Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence
for Jesus Christ is a difficult saying. This idea of submission does not fit
well with our modern western worldview. Our emphasis is on personal rights,
striving for, securing and maintaining social status. Also we have a lot less hierarchical
structure, how we see women, marriage and work is radically different than the
first century roman world.
Part of our disease with this imperative is that sadly for
much of two millennia the church has applied it exclusively to those who occupy
traditionally subordinate positions in society and has failed to apply it to
those who hold the traditionally dominant ones. We’ve missed the mutual part. Karl
Marx’s criticism that religion is the opium of the masses, keeping them in
their place, placid and pliable, reflects that historical imbalance.
We’ve seen the misuse of the wider passage in action. Affirming
overbearing and even violent husbands and fathers and encouraging wives and
children to stay in those abusive situations. It’s been used to affirm slavery,
of course we can’t look at slavery without the North American and English experience
and its connection to racism. Recently we’ve also seen and heard of fresh excess
and abuses of power by Christian leaders, and ordinary church members silenced,
or worse open to being abused, by being told to honour and respect their
leaders in an unhealthy way.
Our winter sermon series this year is called ‘One Anothering: The Spirit filled art of Christian Community’ we are exploring Jesus new commandment to love one another as I have loved you by looking at twelve ‘one another’ sayings in the New Testament Epistles. Seeing how Jesus inspirational and aspirational command works itself out in everyday life, it practical terms. Submit to one another takes that Christ like love and applies it to relationships where power and authority are involved. The early church was a radical place where that sense of love and unity crossed all the social barriers of the day… men and women, jew and gentile, Greek and barbarian, free and slave it was the only place they meet as equals one of the questions that would have been upper most in peoples minds was how, when we have equal access to God, when we are all saved by Christ, when we are all filled with the Holy Spirit, when we are brothers and sisters, do we live that out in our very ordered, patriarchal world. Paul’s answer is ‘submit to one another’ because of reverence for Jesus Christ. It is an ethic here Christ and his example and his self-sacrificing love for us that shows the way. And you know what that Love revolutionizes and transforms those relationships.
Let’s look at this saying.
Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians by speaking of Jesus
being exalted at the right hand of the father and pouring out every spiritual
blessing on his people. Saving us setting us free, giving us new and eternal
life, drawing us into a new people together, then he turns and brings that down
to earth to show in the light of what God has done for us, how we should live
and how the church should manifest both unity and purity in all relationships. The
section where we had our bible reading today starts way back in Ephesians 5:1
with Paul saying “Since you are God’s dear children you must try to be like
him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his
life for us as a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.” What
follows is an out working of that.
In verse 18 where our reading started Paul charges his
readers to not keep charging their glasses and get drunk on wine but rather to
be filled and keep on being filled with the Spirit. He contrasts being filled
with the spirit with drunkenness which only leads to ruin. It may make people
happy and cheerful, but it also contributes to the breakdown of social order and
has negative impact on close relationships. Rather says Paul being filled with
the Spirit fills us with Joy, which is expressed in speaking to one another in
a way that builds up, with words of psalms, hymns and sacred songs. Joy, that
comes out in singing praises from our hearts. There is something wonderful and
special about congregational singing that allows us to express our thanks and
praise to God, it calls us to act in unison and harmony. Paul goes on to speak
of having a spirit of gratefulness, always giving thanks to God. Being filled
with the spirit is far superior deeper and richer than any chemical induced
buzz. Submit one to another out of reverence to Christ finishes off that list,
by showing that spirit filled life shows itself in social cohesion and right
relationship.
With all the talk of music and singing in this section it
gives us a good metaphor to think about submitting to one another. For songs and
music to happen and make sense everyone needs to play their part, to defer to
others or to take lead roles, to take direction from a lead or conductor and be
willing to step back and play a lesser role for the overall good. It takes
discipline and deference. If that does not happen, then instead of music all we
have is competing noise. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 13 without love even
all our wonderful words are just like a clanging symbol, a loud obnoxious noise.
This brings us to look at what submit to one another out of
reverence to Jesus Christ itself. Submitting says Mark Roberts simply involves placing
ourselves under someone else in a structured relationship. Without that structure things cannot get done,
it is how we fit together as a group. What revolutionises it is that we do this
not because of social expectations or norms but rather because of Jesus Christ
as our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ as our example in servant leadership, and
in obeying Jesus’ teaching. In roman society the emperor kept order on a wider
level and the expectation was that in a household, the head of that household, predominantly
a male would keep everyone in line as well. However, as we will see when Paul
applies it to the Roman Household Code it changes it completely. The person
without status and power is empowered to show their love of Christ by the way
they act in that relationship and the person in the power position is reminded
of things like Jesus talking to his disciples after a discussion of who would
be the greatest, told them, don’t be like the gentiles who lord it over each
other rather if you want to be great learn to be the servant of all.
Let me share an example a quite fresh example of what I mean with you. You may have noticed the fashion accessory I’ve got on my leg. My moon boot. It’s there to correct a twisting of my foot caused by long term diabetes. I dreaded having to wear it, I’ve got to wear it for six weeks. I could simply not wear it, but that wouldn’t be good for me. It gave me a chance to think about submitting to one another. Shane Jansen is the health professional at the hospital who is the expert in orthotics. He noticed what was happening to my right foot and passed it on the orthopedic surgeon and my podiatrist. I had to go up and submit myself to Shane’s care and professional expertise. Trusting that he knew what he was doing…As I got there and Shane went to work I knew he did, but I noticed him down on his hands and knees working at making sure my foot was comfortable and padded and that nothing rubbed and I wasn’t too unbalanced when I walked, I couldn’t help but think it reflected Jesus washing the disciples feet in his leadership role Shane acting like a servant, for the good of the other person, showing love and care. When I asked Shane if I could use that illustration he said he always sees his Job as being a servant and serving his clients. He’s not here today because he's got a bad head cold, not because I’m speaking about him.
We are blessed because Paul does not simply stop with the
command to submit to one another he goes on to give some very practical outworking
in the basic relationships at the heart of roman society. He applies it to the
Roman household code. In Roman Society the emperor kept order on a wider scale
and at an almost cellular level as an outworking of that household were to be
kept in order by the head of the household usually a male, who was a husband,
father and if they were wealthy a salve owner. So when you read through this
section you could see some people really could feel picked on. It was a very
structured and hierarchical structure. Often what people have done is say that
the roman household code is what the bible says a family structure should be,
its God ordained. I’ve heard lots of teaching that emphasizes the structure and
order rather than the mutual submission. Of course, it gets hard because you
have to say that culture has changed and the last section on slaves and masters
applies note to employees and employers, and the principals do. That household
code has more to do with culture and can be found in writings like Aristotle
more than just in scripture. I think our ideal of marriage as a partnership
between two equals, a man and a woman, is more in line with scripture. This
passage and when Jesus speaks of marriage they quote Genesis that a man will
leave his family and cleave to his wife and the two will become one flesh, that
is at the heart of God’s ideal for marriage. That form the right basis for
raising a fmaily Mutual submission love and respect apply to that cultural
understanding equally. We don’t have time in this sermon to dive into the
intricacies of each of these relationships, but I want to highlight some things
that reflect that mutual submission as love one another as I have loved you in
relationships where there is power.
This by the way would have been a radical teaching in Paul’s
day. You would have of heard a lot of gasps when it was read out. Firstly in
all three relationships that make up the roman household Paul addresses the
people with the least power. The wife, children and slaves. They could not normally
be addressed. He turns what was just a socially accepted position into a act of
worship and service to Christ. These people now become their own moral agents
able where they are to be examples of Christ like love. Modern leadership
theory talks of leading where you are or 360 degrees leadership. Where you show
leadership and excellence in what ever position you are in. here wives,
children and slaves are called to show their Christian faith in how they fulfil
the situation they are in.
Secondly, they are given incentives and encouraged in what
they do. Wives are told of Christ’s headship over the church, which in Ephesians
4 Paul had said resulted in the church growing up into all maturity and lacking
nothing. Children are told that obeying and honoring parents has a reward of a
long life in the land. As an aside I know many of you are still wrestling with
honoring your parents and it I a life long thing, as you are know taking up
the role of caring for them in your old age. Many of you parents are having to
learn a new way of submitting by allowing them to make decisions and help care
for you. To salves Paul speaks of reward, slaves seldom if ever benefited from
their labors and service, but not in Christ this submission and showing Christ
like love in the way they worked was seen as service to Jesus would be
acknowledged and rewarded when their true master returns.
Thirdly, the people in positions of authority rather than
being instructed to keep order are called to show love and care. To
sacrificially serve those in lower positions. Husbands love you wives, as
Christ has loved the church… he gave his life for them, for us. He does not
abuse, neglect, put down, the church, but builds it up and is one with the
church. Remember Jesus prayer father make them one as you and I are one. Fathers
were told not to exacerbate their children. To treat them in a kind considerate
and caring manner, to invest time and energy into them and also to serve them
by teaching them the way of the Lord. That by the way is by example as much as
it is by way of education. Slave owners while not being told to emancipate
their slaves, one commentator said for Paul to think of a world without slavery
was like us conceiving of a world without electricity, But they were to treat
them with care, not only not abusing them but making sure they have all they
need. It is interesting we have in scripture the example of Philemon and Onesimus
as owner and salve and how that relationship was to be worked out. Philemon is
called to forgive Onesimus for running away, accept him as a brother and be
willing to send him to continue serving with Paul. In Corinthians, Paul has to
remind the church when they get together for meals not to simply dive in and
eat everything but to wait for the slaves who could only get their once they
had completed their work. What was radical was for slave owners to remember
they themselves had a master in heaven who did not show favoritism. Who say
everyone as equal. If you are in a position of leadership or authority says Paul
you need to be a servant as Christ is a servant.
Gerald Sittser uses a wonderful illustration in his chapter on this one another saying, I’ve used it before but I know you won’ mind. He and his wife love watching old movies, particularly musical. They loved watching the mesmerizing, magical dance routines of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. Dances that were filled with such grace. In an interview with Ginger Rodgers after Fred death she said he was so good that he never seemed to be leading and her following. There was a seamlessness, an elegance, as if two people were dancing as one. You could see the car they had for each other and the love of the dance. When we submit to one another out of reverence for Jesus Christ even when there are leaders and followers it becomes about the grace and the love of Christ.
