Homilies on Ephesians 22

Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul, with good will rendering service as to the Lord, and not to men;

knowing that if any man does anything good, this he shall receive again from the Lord, whether he be servant or free.

So that not only the husband, nor the wife, nor the children, but also the virtue of the household servants contributes to the establishing and the upholding of a house.

Therefore the blessed Paul did not neglect even this part;

but he comes to it last, since it also stands last in dignity.

But he discourses much even to them, no longer as to the children, but far more perfectly;

for here he does not give them the promise, but in the world to come.

'Knowing,' he says, 'that whatever good or evil each one does, this he shall receive again from the Lord.'

And he now teaches them to be philosophers.

For even if in dignity they are less than the children, yet in the mind they are greater.

'Servants,' he says, 'be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh.'

At once he raised up the grieved soul, at once he consoled it.

'Do not grieve,' he says, 'that you have a lot lower than that of the wife and the children;

it is the name of servitude only;

the mastery is according to the flesh, temporary and brief;

for whatever is of the flesh is perishable.'

'With fear,' he says, 'and trembling.'

Do you see that he does not require the same fear from the wife and from the servants? For there he simply said:

'And let the wife fear her husband';

but here with intensity, 'With fear,' he says, 'and trembling.'

'In singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.'

What do you say, O blessed Paul? He is a brother, he has enjoyed the same benefits, he belongs to the same body;

Nay rather, he has become a brother — not of his own lord only, but even of the Son of God; he enjoys all the same things. And do you say, 'Obey your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling'? For it is on this very account, he says, that I speak thus.

For if I command even the free to be subject one to another for the fear of God, just as he said above:

'Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God' —

I enjoin the wife to fear her husband, and yet she is of equal honour with him.

For the matter is no mark of low birth, but rather the highest nobility: to know how to lower oneself, to be moderate, and to yield to one's neighbour.

Even free men served free men with much fear and trembling.

'In singleness,' he says, 'of heart.'

Since it is possible to serve with fear and trembling, yet not out of goodwill, but only as far as one is compelled.

For many escape notice while doing much mischief against their own masters.

And so he does away with this mischief too, saying:

'In singleness of your heart, as unto the Lord.'

'Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul; serving with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not to men.'

Do you see how much he needed, in order to implant this good thing — I mean the serving 'with goodwill' and 'from the soul'? For that other thing — the fear and the trembling, I mean — we see many rendering to their masters, and toward that the master's threat accomplishes much.

'But show,' he says, 'that you serve as Christ's servant, not as a man's.'

Make the good deed your own.

Just as, by what follows, he persuades and teaches the one who suffers wrongfully at another's hand to make the good deed his own and a matter of his own choice.

For since the one who struck the cheek came to this not from the mind of the one struck, but from his own malice, what does he say? 'Turn to him the other also' — so that you may show that this blow too you did not endure unwillingly.

For the one who was lavish in suffering wrongfully, and made his own even what was not his — by having the other cheek smitten too, and not merely by enduring the first blow.

For this first thing might perhaps seem even to be a matter of fear;

but that other thing is of much wisdom.

Therefore you have shown that this too you bore for wisdom's sake.

So now here also show that you bear this servitude willingly, and not as a man-pleaser.

Such a one, then, is not a servant of Christ;

but the servant of Christ is not a man-pleaser.

For who, being a servant of God, wishes to please men? And who, pleasing men, is able to be a servant of God? 'From the soul,' he says, 'serving with goodwill.'

For since it is possible to serve even in singleness and without malice, yet not with all one's might, but only fulfilling what is owed — on this account he says: with eagerness, not of necessity; of choice, not by constraint.

If you serve in this way, you are not a slave — if of your own choice, if with goodwill, if from the soul, if for Christ's sake.

For this is the very servitude that Paul, the free man, renders, and cries aloud, saying:

'For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.'

See how he takes away from you the ignobility of servitude.

For just as the man who has been robbed of his goods — if he even gives more besides to the one who took them — is reckoned not among those who have been deprived, but among the munificent; not among those who have suffered wrongfully, but among those who do well; and by his liberality he has rather cast reproach upon the other than been clothed with it by the robbery —

so too here, by his lavishness he will appear the more magnanimous, and, by showing that he was not even aware of the plundering, he will shame that other man.

Therefore let us serve our masters for Christ's sake, 'knowing,' he says, 'that whatever good thing any man does, this he shall receive back from the Lord, whether he be slave or free.'

For since it was likely that many of the masters, being unbelievers, would feel no shame nor requite their servants for their obedience, see how he consoles them, so that they should not be suspicious about the recompense, but be exceedingly confident concerning the reward.

For just as those who have been well treated, when they do not requite their benefactors, make God their debtor;

so too the masters, if, having been well served by you, they do not requite you, have all the more requited you, in that they have made God your debtor.

'And you masters,' he says, 'do the same things toward them.'

What sort of things? Serve them with goodwill.

But he did not say 'serve,' and yet, by saying 'the same things,' he made this plain;

for the master too serves.

'Not as men-pleasers,' he says, 'with fear and trembling' — that is, with the fear that is toward God, being afraid lest at some time He

should call you to account for your negligence toward your servants.

'Do not become burdensome,' he says, 'nor oppressive.'

'Knowing that both your Master and theirs is in heaven.'

That is, with the measure with which you measure, it shall be measured back to you.

'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt.'

'And there is no respect of persons,' he says, 'with Him.'

'Do not suppose,' he says, 'that He will let pass the things done to a servant, as though done merely to a servant.'

For the outward laws know a distinction between these classes, inasmuch as they are laws of men;

but the law of the common Master knows no distinction, inasmuch as He does good to all in common, and imparts the same things to all.

But if anyone should ask whence slavery came, and why it entered into human life (for indeed I know that many both ask such questions gladly and wish to learn), I will tell you.

Covetousness gave birth to slavery — meanness, insatiable greed;

since Noah had no slave, nor Abel, nor Seth, nay nor those after them.

It was sin that gave birth to this thing — the insolence against the fathers.

Let children hear, that they are worthy to be slaves whenever they are ungrateful toward their fathers.

Such a one has robbed himself of his nobility;

for the one who insults his father is no longer a son.

And if the one who insults his father is no son, how shall the one who insults Him who is truly our Father be a son? He has departed from nobility, he has committed outrage against his own nature.

Then also wars and battles took captives.

'But Abraham had household servants,' one says.

But he did not use them as household servants.

See how he hangs everything upon the head.

The wife: 'that he,' he says, 'love her';

the children: 'that he rear them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord';

the servants: 'knowing that both your Master and theirs is in heaven.'

'So do you also,' he says, 'as being servants yourselves, become kind and forgiving.'

But if you are willing to hear, we will say the same things concerning household servants which we also said before concerning children:

teach them to be reverent, and by all means everything else follows.

But now, when one goes up to the theatre, or goes off to the bath, he drags along all his servants;

but to church, no longer — nor does he compel them to be present and to hear.

And how shall the household servant give heed, when you, his master, are giving your attention to other things? You have bought him, you have purchased the slave: first lay upon him the commands that pertain to God, that he may be gentle toward his fellow servants and make great account of virtue.

Each man's house is a city, and each man is the ruler of his own house.

And that such is the case with the households of the rich is plain enough, where there are lands, and stewards, and rulers set over rulers;

but I say that even the household of the poor is a city.

For here too there are offices of authority;

for instance, the husband rules the wife, the wife rules the servants, the servants rule their own wives;

and again, the wives and the husbands rule the children.

Does it not seem to you that such a man is like a kind of king, having so many rulers set in subjection under himself, and that it becomes him to be more skilled than all of them in household management and in statecraft? For he who knows how to make good use of these several relations knows also how to choose fit rulers, and he will choose distinguished ones indeed.

Therefore the wife shall be a second king in the house, save only for the diadem; and he who knows how to choose this king aright will order all the rest well.

«Finally, my brethren,» he says, «be strong in the Lord.»

Whenever his discourse is about to draw to a close, he always employs this manner.

Did I not rightly say from the beginning that each man's house is a whole camp of soldiers? For behold, having arranged all the offices of authority, he now arms them and leads them out to war.

For if no one seizes the office of another, but each abides in his own place, all will be well ordered.

«Be strong,» he says, «in the Lord, and in the power of His might;»

that is, in the hope that is in Him, through His help.

For since he had enjoined many things which had to be done, he says: Do not be afraid; cast your hope upon the Lord, and He will make all things easy.

«And put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.»

He did not say, «against the fightings,» nor, «against the wars,» but «against the wiles.»

For the enemy does not war against us simply nor openly, but by craft.

What is craft? To use craft is to deceive and to take by contrivance, as happens also in the arts, and in words, and in deeds, and in wrestling-matches, in the case of those who mislead us.

He never sets sins before us openly; he does not name idolatry outright, but contrives it in another way, using craft — that is, making his argument persuasive, employing disguises.

By this too, then, he has already roused the soldiers and made them vigilant, by persuading and teaching them that our battle is with one experienced in warfare, who fights neither simply nor openly, but with much craft.

And first he exalts his disciples' spirit by describing the nature and the multitude of the foe.

Not wishing to cast down the soldiers who stood under him, but to lift them up and rouse them, he spoke of the enemy's stratagems, and prepared them to be vigilant.

For if, having merely described their power, he had stopped his discourse there, he would indeed have cast them down;

but if both before this and after it he shows that it is possible to overcome such a foe, he rather lifts them up.

For the strength of our adversaries, the more clearly it is reported by us to our own people, so much the more zealous does it make our men.

«For our wrestling,» he says, «is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.»

Having exhorted them from the character of the battle, he next rouses them also from the prizes that are set before them.

For what? Having said that the enemies are fierce, he added that they also rob us of great things.

What things? The battle is set in the heavenly places;

the contest is not for money, nor for glory, but for our very enslavement.

So that the enmity becomes irreconcilable.

The strife and the battle are the fiercer when they are for great stakes.

For the phrase «in the heavenly places» stands for «for the heavenly things»;

not that they themselves may gain something by conquering, but that they may rob us;

as if he were saying, «The covenant lies in something» — the «in» stands for «for the sake of,» and the «in» stands for «by means of.»

See how the enemy's power rouses us and makes us vigilant — the knowing that the danger is for great things, and that the victory is for great things;

for he is eager to cast us out of heaven.

What principalities and powers and world-rulers of the darkness of this age does he mean? Of what darkness — is it that of the night? By no means, but that of wickedness;

«For we were once darkness,» he says, thus calling wickedness the darkness that is in the present life.

For it will have no place beyond this — neither in heaven, nor in the age which is to come.

And he calls them world-rulers, not as ruling the world, but as being the authors of wicked deeds.

For Scripture is wont to call wicked practices «the world»;

«You are not of this world, even as I am not of the world.»

Were they then not of the world? Were they not clothed with flesh? Were they not among those in the world? And again:

«The world hates Me, but you it cannot hate;»

again meaning by this the wicked practices.

Or else by «the world» here he means wicked men;

for the demons hold sway over these all the more.

«Against the principalities, against the powers, against the spiritual hosts,» he says, «of wickedness in the heavenly places.»

He speaks of principalities and powers, just as also among the heavenly beings there are thrones, dominions, principalities, powers.

«For this cause,» he says, «take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having accomplished all things, to stand.»

By «the evil day» he means the present life, and this age too he calls evil, from the evils that come to pass in it.

«And having accomplished all things,» he says;

that is, both the passions, and unseemly desires, and all the things that trouble us.

He did not say simply «work,» but «work out» thoroughly, so that we are not only to slay them, but also to stand after slaying.

For many, having won this victory, have fallen again.

«Having accomplished all things,» he says — not this yes and that no;

for even after the victory there is need of standing firm.

He was once cast down, but the things that are struck down come to life again;

even things that have fallen rise up again.

So long as we stand fast, he lies fallen;

so long as we are not carried about, he does not rise up.

Let us put on the whole armor of God.

Do you see how he has taken away fear? For if it is possible to work out the victory and to stand, why do you flee the battle? Stand, having accomplished the work, and you have conquered.

And do not marvel that he discourses at such length about the power of the enemies;

for the recounting of these things does not produce cowardice and fear, but shakes off sloth.

«That you may be able,» he says, «to withstand in the evil day.»

And he consoles them also from the consideration of the time.

Do not grow weary after the slaughter.

If, then, it is warfare, if such are the ranks arrayed against us, if the principalities are incorporeal, if they are the world-rulers, if they are the spiritual forces of wickedness, how, tell me, can you live in luxury? How can you be dissolute? How, being unarmed, shall we be able to prevail? Let each one say these things to himself every single day.

whenever he is mastered by wrath, whenever by desire, whenever he chases after this soft and aimless manner of life.

Let him listen to the blessed Paul, who says:

Our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers.

This war is harsher than the one perceived by the senses, and the battle more violent.

Consider how long a time this enemy has been wrestling, and for what he strives in the contest, and make yourself the more secure.

'Yes,' someone says, 'but the devil ought to have been removed from our midst, and then all would have been saved.'

Some of the slothful utter such excuses as these.

Whereas you ought to give thanks, O man, that you prevail over such a foe if you are willing, you do the opposite and are indignant, uttering the words of some sluggish and drowsy soldier.

You know the holds, if you are willing;

look about you on every side, wall yourself in.

The battle is not against the devil only, but also against his powers.

'How, then,' he says, 'shall we wrestle with the darkness?' By becoming light.

'How with the spiritual forces of wickedness?' By becoming good.

For wickedness is contrary to goodness, and light drives away darkness;

but if we ourselves are also darkness, we shall assuredly be taken captive.

How, then, shall we prevail over them? If what those beings are by nature, that we become by choice—outside of flesh and blood.

For since it was likely that they were being driven on by many, 'Do not suppose,' he says, 'that it is these men who make war on us.'

The demons who work in them are the ones who make war;

our battle is against those beings.

By this he accomplishes two things: he makes them more eager against those who war on them, and he stirs up their wrath against those beings.

And for what reason has our battle come to be against these? Because we also have an ally against whom there is no fighting—the grace of the Spirit—and we have been taught such an art that we are able to wrestle not against men, but against demons.

But if we are willing, we shall not even wrestle at all; for it is because we so wish that there is a wrestling.

since so great is the power of Him who dwells within us, that He says:

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.

He has given us full authority both to wrestle and not to wrestle;

but since we are sluggish, we do wrestle with them;

for that Paul did not wrestle, listen to him as he says:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? And again, listen to him as he says:

The God of peace shall crush Satan under your feet shortly.

For he had him in subjection;

I charge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to come out of her.

But this does not belong to one who is wrestling.

For he who is wrestling has not yet conquered, but he who has conquered no longer wrestles.

He subdued him, he led him captive.

And Peter too did not wrestle with the devil, but wrought that which was better than wrestling.

Among the faithful, among those who obeyed, among the catechumens, they mastered him with a great surplus of strength.

Therefore the blessed Paul also said:

For we are not ignorant of his devices.

Whence indeed he chiefly prevailed over him.

And again, listen to him as he says:

It is no wonder if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers.

Thus he knew the whole battle, and nothing escaped him.

And, 'For the mystery of iniquity,' he says, 'is already at work.'

But the wrestling is against us.

Since, listen to him again as he says:

I am persuaded that neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor forces, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ.

He did not say simply, 'From Christ,' but, 'From the love of Christ.'

For many are seemingly united to Christ, yet do not love Him.

'Not only,' he says, 'will you not persuade me to deny Him, but not even to love Him less.'

But if the powers above could not do this, what other could remove him? Yet he says these things not as though those powers were attempting it, but by way of supposition.

Therefore he was not wrestling, and yet he fears the enemy's cunning devices.

For listen to him as he says:

I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is toward Christ.

but he also used this expression concerning himself, saying:

For I fear lest, after preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.

How, then, are you persuaded that no one shall separate you?

Do you see that the expression is one of humility and moderation? For by then that man was already dwelling in heaven;

For I am conscious of nothing against myself;

and again, I have finished the course.

So that the devil did not hinder him in these matters, but in the matters concerning his disciples.

Why so? Because of these he was not himself the sole master, but their own choice was involved.

or rather, not even there did the devil master him, but the slothfulness of those who did not give heed.

For if he did not fulfil his own part, whether through sluggishness or through some other such cause, then the devil mastered him;

but if he himself did everything, while those others were not persuaded, then it was not he whom the devil mastered, but their disobedience;

and the disease did not master the physician, but the disorderliness of the sick man.

For whenever the physician has made every provision, but the patient ruins it all, then it is the patient who is defeated, not the physician.

So that nowhere did the devil master Paul.

Nevertheless, in our own case, it is a thing to be prized even to be able to wrestle.

For the Romans he does not pray for this, but what? 'The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.'

And for these he prays in this manner.

'Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.'

He who is still wrestling is still held fast in the struggle;

yet even so, not to fall is itself something to be prized.

Then the victory becomes glorious, when we depart from this life.

For instance, suppose there is some evil desire.

The extraordinary thing would be not even to admit it, but to quench it outright;

but if this is not possible, at least let us wrestle against it and hold it down continually;

if we depart while still wrestling, we have conquered.

For it is not here as it is in the case of athletes;

for there, unless you throw down your opponent, you have not conquered;

but here, if you are not thrown down, you have conquered;

if you are not thrown down, you have thrown down your foe.

For there both strive for victory, and if the one is thrown down, the other is crowned;

but here it is not so; rather, the devil strives for our defeat.

Whenever, then, I deprive him of this for which he strives, I have conquered;

for he is intent, not merely to throw us down, but to throw us down together with himself.

For he himself has already been cast down, and is in perdition.

And his victory consists not in being crowned, but in destroying me;

so that if I do not throw him down, but neither am I thrown down, I have conquered.

What, then, is a glorious victory? To trample him underfoot from an abundance of strength, as Paul did, counting present things as nothing.

Let us too imitate him, and be earnest to rise higher, and to give him a handhold from no quarter.

Wealth gives him a handhold, money, vainglory;

and often it has raised him up, and often it has made him savage.

But what need is there of a wrestling-match? What need of a grapple? He who grapples has the outcome uncertain, whether he himself may not also be worsted and taken captive;

but he who tramples underfoot has his victory made plain.

Let us therefore trample down the power of the devil, let us trample down our sins—I mean all worldly things, wrath, lust, arrogance, all the passions;

so that, when we have departed there, we may not be found betraying the authority which God has given us.

For thus shall we also attain to the good things to come.

But if we prove base in this matter, who will entrust to us the greater things? For if we could not tread down him who has offended, who has been dishonoured, who has been despised, who lies beneath our feet, how shall the Father give us our patrimony? If we have not prevailed over one so wholly subjected, what boldness shall we have to enter into the Father's house? For tell me:

if you had a son, and he, forsaking the well-disposed among the household servants, mingled with those who had grieved you, with those who had been cast out of the father's house, with those given over to gambling, and did this to the very end, would he not be disinherited? Quite evidently so.

So we also, if forsaking those who are well-pleasing and the angels appointed over us, we consort with the devil, shall assuredly be disinherited.

But God forbid that any of us should suffer this; rather, having taken up the war against him, and having conquered with the help of the alliance from above, may we become heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

If anyone has an enemy, if anyone has been wronged by him, if anyone is enraged, let him gather up all that wrath, all that bitterness, and pour it out upon the head of the devil.

Here wrath is good, here anger is useful, here the remembrance of wrongs is praiseworthy.

For just as, in the case of outward matters, this remembering of wrongs is evil, so here the remembering of wrongs is good.

So that if you have failings, get rid of them here;

and if you cannot lay them aside yourself, at least do so along with your own members.

Has someone struck you? Bear a grudge against the devil, and never dissolve your enmity against him.

But has he not struck you? Even so, bear a grudge, because he has insulted your Master, because he has given offence, because he ravages and wars against your brethren.

Be always his enemy, always bitter, always untamed toward him;

for thus will he there be brought low, thus made contemptible, thus easily overcome.

If we are savage toward him, he will not be savage toward us;

but if we are gentle, then will he be savage—

not as it is in the case of our brethren.

He is an enemy and a foe both of our life and of our salvation, and of his own.

If he does not love himself, how shall he be able to love us? Let us therefore array ourselves and strike him down, having as our great ally the Lord Jesus Christ, who is able both to make us invincible against his snares, and to count us worthy of the good things to come;

which may it be granted us all to attain, by the grace and love toward mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honour, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.