Who Considers Me A Slave?

Brief Preface: I use a version of the New Living Translation intended for youth. I was only educated to my freshman year of high school, which took place in the public school system of a largely underfunded district, and one that I didn’t spend much time attending anyhow. I mean to say: I accept that my interpretations and understandings may not be in sync with the widely accepted understandings and interpretations, so please pardon me for those errors.

I was reading from my notes an excerpt from Ephesians. If my notes and I are correct, it was Ephesians 6:5-9. My notes look something like this:
5: What slaves are being referred to here? Who are they under the control of, and why?
6: Does this verse answer my question in #5? Does this mean that all followers of Jesus are slaves? Or is this referring to a particular group of people?
- Also: I don’t consider myself a slave to anything. I feel like what makes my faith genuine is that it’s not something I am forced or coerced to do, as it most certainly could and likely would be if I were a slave. If you have to force someone to do something, especially something they wouldn’t do on their own merit, it takes away the real, inherent value in what’s being done, doesn’t it?
7: In theory, if we’re on the right path and doing the work intended for us and following our path with God, doesn’t that mean that no matter who we are doing the work for, that we’re doing it for God?
- Also: Does this counter my argument in #6?
8: Doesn’t a statement like this create an invitation for people to follow the same path of thinking and misguided work that Cain followed? If you only do what you do for obligation or necessity, or worse, only for reward, doesn’t that make what you do lose any genuine effort you put in to it?
9: I don’t have any notes for 9, but my two year old just fell asleep on his pizza and I hope the mental image of a cute, tiny blonde weirdo asleep in pizza makes you smile like it makes me smile. Time for a quick bath and bedtime!

Love & Respect,
Faeryn

Hi Faeryn-- to answer your direct question directly-- it’s likely that no one at all considers you a slave. While slavery does still exist in certain parts of the world to this day, and while human trafficking and sex-slavery is a major problem in many places including America-- the concept we think of in terms of what it means to be a slave has lost some necessary context.

Ephesus was the epi-center of the Roman slave trade. Paul doesn’t just throw the topic into his letter by accident. Google tells us that as much as one-quarter of the city’s population were slaves and that a wealthy “Lord” might have as many as 200 slaves. What? Really? Why?

-Because “slaves” were the working class. The tradesmen, the gardeners, the cooks and cleaners and fruit-pickers… not a lot unlike we see today in my city of San Diego, where the big-house-people have folks contracted to come and cut the lawn, do house-keeping, clean the pool, maybe cook the meals or take care of the kids… Not that these people today are “slaves” --they are on contract to perform these services. And if the ‘Lord’ ran a business, like if he was a house-builder, maybe he would employ dozens of ‘slaves’ to do the work, while he ran the busines— again, not unlike we see today, but of course we don’t call the workers slaves, nor should we.

The slaves in Ephesus were truly bought and sold, traded for money and valued at prices set based upon their skill levels, their strength, their beauty, and such traits. A highly skilled, big strong lad skilled in stone work might fetch a higher selling price than an old and bent woman-- if the buyer needed stone work done. The slaves themselves might have been made captives or prisoners of some war from regions beyond Ephesus.

This is the back-story to Paul’s admonitions. And while some slaves were treated well, truly like employees or even like family (and made free-men) some were treated harshly. Paul, in speaking to these rich ‘Lords’ and ‘Masters’ tells them not to do so. Speaking to those workers-- he tells them to be good workers, to treat with respect the ‘Owners’ they are working for-- enthusiastically, AS IF they were working for the One True Master of all and not simply for people.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments on verse 7. While serving God in our hearts and minds and knowing we belong to Him (He owns us) whatever we do, from the grand to the most mundane things in life (like bathing pizza-faced babies) is done with gratitude and thanks, knowing He is Lord over all.

vs 8-- I don’t think that there is anything wrong with wanting to please our Father. Our children will do things at times and on occasion just for the reward of a smile or small praise. I think Paul addresses this in emphasizing the need for sincerity of heart, doing the will of God from the heart-- and not simply to please people. Remember who you really work for, is his advice…

and vs 9-- though you didn’t ask, might just as well be directed at Mother’s of two-year olds, as it was to those ‘Masters’ in charge of ‘slaves.’ Be kind. Don’t threaten. And even if you ARE the boss, you still have a boss.

1 Like

Good Morning Fair one… tip of the morning to ya.

Mr. E,

Thank you, thank you thank you for your thoughtful reply. I really appreciate it. And saying that doesn’t do what I mean any justice. I have a head full of questions and a banker’s box full of notebooks that are full of questions as are the margins of the pages in my Bible…

I am beyond excited that you’ve lent me your input. And while I move forward here, I would like to set an intention… I am not trying to be argumentative with this, I simply want to pry more out. Dig a little deeper. So… Here it goes.

With #8… I understand using reward to coerce behavior in adolescence and even possibly into young adulthood. And while I 100% agree with you that there isn’t anything at all wrong with wanting to do something to please God, that’s epic… But… I guess I’m stuck, perhaps, like I mentioned, with Cain and Abel as an example.
If you were to take an absolutely bare bones look at what to led up to Cain’s… Fall(?) Wouldn’t it be a safe bet to say that Cain was going through the motions for the sake of going through the motions – just fulfilling obligations – which one could say would suffice as an understandable reason that his work didn’t “do it” for God… Abel was doing more or less the same thing – but his heart was in it… And God dug that. And it showed. Cain was working for reward . Abel was working because it was the right thing to do.

Right? Or does it seem like I’m splitting hairs here?

Thank you again for your response. It really means the world to me. I apologize for the very late replies. Packing and moving for the 37th time in my life and it has never become more fun than the previous time! Haha!

L&R,
F

You think deeply, and I admire that.

It turns out that “the Lord” dug barbeque. If God is a God of meat and potatoes, it seems He prefers the meat. -It would be easy enough to conclude this going strictly by the text as recorded in Genesis. Whether you realize it or not, you are kind of reading between the lines when you surmise that Cain was going through the motions, while Abel’s heart was in it. The text itself doesn’t actually say that.

All it really tells us is that at an appointed time-- say a feast day, when they were to offer tribute, they each brought an offering and the Lord liked Abel’s better than Cain’s and that made Cain upset (jealous). There is a small amount of extra context in extra-biblical sources, like the book of Jasher, that suggests that there may have been a reason that the Lord liked Abel’s better-

And unto Cain and his offering the Lord did not turn, and he did not incline to it, for he had brought from the inferior fruit of the ground before the Lord, and Cain was jealous against his brother Abel on account of this, and he sought a pretext to slay him.

By contrast, scripture tells us that Abel brought not only the firstborn from among his flocks, but even the fattest (best) of those firstborn. That makes sense to me, because as you mention- God weighs the heart-- the intention behind the act. It’s easy to condemn Cain for bringing an inferior offering, but in all honesty, it was only inferior by comparison. God’s judgment on Cain wasn’t for his offering, but for the jealousy that was spawned within him, that turned to ill feelings, anger, resentment, and ultimately-- murder. Not necessarily anything to do with his lack lustre offering, but for his response to the circumstance.

I love that you made the connection between Ephesians 6 and Genesis 4,btw. Eph 6 begins talking about children honoring their parents, and then goes on of course to speak in terms of slaves and masters… but interestingly, the advice in both scripture references is almost identical. Did you notice that? In referencing one’s sincerity and intent–

Eph 6:8-- … each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.

Gen 4: Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine?

-And that’s the principle at work. I don’t think it’s upon us to judge Cain’s motivations, but we can certainly see and learn from the consequences that his behavior after the fact brought about. The lesson in both Ephesians and Genesis, might simply be-- Guard your heart… because if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. -Or as Paul goes on to say in Eph 6, he rephrases ‘guard your heart’ and well-advises–

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground…