Respecting the Boss

“Let all who are under the yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled” (1Tim 6:1).

At some point, just about all of us have had a bad boss. Our manager may never rival Miranda from “The Devil Wears Prada.” They may not be as inherently evil as  Montgomery Burns of “The Simpsons.” It explains the twisted popularity of “The Office” and Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager Michael Scott. Do you remember Scott’s famous philosophy of leadership? “Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”

It’s no surprise that horrible bosses are nothing new. They’ve probably been around since the very first prehistoric performance review. That’s why Paul gives Pastor Tim specific instructions for folks with both good and bad bosses in first century Ephesus. “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled” (v1). A closer look at this verse shows us that submitting and supporting your supervisor is a great way to serve our Savior.

Don’t forget the whole reason Paul is writing to his protege Timothy. Around 64 A.D., the apostle was working to get the Ephesian megachurch back on track when he had to make a road trip to Macedonia. He hands Tim the keys as lead pastor and gives him instructions to continue straightening out the mess (1Tim 1:3). A crew of false teachers wormed their way into church leadership and sidetracked believers from the main thing of following Jesus with a combo of wacky myths, bottomless family histories, vicious lies, and downright demonic doctrine (1Tim 1:4-7; 4:1-2). 

Chances are their teaching not only did serious damage within the church but in the workplace as well. It doesn’t take much to imagine that their message stoked the fires of hatred on the job. Why else would Paul include these distinct and definite directions for how we deal with our boss? If it wasn’t a problem, why is it in here? What a powerful reminder this is to pastors, preachers, teachers, elders, and all spiritual leaders. What we teach has an impact on how folks are shining God’s light and spreading His salt the other six days of the week. 

After a discussion of God’s view of leadership (1Tim 3:1-13; 5:17-25), Gospel style assisted living (1Tim 5:3-16), and personal instruction on the role of pastor/teacher (1Tim 3:14-4:15), Paul goes out of his way to talk to Tim about the working stiffs in the Ephesian church, or as he calls them, “all who are under a yoke as bondservants” (v1). What just a New York minute. What does all this talk of yokes and bondservants in the first century have to do with grinding out the 9 to 5 in some cube farm? Absolutely everything. Because submitting and supporting your supervisor is a great way to serve our Savior.

Let’s be honest. Most of us have never seen a yoke, much less worn one. The word here is zugos, which describes a bar of wood joining the necks of two draft animals to enable more effective pulling of heavy equipment. Picture the Clydesdales hauling the beer wagon. Writers of the New Testament only use it as a figure of speech meaning a burden, bondage, or overly complicated rules and regs. I guess you could say that each April when you attempt to file your taxes, the yoke’s on you. Okay, maybe not.

Jesus used this term to describe the incredibly difference between trying to save myself from through performance and trusting in what He has done for me. “Take My yoke (Gr. zugos) upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke (Gr. zugos) is easy, and My burden is light” (Mt 11:29-30). When Galatian believers began trying to earn God’s favor by following rules, Paul warns them, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke (Gr. zugos) of slavery” (Gal 5:1). Once Jesus lightens our load, the last thing we should do is pick it again!

Being “under a yoke” is a metaphor in the NT for a slave. Just in case you may have missed who he’s talking about here, Paul calls them “bondservants” (v1). He uses a Greek word (Gr. doulos) which in very simple terms is a job description. It’s one who serves the will of another. Basically, he’s talking about a slave. We need to get something on the table right from the get-go. This form of slavery significantly different from the horrible history of the American South.

We need to understand that the Greco-Roman economy revolved around slavery. Historians have a hard time getting their hands on numbers, but some people estimate that slaves made up 30-40% of the population of Italy around the time of Jesus’ birth. It was NOT based on race but often on economic status. People would voluntarily serve someone else as a way to work off a debt. 

While some slaves were blue collar and did backbreaking physical labor. At the other end of the slave spectrum were butlers, teachers, doctors, and lawyers. Paul’s traveling buddy Dr. Luke may fit this description. The apostle wrote a personal note to his good friend Philemon after bumping into his runaway servant Onesimus in Rome (Phm 10-16). There’s a good chance that their owners provided these sorts of slaves with food, clothing, and a place to stay. 

Don’t miss the fact that the King of Kings willingly rolled up His supernatural sleeves to become the Servant of Servants. Jesus got up off the throne of heaven in order to come to our rescue. He “emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant (Gr. doulos)” (Phil 2:7). Christ made it clear that He “came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45). The night before He died, our Savior washed the grimy feet of His posse as a humble example for us of how we should willingly serve others (Jn 13:1-17). 

There is a parallel to Greco-Roman slavery for those of us living in the 21st century. Quite simply, Paul is talking about people who go to work. Employees. Salary, hourly, or commission, it doesn’t matter. Dayside or nightshift. Part time or full time. Blue collar or white collar. Stay-at-home mom or telecommuting dad. Even if you’re a self-employed entrepreneur, you have a responsibility to your customers and clients. The CEO answers to the board. Presidents report to the stockholders. If you work for a living, you work for somebody. On some level, just about every one of us is a bondservant in this sense of the word.

Each working stiff is to “regard their own masters as worthy of all honor” (v1). Paul uses a verb here (Gr. hegomai) you can translate a couple of different ways. A lot of times it means to weigh the facts, count, and consider something (Phil 2:3, 6, 25; 3:7, 8). But it can also describe having authority or influence, possessing the ability to make a authoritative decision, or govern something or someone. The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers always “remember those who rule over (Gr. hegomai) you” (Heb 13:7 NKJV) and “obey those who rule over (Gr. hegomai) you” (Heb 13:17 NKJV).

No matter where you fit in the org chart as an employee, you always have authority over who you respect. If you’re the boss of anything, it’s your own actions. You’re the one who decides who is worthy of your recognition. You lead, guide, and direct the respect you give. You have that kind of influence. You possess that sort of power. That being the case, every follower of Jesus is to “regard their own masters as worthy of all honor” (v1). In other words, submitting and supporting your supervisor is a great way to serve our Savior.

Don’t miss a couple of important points Paul makes here. First of all, the recipient of our respect is to be our “own masters” (v1). It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a high opinion of other supervisors. But it does mean to realize who’s MY boss. Ultimately, I’m working for Jesus, something the apostle has already told Ephesian believers in a previous letter (Eph 6:5-8). The focus of my regard is my own manager. 

Second, our supervisor should receive “all honor” (v1). Not some. Not half. Not most. ALL honor. Don’t hold back. Remember, you have control over this. Notice that the apostle doesn’t say, “Once your boss deserves your best, give them your best.” Christ’s call on each on of His followers is to respect our bosses no matter what. Remember, submitting and supporting your supervisor is a great way to serve our Savior.

Whether you’re a good worker or not goes a lot farther than your next performance review or job reference. A big part of honoring my boss is “so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled” (v1). In other words, how well we work reflects on the One we worship. Do you realize that when claim to follow Christ, your coworkers and customers keep their eyes on you? When we’re slackers or have a bad attitude, it negatively impacts how others see God and His Gospel.

This is a HUGE reminder that our work is worship. What?!? Worship? How can THAT be worship? Where’s the band? Where are the words on the screen? Where’s my favorite Chris Tomlin tune? Yup, our work is an expression of our love for Jesus. In a letter to the Colossians, Paul tells working folks that “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col 3:23). You don’t need a worship leader. You don’t need a guitar. You don’t need a seminary degree. Sometimes all you need to worship is a job to do and to do it well. 

So if a first century bondservant is to give all of his honor to his master, don’t you think a 21st century employee should respect his or her boss? If so, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Do you respond immediately and enthusiastically when told what to do at work? Do you smile to your supervisor’s face but grumble behind their back? Do you roll your eyes and push back when given your next assignment? Does your manager feel like their inconveniencing you by asking you to do your job? Are you a self-starter? Do you need constant supervision? Listen, I hate typing these questions as much as you hate reading them!

Christ calls us to respect our bosses whether they’ve earned it or not. We’re to honor our manager whether they are followers of Jesus or not. A huge part of being a follower of Jesus is properly submitting to authority. And that includes the workplace. ESPECIALLY the workplace! Remember, submitting and supporting your supervisor is a great way to serve our Savior.