession of her husband. He owned a house, material goods, perhaps flocks and a wife. He could initiate divorce, she could not. In the Greek society, respectable women lived in seclusion. They did not go out on the street alone. They lived in women's apartments and did not even eat meals with their men. They were expected to be chaste in behavior ... the husbands were not. There was no stigma for married men to enter into as many extra-marital liasons as they desired.
Children? There existed in the Roman world Patria Potestas which means the "law of the father's power". The father held all of the power and could do anything he liked with his child - even sell that child into slavery if so desired. He had the legal right to condemn his child to death and to carry out the execution.
And slavery? There is no question of who held the power in that relationship!
Into this scene enters Christianity! I thrill at the dualistic nature of the realtionships as described by Paul. There is responsibility on both sides of the relationship - that is revolutionary! Women, children and slaves - all in relationships in which they held no power, no control, no authority. However, they do hold authority over themselves. I hear Paul saying - wives, submit, not because you are forced to, but because you choose it - as unto the Lord. Children - obey your parent - not because he holds the power of life and death - but because it pleases the Lord . And slaves - work hard, work well - not because your master is watching and you don't want to be punished - but because you work for the Lord, so do your best. Revolutionary!!
Perhaps even more revolutionary is the fact that Paul also addresses the ones with the power, the control, the authority. Husbands - love and be gentle. Fathers - be an encourager, not a control-freak. And masters - provide for your slaves in a fair and right way. Remember that you have a master also - the Lord Himself.
Now for you and I ... would your marriage look any different if you took these instructions to heart? Wives - would your marriage look different if you chose a submissive spirit over things that are "fitting in the Lord"? Paul's words do not condone abuse of any kind - physical or emotional or mental! Remember ... "fitting in the Lord" is the umbrella. Husbands - would your marriage look any different if you truly took your wife's best interest to heart? If you chose love and gentleness?
Children - how would your family dynamics work if you decided to choose obedience (in the things that are pleasing to the Lord) over rebellion? Adult children - how would your family dynamics change if you chose respect and honor (even when parents perhaps were not honorable). Fathers, (parents) - how would your family look if you decided to be your children's strongest encourager, not enabler, but encourager? Encouraging them through the mistakes and failures rather than belittling, ridiculing, and calling them names?
Workers - what if you determined to give your very best - no cutting corners - no working only when watched - but your best? And employers - what if you determined to make sure your "people" received fair treatment - not what you can legally get away with - but what is fair and equitable?
Being a Christ follower requires us to take these instructions seriously. Some in our world (perhaps even in our families and churches) may call us "foolish" if we do - but remember, our Lord is our strength and our shade. It is His peace and His Word that dwell in us to be the "umpire" in these decisions! He gets to call the shots!
As you go about your day today (or tomorrow) ... remember ...
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17
“Rules for Christian Households” – in the online Bible, that was the heading for the paragraph we just read. But it seems like Paul is calling less for strict obedience and more for attitudinal changes across the board. As you point out, husbands, fathers and masters could choose among a variety of lifestyles with impunity; they were accustomed to wielding absolute sovereignty over others, so Paul’s list of instructions would have the biggest impact there. For women, children, and slaves, however, the codes of behavior didn’t offer much wiggle room at all.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a mantra I learned from you several years ago: “I am not responsible for the actions of others. I am responsible for the purity of my motives, and the integrity of my behavior -- and nothing else.” To those with so little control over their destinies, these words must have sounded strange. (Why is it so easy to forget sometimes that attitude is a choice?!) Yet in this area of their lives -- completely out of reach of the master -- each of them was given sole dominion, exclusive control, (dare I say it?) sovereignty!
“He who is faithful in little…”