Transferring Masters

What is your least favorite job of all time? I asked this question on Twitter and Facebook and received over 50 quick responses. One 157of my friends (and a fellow pastor) used to discard dead animals from the vet! One friend was an extermination technician, who crawled around little tight holes with snakes and other creatures. Another was a funeral home transporter, who picked up cadavers for his cousin in Norway. One friend was a portable toilet service worker; another sorted medical equipment boxes in a four-foot-high attic, scooting around in a wheel chair all day. Sewer line replacement workers, dog kennel cleaners, and excrement burners also replied.

Work is a gift from God. We should be thankful for work. But some jobs are not high on the desirability scale!

How can you find any meaning or fulfillment in your daily vocation—either for paid work or for unpaid work?

On one level you could say you work because people pay you. Right. No one has an addiction to cleaning septic systems or cleaning dog kennels. Often people pay others to do undesirable tasks. But something greater than money should motivate us.

This text shows us that we need to see Christ as the ultimate boss for whom we labor. Your job may stink, but the good news is you can transfer masters without transferring jobs. I do not mean that you will never have to transfer actual jobs but that in whatever job you have, the most important thing to know is that your Master is the Lord Jesus!

Paul teaches us in this section of Ephesians that the lordship of Christ should affect our view of work. We can exalt Christ through our various jobs (both paid and unpaid jobs, both awful and wonderful jobs).

One of the blessings of the Protestant Reformation was a renewed emphasis on living out one's calling or vocatio ("vocation") to the glory of Christ. The reformers believed that one's vocation was the person's special calling, requiring God-given talents, and God Himself is active in daily labor, family responsibilities, and social dealings.

Martin Luther said that when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we should remember how God normally provides bread: through farmers, transporters, and retailers. God does not drop Krispy Kremes down from heaven. Every part of our economic food chain is the means by which God provides for us. Luther said,

What is our work in field and garden, in town and house, in battling and in ruling, to God, but the work of children, through which He bestows His gifts on the land, in the house, and everywhere? Our works are God's masks, behind which 158He remains hidden, although He does all things. ("Exposition of Psalm 147")

To say it another way, there really is no separation between secular work and sacred work. It is all work done under Christ. We need to understand this. Many see little to no connection between their faith and their job. But whatever you do as a Christian, you should do it as a servant of Christ, for the glory of Christ. In the words of the often-quoted Abraham Kuyper statement, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'" (Centennial Reader, 488, emphasis in original). Because it all belongs to Jesus, everything matters.

Slaves and Masters

Before we make specific application to our places of service, we have to talk about the original context of Ephesians 6:5-9, slaves and masters. Paul has been dealing with the ancient household, what scholars call "household codes." He has dealt with wives and husbands and then children and parents. This followed his statement about submission in 5:21. In each case responsibilities are described, with the principles of reciprocity and mutuality stated.

Now Paul turns his attention to his last and most difficult of subjects in the household. It is typical for pastors to jump directly to the application and make this text about employees and employers. While I think that is an appropriate application to make, we need to remember there is not a one-to-one correlation. Slaves do not equal employees. And if we move too quickly to employers and employees, we will miss another important application.

Further, if we move too quickly, we are bypassing the most obvious elephant in this passage, namely, Why didn't Paul outlaw slavery? As a church we fight human slavery. So, what should we make of this passage? In order to understand the text and apply it, let us consider it in three parts: explanation, exhortations, and application.

Explanation: Understanding Slavery and Paul's Undermining of It

Explanation: Understanding Slavery and Paul's Undermining of It

Ephesians 6:5-9

The situation Paul addressed was not like slavery in American history. It was complex and massive in scope. American slavery was primarily racial 159and lifelong. In Paul's day it was not racial, and it was not always lifelong. There were some similarities but it was different.

The Historical Context for Slavery

Some have estimated that in the Roman Empire there were 60 million slaves (Stott, Ephesians, 250), or one-third of the people in a city like Ephesus. It was an accepted part of the Mediterranean world's economic life. Snodgrass reports, "In the Greco-Roman world slavery was so much a part of life that hardly anyone thought about whether it might be illegitimate" (Ephesians, 327). He goes on to mention the nature of slavery:

They did not merely do menial work; they did nearly all the work, including oversight and management and most professions. Some slaves were more educated than their owners. They could own property, even slaves, and were allowed to save money to buy freedom. No slave class existed, for slaves were present in all but the highest of economic and social strata. Many gained freedom by age thirty. (Ibid.)

In Lionel Casson's excellent book Everyday Life in Ancient Rome, the author looks at the Roman world in the first and second centuries. In his chapter on "The Slave" he provides some firsthand accounts of slavery. He summarizes the varied nature of slavery:

There were multitudes of Greek and Roman slaves—the gangs in the mines or on the vast ranches—who lived lives full of hardship as the slaves on the sugar plantations of Brazil or the cotton plantations in the American south. But in the days of the Roman Empire there were also many, a great many, who were able to escape from slavery and mount the steps of the social ladder, in some cases to the very top. (Everyday Life, 64)

Consider the upward mobility of slaves in this illustration:

"I was no bigger than this candlestick here when I came out of Asia Minor ... For fourteen years I was the master's little darling. The mistress' too ... The gods were on my side—I became the head of the household, I took over from that pea-brain of a master. Need I say more? He made me a co-heir in his will, and I inherited a millionaire's estate."

The speaker was Trimalchio, the character in Petronius's novel, The Satyricon, who made it from the rags of a slave to the 160riches of a billionaire. A slave becoming a master's heir and inheriting an estate worth millions? It seems unbelievable. Not in the Roman world in the first century, when Petronius wrote. He was, to be sure, a novelist not a historian, but his portrait of Trimalchio is based on reality. (Casson, Everyday Life, 57)

Casson describes white-collar slaves:

But there also fell to them much white collar work: they were clerks, cashiers, bookkeepers of Ancient Greece and Rome. And they manned not only the lower levels of such work but the upper as well. Banks were owned by wealthy Greek or Roman families, but the officers who were in charge of them could be slaves or freedmen. (Ibid., 58)

Slaves could obtain freedom:

[S]ince they were generous in granting manumission, particularly to the slaves who worked in their offices and homes, the white collar slave worker could be fairly sure of eventually gaining it. Moreover, manumission among the Romans brought with it a precious gift—citizenship. (Ibid., 60)

Casson goes on to mention Felix, who threw Paul into prison: "Pallas's brother who was the Felix who earned everlasting notoriety for throwing St. Paul into prison; he had risen from slavery to governorship in Judea" (ibid., 61). He adds that the father of the famous poet Horace had been a slave in the civil service. He earned his freedom, bought a farm, and eventually moved so that his son could receive a great education (ibid., 63-64).

What about women? Casson writes, "There were numerous female slaves in any large household serving as maids, hairdressers, masseuses, seamstresses, nurses and the like. Many earned manumission, but upward mobility was open to them through their husbands" (ibid., 62).

This little history tour shows that slavery in the Roman world was not like slavery in our recent history. However, the question remains, How did one become a slave? Snodgrass states, "People became slaves through various avenues: birth, parental selling or abandonment, captivity in war, inability to pay debts, and voluntary attempts to better one's condition. Race was not a factor" (Ephesians, 327).

161Slavery in America was mainly racial and executed by self-righteous people. As one can see from the history of Roman slavery, while for many slaves life was harsh and cruel, "their circumstances depended on their owners" (Snodgrass, Ephesians, 327). So Paul's words to "masters" were important and life altering.

Why We Are Opposed to Slavery

At first glance the apostle is silent on this cultural issue. Do the biblical writers endorse slavery? The answer is no. Neither this passage nor other passages encourage the abuse of power or the mistreatment of human beings. Quite the opposite!

However, there seems to be a bit of silence about it. Why do Paul and other New Testament writers not call for abolition? Why do they not say more?

One answer is pragmatic, namely, that Christians were at first an insignificant group in the empire. Their religion itself was still unlawful, and they were politically powerless (Stott, Ephesians, 255).

Additionally, the apparent silence in Scripture was because so many slaves were freed constantly and easily. Some claim that between 81 and 49 bc, 500,000 Roman slaves were freed (Ruprecht, "Slave, Slavery," 458).

Further, conditions were changing in Rome during Paul's time. Stott says that humanitarian changes had been introduced by the first century (Ephesians, 256).

So these are some of the reasons Paul does not spend more time on the topic here in Ephesians. He is writing to give instructions about household relationships and responsibilities within a given society. His goal is not to write a document about changing the social structure.

With that said, the Bible clearly opposes the type of cruel slavery we think of today. I base this on a few obvious biblical convictions.

First, we are called to love our neighbor, not own our neighbor (Luke 10:27). Taking people against their will is vile, sinful, and the opposite of the Great Commandment.

Second, we are to treat others the way we would want to be treated (Matt 7:12). That would preclude being ripped from our homes and transported somewhere against our will to be abused by someone. Slavery is the opposite of the Golden Rule.

Third, neither slavery nor masters are ever viewed positively in the Bible. Israel was in awful slavery in Egypt, but God freed them. Then 162God gave Israel strict laws insisting that they not treat others as they had been treated in Egypt (e.g., Exod 21:16).

Fourth, one of the pictures of the gospel is that of freedom from bondage. Jesus came to let spiritual captives go free. Being a prisoner is not viewed positively. Christianity is a release-the-captives faith (Luke 4:18).

Fifth, Paul's teaching and other New Testament teachings undermine slavery. They destroy it from within. While you may not be able to see it, biblical writers in general, and Paul in particular, are actually not silent about slavery. They just deal with it differently.

How did Paul undermine slavery? For starters, Paul tells us to imitate God (Eph 5:1). Who is God? The psalmist says God is "a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows" (Ps 68:5). He is a God of justice and compassion (Ps 146:9). He stands against oppressors and cares for the vulnerable. That is quite the opposite of slavery.

Paul also calls trafficking human beings a vile sin. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 Paul lists particular sins associated with the breaking of the Ten Commandments. The breaking of the eighth commandment ("Do not steal") is represented when he mentions "kidnappers," enslavers, or slave dealers (1 Tim 1:10), a word found nowhere else in biblical Greek. This sinful act of stealing a human was also forbidden in the expansion and application of the Ten Words (Exod 21:16). Paul (like the Old Testament) forbids this particular act of slavery explicitly. Paul speaks of appropriate conduct within an existing social state without condoning it (as in Eph 6:5-9), and in 1 Timothy 1:10 he forbids this act of enslaving others through kidnapping or trading.

Paul also undermines slavery by teaching equality among groups. This equality is clear in our text and others (e.g., Gal 3:28; Col 3:11). In Philemon, Onesimus fled from his master Philemon, then he providentially met Paul and became a Christian. Paul urges Philemon to receive Onesimus back "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother" (Phlm 16). Paul was redefining the relationship in a countercultural way. It reminds me of the line in "Oh Holy Night": "Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease." In Christ we are equals.

Further, Paul told Corinthian believers that if they could obtain their freedom, they should (1 Cor 7:21). He recognized the benefits of freedom, demonstrating that he was not a fan of slavery.

Paul's Undermining of Slavery (6:5-9)

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Here in Ephesians, Paul plants the seeds of the destruction of slavery, beginning with the Christian community. It was subtle but powerful. Paul focused on spreading the gospel in a society that approved of slavery, and in so doing, he planted the seeds of the destruction of slavery. Stott says, "The gospel immediately began even in the first century to undermine the institution; it lit a fuse which at long last led to the explosion which destroyed it" (Ephesians, 257). Snodgrass adds, "These verses are still extremely subversive" (Ephesians, 323).

Paul's main concern is the spread of the gospel. But he also describes the ethics required between Christian slaves and Christian masters, thereby changing typical relationships between master and slave. By changing how they related to one another, he essentially planted the seeds for slavery's destruction.

How does he tell them to relate to each other?

He admonishes both slave and master to treat each other as they would Christ. Notice in each verse either "Christ," "Master," or "Lord" are mentioned. Snodgrass is instructive here:

That masters are to treat their slaves "the same way" is cryptic but still shocking. For them to follow this instruction, they would have to treat their slaves with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart as to Christ. That alone should have abolished slavery for Christians! ... The ethics move beyond the Golden Rule ... to treating others as we would treat our Lord. (Ephesians, 324, emphasis added)

Paul reminds both slave and master that they are under the lordship of Christ, and "there is no favoritism with Him" (v. 9). Paul does not quote the Mosaic Law. He could have. All you have to do is go to Exodus chapters 20 through 24, and you will find laws pertaining to masters and slaves. But he does not. What does he constantly come back to? Christ! Let me ask you, if both are living under the watchful eye of Christ, how would that change the work ethic of slaves or the treatment given by masters? It would change everything. They both were to live with awareness that Christ is the ultimate Master and Judge, and with Him there is no partiality. Ligon Duncan says, "That is the recognition that both master and slave in Christ have a common Lord and that truth, that reality, that doctrine eventually undermined slavery" ("Obligations").

164Paul calls masters to show justice and reciprocity toward slaves. This idea was nowhere to be found in the legal code in Paul's day. Yet Paul says so here in Ephesians: "Masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them" (v. 9).

Let us move on with this understanding: neither Paul nor other biblical writers endorse slavery; they undermine it. Slavery slowly died out in antiquity because of the influence of Christianity. There were slaves in the Ephesian congregation, but they were not second-class members. They were brothers and sisters, called to unity in Christ (2:11-22; 4:1-6). Paul considers the existing structure and provides some gospel-centered instruction to both slaves and masters that we should consider carefully now.

Exhortations: Paul's Christ-Centered Words to Slaves and Masters

Exhortations: Paul's Christ-Centered Words to Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

As we consider each verse in Ephesians 6:5-9, let us apply Paul's revolutionary words about slaves and masters.

To Slaves: Do Your Work as unto Christ (6:5-8)

In each of the four verses, Jesus Christ is mentioned:

• Verse 5—"as to Christ"
• Verse 6—"as slaves of Christ"
• Verse 7—"as to the Lord"
• Verse 8—"receive this back from the Lord."

The command is clear: Live all of life for Christ. While slaves were to obey their masters, they were to see Christ as the ultimate Master.

Paul basically urged servants to transfer masters, even if they could not transfer jobs. In 1 Corinthians Paul told the one in slavery that he was actually "the Lord's freedman" (1 Cor 7:22). By calling slaves to this Christ-centered perspective, Paul gave them a higher preoccupation than serving their human masters and freed them from the mundane.

With this overarching motive in mind, how exactly were they to glorify Christ in their work? Paul mentions at least four ways this exemplary service would look.

Glorify Christ by working respectfully (6:5a). Paul says they were to obey with "fear and trembling," which probably carries the same idea as165 5:21, out of "fear of Christ." They were to work seriously and reverently because they were working unto Christ.

Glorify Christ by working wholeheartedly (6:5b-6). Notice the emphasis on the heart in these verses: "in the sincerity of your heart" and "do God's will from your heart." Paul urged the bondservants not to be hypocrites, just working when the boss was present: "Don't work only while being watched, in order to please men." While a common temptation for the master was threatening slaves, a common temptation for the servant was being lazy or lying instead of working faithfully. Both were to remember that Christ sees all things.

Glorify Christ by working willingly (6:7). Paul says they should "Serve with a good attitude," not with a begrudging spirit. He tells them to put their heart and soul into their work because, after all, they are doing "God's will" (v. 6). Paul encourages cheerful and glad service.

Glorify Christ by working expectantly (6:8). Paul reminds them that the ultimate reward is coming: "Knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord." No act goes unnoticed. Believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and be rewarded based on present faithfulness (Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6-11; 2 Cor 5:10). Think about how this perspective would change the way one could work.

The writer of Proverbs says, "A man's spirit can endure sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?" (Prov 18:14). If a person's spirit is crushed, life can become unbearable. What lifts the spirit? Christ! Future hope!

To Masters: Treat Your Slaves as You Would Christ (6:9)

Now let us notice four words Paul gives to Christian masters in just this one verse regarding their treatment of servants. These exhortations were countercultural and life changing.

Practice mutuality. Paul says, "Treat your slaves the same way." Masters were to treat their slaves as they wanted to be treated: with integrity, respect, humility, and gentleness. They were to treat them as if they were treating Christ (cf. Matt 25:40). If masters wanted respect and service, then they should give it also.

Avoid hostility. Paul says to oversee them "without threatening." This type of exhortation to masters would have been extremely rare. But Christian masters were to be different. They were not to bully or use aggression.

166Live with Christ-centered accountability. Paul says, "You know that both their Master and yours is in heaven." Masters were to live with a fear of Christ. Proverbs speaks of this equal accountability of rich and poor: "The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord made them both" (Prov 22:2). "The poor and the oppressor have this in common: the Lord gives light to the eyes of both" (Prov 29:13). The Lord is the Judge of all the earth, of every person (Prov 15:3). An awareness of this sobering truth changes the way we live.

Remember God's impartiality. He says, "There is no favoritism with Him." Partiality was written into the Roman law. But Paul says on the last day it will not matter. The Lord Jesus is utterly impartial. Roman law was discriminatory, but heavenly justice is not.

Each of these principles shortened the distance between servant and master. This way of life was radical.

Application: How This Passage Can Change Your Life

Application: How This Passage Can Change Your Life

Perhaps you have been thinking, "I'm not a slave. I don't have slaves. Can we just move to the next passage?" Not so fast. This passage is life changing if you apply it to your life. How so?

This Passage Should Change the Way We Work

No work is merely work. It is a way to serve Christ. Think about employees and employers. Can we make this application? I think so. If these principles applied in a sometimes awful working environment of slavemaster, how much more should we seek to live them out in better working conditions? You say, "My job stinks." Maybe it does. But you are not being physically threatened or abused or treated like property. Remember, your boss is Jesus.

Employees: Work through Christ, like Christ, and for Christ. Break these down for a moment. Work through Christ. Remember that Paul is addressing the Christian church. These are believers in Christ who have been spiritually raised from death to life (2:4-7) and saved by grace (2:8) through the atoning death of Christ (2:13). As a result, they have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. They, and we, do not live our lives, love our spouses, raise our kids, or work our jobs alone. The living Christ abides in us. So do your work through Christ.

167In the Old Testament Joseph was sold into slavery, and he ended up working for Potiphar. In Genesis 39 four times it says that "the Lord was with Joseph" (Gen 39:2, 3,21, 23). He was not alone! Neither are you!

Remember we noted that Ephesians 5:21 leads into 6:9, and 5:21 is built on 5:18, "Be filled with the Spirit" (ESV). We are to do our jobs by depending on the Spirit's power.

Question: Do you pray before you go to work? Do you pray for the Spirit to fill you and for God to use you as a missionary where you work? You should.

Work like Christ. Jesus gives us the model work ethic. As the Suffering Servant, Jesus humbled Himself and died for sinners. He took "the form of a slave" (Phil 2:7). He left glory to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). As a working servant, Jesus was a carpenter or stonemason. He worked hard in the dumpy little town of Nazareth. Here is the sinless Son of God, working a job until He was 30 years old. He was doing it unto the Father.

Think about these virtues Paul just mentioned. Jesus would have exemplified them. Would Jesus have disrespected a person while working? No. Would Jesus slack when no one was watching? No. Would Jesus ever bill someone for extra time? No. Was He a begrudging servant? No. Did He minimize His job? No. If you are a follower of Christ, then you should be exemplary in your service. You should not need supervision. Besides this, your workplace is a great place to make the gospel look good to nonbelievers, not turn them off (see 1 Thess 4:11-12; Titus 2:9-10).

Work for Christ. You should do your best, as if you were doing it for Jesus. Spurgeon said,

Did anybody thus dream of supervising Raphael and Michelangelo to keep them to their work? No, the master artist requires no eyes to urge him on. Popes and emperors came to visit the great painters in their studios, but did they paint better because these grandees gazed upon them? Certainly not! Perhaps they did all the worse in the excitement or the worry of the visit. They had regard to something better than the eyes of pompous people. ("Our Motto")

Spurgeon said this reality should lift our spirits, keep us from complaining, and keep us from becoming lazy. Stott puts it this way:

168It is possible for the housewife to cook a meal as if Jesus Christ were going to eat it, or to spring-clean the house as if Jesus Christ were the honored guest. It is possible for teachers to educate children, for doctors to treat patients and nurses to care for them, for shop assistants to serve customers, accountants to audit books and secretaries to type letters as if in each case they were serving Jesus Christ. (Ephesians, 252)

You should also do your work for Christ now but realize that you will receive a reward from Christ later. Many Christians do not meditate on this. They think, "Our works don't matter." True, Jesus' work saves us, not our works. However, God saved us to do good works (Eph 2:10), and rewards will be given based on our faithfulness. We should anticipate the ultimate bonus: hearing the King say, "Well done." People in this life focus on the nature of one's job, but the Bible puts the focus on being faithful to your job.

Employer: Lead through Christ, like Christ, and for Christ. Now let us break this down. Lead through Christ. Oh, the challenge of leadership! You take on numerous responsibilities and make numerous sacrifices. You need the Spirit's power! Paul felt the pressure of leading churches (2 Cor 11:28). But he goes on to describe how in his weakness the grace of Jesus is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). We must lead out of Christ's strength too.

Lead like Christ. Christ is not just the model Servant; He is the ultimate Master also! What kind of leadership did Jesus execute? Servant leadership. He displayed the attitudes those in leadership should follow. He came to serve. He took up the towel. He cared for the vulnerable. He did not seek earthly praise. He was a shepherd, not a dictator.

Lead for Christ. Paul says masters will give an account. As a leader, you may have more opportunities to bend the truth and make unethical decisions because you have less accountability and more control over your time. Remember, your audience is Christ. He is an impartial master. What this means is that you should seek to honor Him with holy leadership.

This Passage Should Change the Way We Relate to People

Our culture subtly tells us that there is a hierarchy of value among individuals, and it tells us where we fit in this value system. This text crushes that idea. Although there are different roles, in no way do these roles define one's value.

169This hierarchy does not exist for the Christian. We have the same Lord, and we await the same judgment (Rom 2:6-11). Further, James tells us that showing partiality is inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus (Jas 2:1).

We should relate to people differently from the way our culture relates to people. Do not give preferential treatment to a certain class or ethnic group. Care for the rich and the powerful as well as the poor and the powerless. Be careful about your body language, your attention on others, and the way you communicate to others. Do not give the impression that you are superior or that someone is not worth your time. Do not dehumanize individuals by thinking less of them. Do not idolize any human by thinking too highly of her or him.

This Passage Should Change the Way We Evaluate What Is Important

What matters according to this text? It is your relationship with Christ. The most important thing in this life is not whether you work in a sawmill or an office building in a nice part of downtown. What matters is how you respond to Jesus Christ. Is He your Master?

Jesus said it like this: "For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?" (Mark 8:36). If you know Christ, then you are rich. Because of this, one can say with Paul, "As having nothing yet possessing everything" (2 Cor 6:10). The person who has Jesus and nothing has no less than the person who has Jesus and everything else. Do you belong to Jesus Christ? Then you have everything! Then what you do in this life matters. It matters in this life, and it will be revealed in the next life. What matters most to you? The economy? The president? Your team? Your grades? We should all long to say it like Paul: "For me, living is Christ and dying is gain" (Phil 1:21).

If you do not have Christ, then you need to receive the One who, though being the ultimate Master, became the ultimate Servant, dying for sinners like us. Jesus came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves: to free us from slavery to sin and bring us into loving relationship with the Father. He came to give us what we could not earn: spiritual life. He came to make us what we could not become: no longer slaves, but sons. He is the obedient Servant, the best Master, and the sovereign Lord. Look to Him and live.

Reflect and Discuss

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Reflect and Discuss

1. What are some differences between slavery in Paul's context and American slavery?
2. Why should Christians oppose slavery?
3. How does Paul undermine slavery?
4. How does Paul teach slaves to work? Which of these points impacted you the most?
5. How does Paul teach masters to lead? How do you think non-Christian masters would have responded to Paul's words in the first century?
6. How should this passage change the way we work? Explain.
7. How should this passage change the way we relate to people?
8. How should this passage change the way we evaluate what's important?
9. How was Jesus the obedient Servant and the best Master?
10. Stop and pray for your own work situation. Pray for your superiors. Pray for your own heart as you seek to apply this passage.