We have been studying the book of Ephesians for the last several weeks. We have been operating under the premise that the main message of the book is need for unity among believers. Unity does not mean that everyone agrees with everyone else on every issue or decision. The example Paul shares of that unity is the persona of the Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are one being, in all and through all the same.

If you embraced Christian unity, how would your relationships change? Would you see a difference in your relationship with your spouse? How would the communication and connection between parents and children be different? Could the unity even touch your working or business relationships? These questions form the core of Paul’s teaching in the current section.

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV).

Ephesians 5:15-20 NASB Ephesians 5:15-20 MESSAGE Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT

Paul uses a couple of phrases in this passage to capture our attention. “Be careful, then, how you live.” Because the light of the truth of God’s plan, the believer will pay painstaking attention to personal behavior. Paul adds a qualifying characteristic – live not as the unwise, but the wise.

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Paul’s admonition for wisdom in life parallels what he teaches to the Colossians, and elsewhere in Scripture.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity | Col 4:5

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom | Col 3:16

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus | Col 3:17

See also Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:15, James 5:13

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The phrase Paul uses is a common expression in his writings. Βλέπετε (BLEH-PEH-TEH) is often translated “see to it.” In this passage it is combined with οὖν ἀκριβῶς (OON AH-KRIB-OH-S) – “therefore, indeed; do this with accuracy, carefully, pay attention to the details.” If the Christian is going to live an irreproachable life, it is going to require the utmost concentration.

The phrase ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν, translated “making the most of every opportunity” in an interesting concept. The verb means “to buy back’ (our concept of redemption). It was a word used by merchants in the marketplace. The farmer would bring crops or meat to sell at the market. Before the first customer arrived, the farmer would set aside something for his own evening meal. The farmer would essentially “buy it back” and “take it off the market.” These items were not for sale, non-negotiable.

Do you see the amazing application for our behavior? Our behavior is “non-negotiable.” It has been set aside, already purchased by the blood of Christ. That is wise living.

Paul then makes an interesting comparison and contrast. Using the language of Proverbs 23:30, Paul calls to our attention how someone acts and speaks when they are drunk. Have you ever listened to a drunk individual talking? Their language is loud, their words are slurred, and the concepts they share do not always fit together with meaning. Drunkenness was a common occurrence for the Ephesians to witness. The danger of drunkenness (Galatians 5:21) is how it affects behavior. It is why we do not want someone drunk driving a car. It is the same word used to describe the “wild living” of the prodigal son (Luke 15:13). To the Greek, it represented extravagant waste, squandering money, behavior, and perspective.

 

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The theological implications of “be filled” with the Spirit are crucial for building a biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit, but also understanding how the believer lives life. The command resides in “imperative passive” voice: let yourself be filled with the Spirit. [/su_pullquote]

 

Do you understand the surprising alternative? Instead, let your life be influenced in the same way by the Spirit. In this contrast, the reader expected Paul to argue for abstinence. Instead he says, “Be the same kind of drunk, but with God’s Spirit.” Your life should be so filled by the Spirit that He affects how you speak and how you walk. We KNOW how a drunk walks. Imagine how a believer walks!

 

So let’s quickly follow the applications that Paul makes for this teaching. How does “being filled with the Spirit” look in our real-life relationships?

between our spouse: submission

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband (Ephesians 5:21-33 NIV).

Ephesians 5:21-33 NASB Ephesians 5:21-33 MESSAGE Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT

In every generation, there are cultural norms which help dictate the relationship shared between a husband and a wife. Obviously the image of marriage portrayed in culture today has strayed far from its biblical mandates. Regardless of what the “drunken” standard is at the time, the “filled” standard remains constant. Husbands and wives are to submit to one another.

Paul explains the basis and application of such submission. We submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This mutual submission idea would have been just as “counter-cultural” to the Ephesians as it is to us.

The terms “head of the wife” and “head of the church” create an image that causes many to bristle. We picture an authoritarian image: the one telling the other what to do. I wonder if a better image would be one of responsibility. The church stands before God with Christ as the responsible party. Without Christ, the believer would not even be there.

After Eve sinned in the garden (and Adam followed), God did not come looking for Eve. He came looking for Adam. Adam was the responsible party. In a metaphorical sense, without Adam, Eve would not have even been there. The image is not possession, but sacrifice.

But notice how this entire picture comes back to the concept of unity. Just as we are united in and with Christ, we are to be united in marriage. This is the reason we leave our parents and become united to our spouse. The two become one – in flesh, in spirit, and in emotions. Without submission to one another, there cannot be unity.

Notice Paul’s kicker: the unity in marriage is the same unity between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32) and vice versa.

between parents and children: respect

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV).

Ephesians 6:1-3 NASB Ephesians 6:1-3 MESSAGE Ephesians 6:1-3 NLT

Understanding biblical unity molds the relationship between parents and children. Parents love and care for their children, understanding they are to train up a child, not just physically and mentally, but spiritually. The child is to know the Lord and how to respond to those in authority. The key concept in this passage seems to be respect. The child respects the role of mentor and authority the parents holds. The child responds with obedience and honor. The child begins to understand honoring parents actually provides benefits to them.

This entire passage has a unique structure. In verse one, children are addresses directly. In each of these relationships, Paul explains the stronger has obligations to the weaker. In a society where the wife was treated as the property of the husband, this was revolutionary. The same is true where the father was seen as the absolute authority over the child.

Parents are not to exasperate the child. The Greek phrase μὴ παροργίζετε is an interesting one. It literally means to “goad a child into a perpetual state of resentment (compare this with Ephesians 4:26). It is not just that the parent makes unreasonable demands, although that can be part of the case. The parent makes such constant demands, the child can never feel good enough, or can never feel they please the parent.

within working relationships: know who is master

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him (Ephesians 6:5-9 NIV).

Ephesians 6:5-9 NASB Ephesians 6:5-9 MESSAGE Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT

The deplorable relationship in the culture of the first century was slavery. Paul realized that he did not have the ability to do away with the practice, but he wanted to show that Christianity could transform the relationship. If there is a comparison for today’s culture, it might be between employer and employee.

If there is a principle Paul expounds here, it is to know who the master is in the relationship. For the application today, the master is the one signing the paycheck. The employee agrees to do work for pay, thereby obligating him to go by the rules and to honestly do the job.

Paul says “serve wholeheartedly” (Ephesians 6:7) as if you were working for the Lord and not for people. An added principle uncovers a truth: God will reward each for the good done on earth. But Paul doesn’t stop there. The master is to treat the slave in the same way – meaning the master should serve the slave wholeheartedly. This is more than just signing a paycheck. Treat those under you with care and compassion.

Paul specifically says the master should not threaten slaves. Even in the workplace today, management often tries to yell and force the employee to do the work. Threatening others shows poor management skills.

In the working relationship, know who the master is. The real Master resides in heaven.

the Pointe

Our series of studies has focused on Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. In the parable of the celebration of the wedding banquet, Jesus is teaching us two important things about heaven. The passage is found in Matthew 22:1-14 NIV. Some people also see Luke 14:16-24 NIV as a parallel passage. Let’s examine this familiar story about the kingdom of heaven being like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

There are two nuances in the phrase in the Greek that are not usually translated into our English versions. The tense of the verb we translate “is like” is aorist passive – a historical event with no understood agent implied. A better translation would be “The kingdom of heaven became like ….”
The meaning breezes past us – until now. The events that have occurred over the last several years have changed our understanding of many things within our history and our culture. Let me give you an example.
I grew up watching American League baseball which included games and history of a team called the Cleveland Indians. The mascot of the team was a caricature named “Chief Wahoo.” I lived in Indianapolis, the home of a minor league baseball team, the Indianapolis Indians. Indianapolis had once been associated with the Cleveland club and took its name and mascot.
Not once did I associate the images with the actual Native Americans. This was the image of Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Lary Doby, and Bob Lemon, Hall of Fame Cleveland players. They were a storied baseball team.
Recently I read an announcement that the team will soon be changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians instead. There is history and meaning behind the name change, but that is information for another story. The point is the name and character were offensive to many people.
My use of this illustration is not to focus on the offense. It is to highlight the change.
Our understanding of the Cleveland baseball team is about to change dramatically. While its essence is the same, how it is represented to us and to others will be incredibly different.
The Jewish nation had an idea of the kingdom of heaven. It was an earthly kingdom and it really centered upon the strength and expanse of the nation of Israel and its leaders. They saw God as the king, but they just wanted him to be on his throne. They wanted to be the ones who did the ruling and enjoyed the spoils.
The idea of the kingdom became like … already happened. Past tense. Don’t use old terms. They are offensive. Change your understanding. Get with the program.
The second nuance in the phrase “The kingdom of heaven became like” is that heaven is actually plural. It literally says “the kingdom of the heavens.” Matthew uses this phrase 32 times. He is the only gospel writer to phrase it this way. He is saying “the kingdom which belongs to the heavens.” This is God’s kingdom. It has nothing to do with the things that we usually identify with an earthly kingdom. It doesn’t have territory. It wasn’t formed by battles and conquering. It doesn’t need taxes. You won’t need licenses or agencies.
No more tears. No more sickness. No more squabbles or problems. No more drama.
This is a kingdom whose very nature is the heavens. As others have said, “This changes everything!” It certainly changes what Jesus is trying to teach us.
Party Time

I cannot believe that five lessons have gone by so quickly! This is our last lesson together in this series about Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. I so appreciate your participation and comments. Here is our last question for the series: Tell us about the very best party that you have ever attended. What did you celebrate? How did you celebrate it? Why was it so special? We will conclude our thoughts later this week with another parable. I can’t wait to hear your answers!

A Clean House

We have been studying about Enormous Lessons from Small Parables. Today we discover another aspect of the lives of people of the kingdom. Let’s look at the one of the verses of the parable, and then we will do some thinking.

And when it comes, it finds the place swept and in order (Luke 11:24 AMP).

A couple of years ago, I read an article in The New York Times that caught my attention. The article asked, “Are Americans too Obsessed with Cleanliness?”

Compared with the rest of the world, Americans take personal hygiene and general disinfection to another level. From our appreciation of white teeth and the daily shower, to our manicured lawns and store aisles full of bleach products, most of us cherish our unsoiled, unstained existence.

“Southern Living” magazine believes we are too obsessed, and found significant evidence.

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation immunologist Dr. Eliza Chakravarty told The Oklahoman that an increase in “germophobic parenting” and sterilized environments may keep children’s immune systems from developing properly.

Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but author David Goetz thinks our desire for cleanliness has a different root. “The deity of control commands that we scrub away the chaos and filth that skulk in the shadows of our highly managed, perfection-driven lives.”

 

So as we think about the parable for this lesson, here is a five question quiz for you about cleaning. The last word of each question contains a link with the correct answer. If you want to know the answers, click the last word and a window will pop up. The answers for the first four questions are either a) every one or two weeks; or b) every one or two months.

  1. How often should you wash the sheets on your bed?
  2. How often should you clean your mattress?
  3. How often should you replace the sponge in your kitchen?
  4. How often should you clean the parts of your coffee machine (change the filters if you use a Keurig)?
  5. Susan Hibbard obtained a patent for the first feather duster in 1881. What type of feathers did she use?

How did you do? Is cleanliness next to godliness for you, or next to impossible?