Ephesians 6:1–9 (NKJV)
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
These verses function as part of Paul’s “Table of Duties” and Luther uses them in the Small Catechism’s “Table of Duties” for parents, children, workers, and employers. Here we see a helpful corrective to what our anti-authority culture sees as that ugly, “four-letter” word: ‘obey’. However, as Christians, rather than recoil from it, we embrace it as the Word of God, and a much-needed word at that, considering the times in which we now live.
‘Bondservants’ would also seem to be “an ugly word,” but Luther applies this term and verses 5-8 “To Workers of All Kinds.” In fact, Paul often uses the term “bondservant of Christ” to refer to himself. Also note that in the Small Catechism’s Table of Duties, these verses on “employees and employers” are not applied to pastors because in God’s Word pastors are not to be ‘hirelings’ or employees.
Instead, the verses applied to pastors are a different set of verses—a unique set of verses—which includes one with that same “ugly word,” …obey. Heb 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” This sounds very much like “the commandment with a promise,” as Paul calls it, addressed to children. In fact, Luther includes pastors as fathers by extension in the Large Catechism’s explanation to the Fourth Commandment. This is something that the churches of our day need to hear, and “Confessional Lutheran” churches especially need to take this seriously. Namely, our congregations are to be taught from proper biblical models rather than worldly models that their pastors lead without lording over and serve without pandering.
We Pray: O God, you reveal your almighty power chiefly by showing mercy and compassion. Pour out your grace on us that we pursue your promises and enjoy your heavenly blessings, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
