“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. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” -1 Peter 2:18-25

The Apostle Peter now moves from political authorities to ‘economic’ authorities. Slaves are to submit to their masters, to willingly place themselves under their authority. The economy of that time was based on slavery, and slaves included even occupations such as teachers and doctors. It is not inaccurate to think of the word ‘employee’ in this context, though technically they were still slaves and their freedom was limited. And Peter exhorts them to submit, thereby establishing a good testimony and a foundation for positive influence. The Apostle Paul says the same thing in passages such as Ephesians 6:5-9, 1 Timothy 6:1-2, and Titus 2:9-10. Slaves are to be good ‘employees’ and workers so that the gospel will be attractive to unbelievers.

But what about the prophetic tradition we might say? What about the history of Israel in Egypt, and the exhortations against slavery in the Prophets? Amos 1:6-7 speaks of the judgment of God upon those who, “took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom…” First of all, we must remember that slavery during this time in history was not the worst example of slavery. It is a big decision for the follower of Jesus when to accept cultural realities, and when to rebel against them. This was exemplified by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his decision to seek Hitler’s assassination during WWII. There are times to rebel, and times to submit. Only God is the ultimate authority.

Secondly, believers are to be ‘conscious of God’ and recognize that this world is not the deepest reality or the most enduring. As Galatians 3:26-29 says, in Christ there is neither slave nor free. Thirdly, the focus of believers is to be on influence and witness, which ultimately means God’s Glory. We submit for the greater good of God’s Glory.

A question for us to ask ourselves: As an employee, are we any different for being a Christian, a follower of Jesus? We all know stories of those who have a bad reputation at work and do a very poor job – that is not the way for those who bear the name of Jesus to live. And we all know stories of how people did the right thing, at cost to themselves. And that, ultimately, is the example of Jesus, who showed us the way. He did no wrong and yet suffered, dying for our sins on the cross. He trusted God and so was able to endure injustice and oppression. He is the one we are to follow.

And so the challenge for us is to submit to our ‘masters,’ our bosses, with all respect. By doing this we bring glory to God and bless others. And so as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:11, we overcome evil with good.

Pastor Tim, March 30, 2008