Slaves and wives
What troubles me most about Bible readers is when they don’t question content they clearly should. People raised in certain types of Christian subcultures often express feeling badly when they question content in the Bible. But I tell them, “Actually, the fact that this content troubles you is a good sign. It means you have a healthy conscience. If you didn’t question it, that would be troubling.”
It is troubling when well-meaning Christians overlook places in the Bible where God is accused of murdering children, for instance, or when slaves are told to endure harsh treatment with a “well-I-guess-God-had-his-reasons-and-who-am-I-to-question-God” piety. For anyone whose image of God has been shaped by the revelation of Jesus Christ, these scenes should be at least somewhat unsettling. Instead of thumbing through them with ease, we should stop and begin asking critical questions. Why is this here? What does this mean? How is this profitable to my Christian faith?[1]
What the Apostle Peter says about slaves and wives is a good example. In 1 Peter 2:18-25 Peter commands slaves to “accept the authority of your masters…even if they are cruel.” He writes, “God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure false treatment.” And to be clear, by “false treatment” he appears to mean being beaten.
“God called you to do good,” he says, “even if it means suffering.”
Even this ought to be difficult for the average Bible reader but then Peter connects the logic to women in marriage. The very next section begins with the words, “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands.” The implication, of course, is “even if they are cruel.” God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure false treatment, including being beaten.
If the command for slaves to patiently endure beatings at the hands of their masters isn’t unsettling, I would certainly hope the implication that wives should do the same is. That can’t really be what Peter is saying, right?
I don’t think it is. Or at least I don’t think that’s how modern Christians should use it.
First, Peter also commands husbands to “give honor” to their wives. Assuming men follow that command, no woman should ever endure “false treatment” including of course being beaten.
But then again, what are the odds that all men will follow Peter’s command at all times?
Slim.
So, what should women do when men fail?
And should we restrict “false treatment” to physical abuse? What if a woman endures chronic emotional, verbal, or psychological abuse? What if a husband is loving and kind on the surface but turns out to be living a double life? What then?
Should we take Peter’s words to mean that to be “faithful” a woman should “patiently endure” these things, no matter what?
Second, there is the issue of liberty. Slaves in the first century did not have the liberty to break free from their arrangements. They were slaves for a reason, typically to pay off a debt, and to leave was to essentially break the law. Women in contemporary western culture, on the other hand, are free to enter or leave a marriage at will.
In that context, Peter’s advice becomes more understandable. He compares the plight of the mistreated slave to that of Christ. Just as Jesus endured mistreatment without retaliating with violence, so you must. You can’t control your situation, you can’t leave, but you must not respond with violence.
That’s what he means when says to slaves they must, “patiently endure.” He means something like, “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. It isn’t right. I wish you could just leave. But since you can’t, do what Jesus did and patiently suffer the wrong. God will take care of you.” Peter is concerned with slaves who call themselves Christians engaging in acts of violence against their masters, which is precisely the opposite of how Jesus responded to mistreatment.
In that regard, his logic should hold for women in marriage. If you’re being mistreated do not respond in kind. Do not respond to violence with violence.
But that does not mean a woman should necessarily stay. She may choose to stay, but it would be wrong to compel her to stay using Peter’s words as justification, to paint staying and “patiently enduring” whatever mistreatment she is suffering as the only faithful or Christlike response.
She can also non-violently walk away because in our context she has the liberty to do so. If slaves had the freedom to walk away, I suspect Peter would have said, “If your master mistreats you, just leave.” In fact, the Apostle Paul gave that exact advice to slaves in the city of Corinth.[2]
This isn’t peripheral or tangential stuff. Christians all over the world struggle with moral decisions because of how they’ve been taught to handle the Bible. I know women who have endured considerable mistreatment at the hands of their husbands but who “patiently endured” it believing that was the most faithful response.
You may choose to patiently endure mistreatment by another person in the hopes that person will change or in the hopes that doing so will give you an opportunity to show them or share with them the love of Christ. That is your choice and if you have the strength to make it for a time, God’s blessing on your efforts. But to the degree that you are not obligated to do so, doing so may not be the best decision, for you or the other person.
[1] 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is inspired by God and “useful.” One of the most important questions to ask when reading the Bible is, “How can I use this passage of scripture to motivate greater faithfulness to Jesus.” The Bible is not a master to follow but a tool to be used by God’s people to shape our commitment to Christ.
[2] 1 Corinthians 7:21
It is troubling when well-meaning Christians overlook places in the Bible where God is accused of murdering children, for instance, or when slaves are told to endure harsh treatment with a “well-I-guess-God-had-his-reasons-and-who-am-I-to-question-God” piety. For anyone whose image of God has been shaped by the revelation of Jesus Christ, these scenes should be at least somewhat unsettling. Instead of thumbing through them with ease, we should stop and begin asking critical questions. Why is this here? What does this mean? How is this profitable to my Christian faith?[1]
What the Apostle Peter says about slaves and wives is a good example. In 1 Peter 2:18-25 Peter commands slaves to “accept the authority of your masters…even if they are cruel.” He writes, “God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure false treatment.” And to be clear, by “false treatment” he appears to mean being beaten.
“God called you to do good,” he says, “even if it means suffering.”
Even this ought to be difficult for the average Bible reader but then Peter connects the logic to women in marriage. The very next section begins with the words, “In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands.” The implication, of course, is “even if they are cruel.” God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure false treatment, including being beaten.
If the command for slaves to patiently endure beatings at the hands of their masters isn’t unsettling, I would certainly hope the implication that wives should do the same is. That can’t really be what Peter is saying, right?
I don’t think it is. Or at least I don’t think that’s how modern Christians should use it.
First, Peter also commands husbands to “give honor” to their wives. Assuming men follow that command, no woman should ever endure “false treatment” including of course being beaten.
But then again, what are the odds that all men will follow Peter’s command at all times?
Slim.
So, what should women do when men fail?
And should we restrict “false treatment” to physical abuse? What if a woman endures chronic emotional, verbal, or psychological abuse? What if a husband is loving and kind on the surface but turns out to be living a double life? What then?
Should we take Peter’s words to mean that to be “faithful” a woman should “patiently endure” these things, no matter what?
Second, there is the issue of liberty. Slaves in the first century did not have the liberty to break free from their arrangements. They were slaves for a reason, typically to pay off a debt, and to leave was to essentially break the law. Women in contemporary western culture, on the other hand, are free to enter or leave a marriage at will.
In that context, Peter’s advice becomes more understandable. He compares the plight of the mistreated slave to that of Christ. Just as Jesus endured mistreatment without retaliating with violence, so you must. You can’t control your situation, you can’t leave, but you must not respond with violence.
That’s what he means when says to slaves they must, “patiently endure.” He means something like, “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. It isn’t right. I wish you could just leave. But since you can’t, do what Jesus did and patiently suffer the wrong. God will take care of you.” Peter is concerned with slaves who call themselves Christians engaging in acts of violence against their masters, which is precisely the opposite of how Jesus responded to mistreatment.
In that regard, his logic should hold for women in marriage. If you’re being mistreated do not respond in kind. Do not respond to violence with violence.
But that does not mean a woman should necessarily stay. She may choose to stay, but it would be wrong to compel her to stay using Peter’s words as justification, to paint staying and “patiently enduring” whatever mistreatment she is suffering as the only faithful or Christlike response.
She can also non-violently walk away because in our context she has the liberty to do so. If slaves had the freedom to walk away, I suspect Peter would have said, “If your master mistreats you, just leave.” In fact, the Apostle Paul gave that exact advice to slaves in the city of Corinth.[2]
This isn’t peripheral or tangential stuff. Christians all over the world struggle with moral decisions because of how they’ve been taught to handle the Bible. I know women who have endured considerable mistreatment at the hands of their husbands but who “patiently endured” it believing that was the most faithful response.
You may choose to patiently endure mistreatment by another person in the hopes that person will change or in the hopes that doing so will give you an opportunity to show them or share with them the love of Christ. That is your choice and if you have the strength to make it for a time, God’s blessing on your efforts. But to the degree that you are not obligated to do so, doing so may not be the best decision, for you or the other person.
[1] 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is inspired by God and “useful.” One of the most important questions to ask when reading the Bible is, “How can I use this passage of scripture to motivate greater faithfulness to Jesus.” The Bible is not a master to follow but a tool to be used by God’s people to shape our commitment to Christ.
[2] 1 Corinthians 7:21
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