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 (Eph 6:9).
A bad boss makes for a toxic work environment. There are few things worse than a bully in the role of supervisor. Everybody is constantly looking over their shoulder. Everybody is intimidated. There’s the constant threat of being put on probation. There’s the constant threat of being demoted. There’s the constant threat of a pay cut. There’s the constant threat of a horrible assignment. There’s the constant threat getting fired. Here in his letter to his friends back in Ephesus, Paul says there’s no place for horrible bosses in God’s kingdom. “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” (v9).
This command doesn’t just out fly out of left field. Remember the context. The apostle desperately wants the Ephesian believers to remember who they are in Christ. Make sure you soak in the Tsunami of Blessings and realize all that God has done for you (Eph 1:3-14). Before Jesus got ahold of us, we were among the original Walking Dead (Eph 2:1). But God didn’t just put a bandaid on our boo boo, He “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5). As recipients of His grace, God’s descending one-way love, we need to stop bragging about anything we’ve done (Eph 2:7-9). Jesus did it ALL! With that proper perspective of who we are in Christ, Paul then tells us to “be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1). “Walk in love” just like Jesus (Eph 5:2). That means we lovingly and willingly cooperate with each other, “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5:21).
From his cell in the Roman joint, prisoner Paul tells us what this looks like when we apply it practically to the home (Eph 5:22-6:4). Now he turns his attention to the workplace. Bosses are to “do the same to them” (v9). What is “the same?” Who are “them?” In the previous verses Paul writes to slaves (Eph 6:5-8). For our purposes, let’s make this employees. Four different times he tells workers that they have a sacred responsibility to serve Jesus on the job. You are to do what the boss tells you “as you would Christ” (Eph 6:5). You’re not just punching a clock, you’re “servants of Christ” (Eph 6:6). You’re not just following the boss’ orders but “doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph 6:6). You’re not just working for the man but working “to the Lord” (Eph 6:7). Paul reminds CEOs, presidents, VPs, regional managers, department heads and all supervisors that they also have a sacred calling at work. Treat your employees “as you would Christ.” Manage the folks under you “as servants of Christ.” You’re also “doing the will of God from the heart.” Supervise employees with care and concern “as to the Lord.” Bosses are to “do the same” for their workers because of the One they ultimately report to. Don’t see this as a convenient loophole for the big kahuna. The supervisor’s treatment of his or her employees is NOT dependent on how the employees act.
Just because you find yourself over a team of people, that’s absolutely no reason to start throwing your weight around. “Stop your threatening” (v9). The literal translation of this command is “leave threatening alone.” A closer look at the original text sees the word aniemi. It means to relax, loosen, give up or calm down. During the big Philippian quake, all the shackles “were unfastened (Gr. aniemi)” (Acts 16:26). When the ship Paul was taking to Rome was about to slam into the shore in the big storm, the crew was “loosening (Gr. aniemi) the ropes” that tied the rudders. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of God’s promise to keep us tightly in His grip. “I will never leave (Gr. aniemi) you or forsake you” (Heb 13:5). Loosen up, boss. Don’t keep such a kung fu grip on the people who work for you.
The one in charge must quit “threatening” (v9). This is the Greek apeileo, which means intimidation when certain conditions aren’t met. Paul knows all about using the threat of brutality and punishment. Before Jesus ambushed Saul and transformed him into His number one agent for the Gospel, the man from Tarsus was “breathing threats (Gr. apeileo) and murder against the disciples” (Acts 9:1). If folks didn’t stop worshiping Jesus, he wouldn’t just ask them to quit. He would torture them. He would kill them. Saul didn’t make a promise that he didn’t keep. Forget Dale Earnhardt. Saul was the true Intimidator.
Paul tells bosses to stop using the threat of violence as a hammer from the managerial toolbox. While slavery in the first century was very different than what happened in the American South, slave owners in the Greco/Roman world could still be quite brutal. Slaves were property. Owners continually used beatings to punish them. Servants were under the threat of physical punishment. Moving that into a modern context, managers and supervisors must stop intimidating folks who work for them. Don’t torment the people who report to you. Being a good boss does not mean being a bully. When it comes to intimidation, stop using it. Let it go. Give it up. Drop it.
The reason is actually quite simple. We need to understand that the boss works for the same Person as the lowest employee on the org chart. And I’m NOT talking about some high payed CEO or the stockholders. That would be Jesus. Christ “is both their Master and yours” (v9). Paul clues the Colossians in on this very same idea. “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven” (Col 4:1). Christ sits on His throne in heaven. Think of it as the ultimate corner office. He’s EVERYBODY’S Boss. He’s over the part-timers. He’s over the full-timers. He’s over the short-timers. He’s over the long-timers. The King of Kings is the Boss of Bosses. No matter how high you’ve climbed the corporate ladder, you’re His direct report. Let that sink in just a minute. Imagine getting THAT call. “The Boss would like to see you in His office.” GULP!
But as the Boss of Bosses, Jesus is the perfect CEO. “There is no partiality with Him” (v9). He doesn’t just hold the ultimate power but He uses it without regard to whom He’s dealing with. Just after his divine one-on-one mountaintop retreat with the Boss, Moses told the Israelites, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial” (Dt 10:17). Despite being the most powerful Being in the history of the universe, God doesn’t just hobnob with the big shots. He cares deeply about each and every person. Pete came to understand that Jesus was saving both Jews and Gentiles because “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). So any supervisor who threatens and intimidates employees needs to remember that the Big Boss won’t automatically side with them just because of where they sit in the structure of the company. Jesus is impartial.
Who’s the Boss? He’s the Boss. The Boss of Bosses.
This is where you come in. What do YOU think? Agree or disagree? Drop a comment below. I would love to hear from you.
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