servants – Ministry of Grace Church

Servants, be submissive to your masters in all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked.

Truth to Learn

Submission to others is necessary, but not always easy.

Behind the Words

The word translated “servants” is the Greek word oiketēs, which means “one of the household” but not necessarily a member of the family. The Greek word for a member of the family is oikogenes. The Greek word that refers to a slave owned by his or her master is doulos. Hence, the word oiketēs is most commonly a reference to a household worker who does so by choice and gets paid for it. The fact that Peter uses this word indicates that this message is to all of us who have a boss. It means that we cannot conveniently side-step this command, claiming that it does not pertain to us.

“Be submissive to” is the translation of hupotassō, which is a compound of hupo or hypo, meaning “under” and tasso, meaning “to arrange in an orderly manner” or “to rank.” It is a military term meaning to place in rank under someone else’s authority. It is expressed in this verse in the passive voice indicating action done to the subject (servants).

The word translated “masters” is despotēs (from which we get our English word despot), meaning “one who possesses authority,” “a master,” or “a boss.”

The word “crooked” is translated from the Greek word skolios, which literally means “crooked.” In reference to a person, it means “unjust” or “wicked.”

Meaning Explained

The words “be submissive to” are also translated as “submit to” in the following verses:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

In these verses wives are told to place themselves in rank under their husbands’ authority and we are all commanded to place ourselves in rank under God’s authority. Here in 1 Peter we are told to place ourselves in rank under the authority of our boss and, therefore, do as he or she directs us.

Our God has established order in the world for the purpose of peace:

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace … (1Corinthians 14:33a)

For the sake of peace, He has established that we should all voluntarily place ourselves under the authority of others. And, we are commanded to do so, not only to a good and gentle boss, but also to one who is unreasonable or unjust. This is a difficult task for anyone who has an unreasonable boss, but it is what Peter instructs us to do.

Application

Placing ourselves under the authority of someone who doesn’t deserve it is a difficult task at best. Anyone who has had a corrupt or incompetent boss knows how difficult it can be. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what God instructs us to do.

In God's service, for His glory,

not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Truth to Learn

We are to work at our jobs as if our boss was Jesus himself.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “eyeservice” is ophthalmodouleia, which is composed of ophthalmos, meaning “eye” and douleia, meaning “slavery” or “service.” Thus, this word literally does mean “eyeservice.” Ophthalmodouleia implies work that is being done only when someone is watching or work that is done primarily for appearance sake.

“Men-pleasers” is from anthrōpareskos. This word is made up of anthrōpos, meaning “man” and areskō, meaning “to be agreeable” or “to be pleasing.” This word describes the action of those who try to gain favor with others. The implication is that they are focused on pleasing other people instead of focusing on pleasing God.

The word “servants” is doulos, the same word Paul used in the previous verse, meaning “someone who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, is in a position of servitude to someone else and whose will is completely submitted to that of his or her master.”

Meaning Explained

Yesterday we learned that Christian slaves are to be obedient to their masters and they are to serve their masters with singleness of heart. In other words, they are to listen attentively to their masters, doing what they are told without attempting to deceive. In addition, based on what we learned yesterday, we can safely say that this message applies to anyone who works for someone else, anyone who has a boss. In 1Peter 2:18, the Apostle Peter tells us that we are to submit (under-rank ourselves) to our bosses:

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

Between Ephesians 6:5, 6 and 1Peter 2:18 we can learn a lot about how we are to perform at our jobs. First of all, we are to listen attentively to our bosses, learning what we can from them and obediently doing what they ask (or tell) us to do. Second, we are to serve them with singleness of purpose. Third, we are to do our work for them as if we were doing the work for our Lord Jesus Christ, as His slaves. Fourth, we are to always be diligent at what we do, not just when someone is watching us, but at all times. Fifth, we are not to perform our jobs just to impress someone. Finally, we are to have a submissive attitude with regard to our boss. And we are to do so not just for the gentle bosses we might have, but to the unreasonable bosses as well. Incidentally, the Greek word translated “unreasonable” in the 1Peter passage above literally means “crooked.”

Whatever job we might find ourselves in, we need to recognize that God has placed us under the authority of our boss. Therefore, in a very real sense, we are doing our job for the Lord. We need to perform our work as if Jesus Christ was working right beside us. And – our Lord deserves the full credit for any success that we might have.

Application

Do you have a lousy boss? If so, remember that God has placed you under his (or her) authority and you need to perform your work for him (or her) as if Christ himself was your boss. Can you do that? Is so, you might be surprised at the results.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: servants

1 Peter 2:18 – Submit to Bosses

Ephesians 6:6 – Jesus, Our Boss