Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
When you hear masters and bondservants what comes to your mind? Many of us think of slavery, and especially American slavery. We do not think of Downton Abby or Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler, or the The Butler the movie. It is difficult even for us to see the connection between children and bond servants like St Paul uses here.
All of you are slaves! You are slaves to your employer. You are slaves to your country. You are slaves to your spouse or to your parents. You are all Slaves! Now, what was that response? You don't want to be a slave. You don't think you should obey your Master. You don't want to serve at the will of someone else.
This is just proof that you are a sinner. Your Master, The Lord, has claimed you to be his very own slaves. He desires for you to preform his will in your daily life. He provides for all your needs. He even protects you from the Devil and eternal damnation by sending you a King, Jesus Christ. God is your master. He has freed you from slavery to sin, and makes you his own. But more than just a slave you are also a son, or child. God as made you his own children to love and care for.
God made you a slave in Baptism and adopted you to be his own child. He desires this relationship to be mirrored in our daily life, so we can proclaim the greatness of him who claimed us.
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