Respect for Masters?

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.” (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

The Bible doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. It doesn’t paint a fake, rosy view of the world. The Bible addresses even the parts of life that are hard. Like slavery. Slavery was very common in the ancient world. The Bible never says that slavery is a good thing, and it condemns slave traders (1 Timothy 1:10).

Yet, by God’s grace, there were slaves who became Christians. What an amazing, wonderful thing! Did those Christian slaves matter to God? Of course! So Paul wrote down God’s Word specifically for them. What was it? “Revolt! Run away!” No. It was this, “Respect your masters.”

That must have been really hard. Can you imagine being owned by another person? Can you imagine not having the freedom to go where you want, to live where you want, to do what you want? It must have been tempting for those slaves to despise their masters, even if their masters were Christians. “Why should I listen to you? I’m not going to show you any respect…”

Yet, what were those slaves to do? Respect their masters. Why? “So that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.” When you’re a Christian, everything you do doesn’t just reflect on you. It reflects on Jesus. In every situation, we have the opportunity to glorify Jesus’ name, even as a slave.

Jesus understands. He is our true Master, yet he was willing to become the slave of all and even offered his life for us on the cross (see Mark 10:42-45). Doesn’t Jesus’ sacrifice change our attitude? For Jesus’ sake and to Jesus’ glory, we can respect those who are in positions of authority over us.

Thankfully, we don’t live under the yoke of slavery today, but we do face similar situations. If you’re an employee, respect your company. If you’re a worker, care about your boss. If you’re a student, respect your teacher. Because when you do, you’re showing your trust and respect for the true Master—Jesus!

Dear Jesus, even in the hardest situations of life, allow our faith and trust in you to shine. By your grace, give us the strength to respect whomever our “masters” are today. To your glory, amen.

Pastor Nathan