Five Takes on Ephesians 5 Sermon slides August 26, 2012 First - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pastor Ken Frese:

Five Takes on Ephesians 5

Sermon slides August 26, 2012 First Lutheran Church of Venice, California

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Ephesians 5:22 Ephesians 5:22-

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Five Takes On a Toxic Text Five Takes On a Toxic Text

Ephesians 5:22 Ephesians 5:22-

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Lectionary Lectionary

(schedule of Bible readings) (schedule of Bible readings)

Revised Common Revised Common

• Ephesians 1:3-14
• Ephesians 2:11-22
• Ephesians 3:14-21
• Ephesians 4:1-16
• Ephesians 4:25-5:2
• Ephesians 5:15-20
• Ephesians 6:10-20

LCMS LCMS

• Ephesians 1:3-14
• Ephesians 2:11-22
• Ephesians 3:14-21
• Ephesians 4:1-16
• Ephesians 4:17-5:2
• Ephesians 5:6-21

21

• Ephesians 5:22

Ephesians 5:22-

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• Ephesians 6:10-20

1 1 – – Accommodational Accommodational

• Ephesians 5:22-33 is hierarchical,

patriarchal, sexist, and oppressive to women.

• But it is a late text, not written by Paul.
• Doesn’t fit the life and teachings of Jesus.
• Doesn’t fit the undisputed writings of Paul:

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

• This text is not at the core of the Christian

message, but it accommodates to the culture instead.

2 2 – – Declarational Declarational

God’s Word – God has declared it! Has nothing to do with:

equality in God’s eyes; relative worth of male vis-a-vis female (vs Aristotle, Josephus); the role of women in society; non-Christians.

A very specific and practical arrangement

intended to lessen the potential for conflict in a human relationship very prone to conflict.

Forward-looking in terms of gender

differentiation and male responsibility.

“Respect” (5:33) husband as he serves

you, even to the point of dying for you.

3 3 – – Transformational Transformational

Context: Paul is about to tell husbands to do

something unprecedented at that time – or any time.

“Be subject” = literally “to place under”, for care and

protection as much as for obligation and service.

Addresses wives directly – with dignity – not indirectly through their husbands. Not “obey”. Not for the “benefit” or “prestige” of their husbands, but “as you are to the Lord”.

“Head” does not mean brains or command center.

Jews and Christians didn’t think with their heads – they thought with their “hearts”.

3 3 – – Transformational Transformational

Husband is given 3x more instruction than the

wife (143 words vs 47 words).

The husband is not told to “control” or

“govern” his wife (as in Plutarch and others) but to

“love [serve]”, “nourish”, “tenderly care for”, “give himself up [die] for” her.

Paul uses concepts current in his culture and

radically transforms them in the light of the Gospel, just as the Gospel trans- form marriages to this day.

4 4 – – Applicational Applicational

• Ephesians 5:22-33 is an application of a

general principle found in Ephesians 5:2: “Be subject to one another out of love for Christ”.

• Ephesians 1:3-14
• Ephesians 2:11-22
• Ephesians 3:14-21
• Ephesians 4:1-16
• Ephesians 4:17-5:2
• Ephesians 5:6-21

21

• Ephesians 5:22

Ephesians 5:22-

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• Ephesians 6:10-20

4 4 – – Applicational Applicational

• 5:21 and 5:22 are so closely tied together that

there is no verb in 5:22 – it depends on 5:21 for its verb (“be subject”).

• Ephesians 5:21is the heading, the title sentence

for all of 5:22-33 – “Be subject to one another to one another

• ut of love for Christ.”
• “Be subject” (wife) = “Love/Serve/Die”

(husband)

• The principle never changes, but it can

be applied in different ways at different times and in different cultures.

5 5 – – Christological Christological

Christ is mentioned from beginning to

end in Ephesians 5:22-33 (in 9 out of the 11 verses). For example,

“just as Christ is the head of the church” (5:23) “just as Christ loved the church” (5:25) “just as Christ does for the church” (5:29) “I am applying it to Christ and the church (5:32)

The goal of the passage is not to lay down

rules but to make the generous, joyful, and empowering presence of Christ real in a marriage relationship.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband is to provide leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by

• cherishing. So just as the

church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their

• husbands. (The Message)

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best

• ut of her. . . and that is how husbands ought to love

their wives. (The Message)

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