Ephesians 5:15-20
15 Be careful then how you live, not as
unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because
the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the
will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is
debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the
Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times
and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The theme of Ephesians
5:15-20, continuing the ethical portion of the letter and the theme of new life
in Christ begun in verse 1, is the positive characteristics that distinguish
Christian behavior. After spending considerable time on the negative
characteristics of those untouched by Christ (5:3-14), the author moves to the
positive characteristics that distinguish Christian behavior. The general tone
is upbeat. Yet, the author continues his established pattern of citing a
negative example followed by a positive, Christ-inspired condition or action.
The tightly woven, tersely interlocking nature of separate texts and ideas is
quite evident throughout this section.
Ephesians 5: 15-17 stress
the need to live wisely. 15 Be
careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise. Similar to
wisdom books, the first negative/positive example is unwise v. wise. One aspect of being foolish in the Jewish
tradition is not to realize how brief human life is. The wise and the foolish
alike die, and leave the results of other work to others. The psalmist does not
want to be the scorn of fools (Psalm 39:7-8). The wise, fool, and dolt die,
with their graves their homes, for humans do not abide in wealth gained on earth
but are like animals and perish (Psalm 49:10-12). In line with this thought,
Jesus told a puzzling parable (Matthew 25:1-13) about the wise and foolish
maidens, the latter group did not bring enough oil for their lamps as they
waited for the bridegroom to come. The foolish had to go get more oil, and when
they returned, “the door was shut” for the celebration of the wedding. In
another parable (Luke 12:20), Jesus said the rich man is a fool for not
realizing that his amassing of wealth will pass to another. To say be
careful then how you live is the counsel of caution for those living in the
cultural melting pot. Of course, the Greek and Roman world, known for their
philosophers (lovers of wisdom) as wise. We will see a very different notion of
wisdom in these verses. As much as one might like to consider philosophical
questions, and I would be among them, if we were going to be faithful to the
Christian “home,” we find our wisdom in following Christ. Christians are not to
waste time through relying upon human resources. The point is that people need
to be careful. Far from becoming
hopeless in the midst of evil and darkness described in the previous verses,
the imperative is for Christians to work harder and faster, reclaiming every
possible moment through wise, faithful actions that bear witness and bear fruit.
If we are careful in how we live, we will be 16 making the most of the time (or “to buy out” or “to
redeem” time), because the days are evil.
This time is the time of the
community, the time spared and appointed for the sake of the gathering,
existence, and mission of the community, the time God gives it for profitable
account.[1] The adversity in which saints live does not
excuse the people of God from using every opportunity and tackling each task that
this historical moment gives them. In the face of evil and darkness, God calls
upon and equips Christians for this moment.
This text conveys a sense of unmistakable urgency. 17 Therefore, do
not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. The
"foolishness" against which the author counsels the Ephesians against
appears to have a relationship to vain human attempts to gain easy access to
the divine. The wording is a variation of 5:10, “Try to find out what is
pleasing to the Lord.” Christian wisdom, therefore, is a way of behaving
oriented toward the will of God in the midst of a world that has separated
itself from God by its own foolishness. We have moved from the caution of being
careful in verse 15 to the imperative command not to be foolish in this verse.
We see the definite warning to avoid foolishness and the dangers of the
enticing ways of the unwise. Now, the writer is summarizing the urging made in
verses 9-10 to live in the light that Christ has brought. Here, the will of the
Lord is the standard for all Christian behavior. Disregard or disobedience will
be evident by ensuing "unfruitful works of darkness" (v. 11).
I invite you to reflect upon
time. Even now, you likely have a list of things to do and are thinking of ways
to get them done. We live in a
world obsessed with time. We know the time, for most of us have on our bodies
one or more ways to track time. Have you noticed how rarely anyone asks what
time it is now? We have multiple apps for tracking our calendars, managing our
deadlines and even timing our walk to the office. We have time staring at us
from the corner of our computer screens, from the dashboard of the car and from
the digital clock on the bank sign down the street. If you live in a city, you
might even look up and see a classic old clock fixed on a historic building
that has been marking the time for generations.
In some cities, in
fact, telling time is literally a big deal. If you are in Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
for example, you cannot help but see the Abraj Al Bait Towers clock just about
anywhere you go. Its clock face is 43 meters in diameter, roughly the size of a
luxury yacht, built on a tower that is 601 meters (almost 2,000 feet) tall. By
comparison, Big Ben, arguably the most famous clock in the world, is just over
6 meters in diameter on a 96-meter-high tower on the bank of the Thames. Other
cities around the world have similar "big time" clocks to help
residents and visitors track the time, some even assisting with chimes or bells
when the clock strikes the hour.
You would think
that the plethora of clocks in our world would make us better at managing our
time, but the truth is that time management is one of the biggest stressors in
our culture. We work too many hours, we have too many distractions, and we are
trying to squeeze in more work in less time. Procrastination is often the
result of being so overwhelmed with tasks that we keep putting things off, only
to find that we are now even more squeezed for time.
The relentless
ticking of the clock (or, in the case of the Ephesian people, the movement of
the shadow around the sundial) is what the ancient Greeks referred to as
chronos time, from which we get "chronological" time. We might tempt
ourselves with the thought that we need to keep busy and moving. We might
experience the temptation that pausing to reflect upon the course of our lives
in order to be sure we are using time well is a waste of time. In Christian
life, moments set aside for worship, prayer, study, and meditation can seem
like a waste of time. Yet, such moments can help us redeem the time.
Philosophers like
St. Augustine have reflected upon the puzzling nature of time. I like Science
Fiction movies that play around with our experience of time. That reminds me;
Albert Einstein once said that the only reason for time is so that everything
does happen at once. The philosopher and comedian Steven Wright said, in the
dry humor of his, “I Xeroxed my watch. Now I have time to spare.” He said he
took a course in speed waiting. Now, he can wait one hour in only ten minutes.
Our Christian
faith -- along with the underlying Jewish tradition -- offers a marvelous tool
for figuring out how to redeem the time. It is so important that God devoted
one of the 10 commandments to it. It is, of course, the Sabbath. Time as we
experience can be like a wasteland. Yes, it has grandeur, but little beauty.
People often fear the power of time rather than cheer it. Sabbath has
contentment and happiness that enraptures the soul with healing sympathy.
Sabbath can soothe the sadness.[2]
Paul actually kept
a running clock in his head, but, instead of tracking the chronos, Paul was far
more interested in redeeming the kairos. Kairos is the brand of time most often
mentioned in the New Testament. You will not find it on the hands of the dial
or the digital numbers on a screen. Instead, kairos refers more to a decisive
time -- the right time, the appropriate time. The writers of the New Testament
seem to understand kairos in relation to the moment when God intervenes or is
about to intervene in human history. However, the word can also mean the time
that God's people have to prepare for the ultimate kairos, thus Paul's
admonition to the Ephesians to "[make] the most of the time [kairos]
because the days are evil" (v. 16).
Such a kairos
expectation should fuel the management of our chronos. Kairos says it is never
too late to be whom you want to be. We have no time limit. If our lives have
not reflected who we want to be, we can change course. We can change or stay
the same. We can make the best or the worst of the time we have. Of course, I
hope you want to make the best of the time you have. I hope you live a life in
which some things will startle you, feel things you have never felt before,
meet people with an open mind and heart, and live a life in which you will find
peace and contentment. If you are not living that type of life, have the
courage to start a new journey and become the person you long to become.[3]
Ephesians 5: 18-20 stress
the need for Spirit-filled worship. This section is particularly interesting as
it gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what went on in Christian worship. I
Corinthians 14:26-40 is perhaps the only other passage in Pauline literature
that gives such detailed worship information. In this passage, Colossians
3:16-17 and 4:6 influenced the writer. 18
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with
the Spirit. The second negative/positive antithesis contrasts being
"drunk with wine" with being "filled with the Spirit."
First, why do we read so suddenly of drunkenness? It might mean that, similar to I Corinthians
11:21, the saints are having a problem with drunkenness. For other scholars, it
might suggest an attempt to gain unity with God through alcohol in a way
similar to the cult of the god Dionysius. It at least seems to allude to the
drunken festivals of the adherents of this god, where people will lose all
sense of themselves and become wild and frenzied. Only in this uninhibited
state, Dionysians maintained, could they become fully open to divine messages. The equation of drunkenness with
"debauchery" may stem from the common practice in many first-century
pagan cults (including the cult of Dionysus) of using wine-induced orgies as
part of their ritual celebrations/worship gatherings. There is also a well-established
Christian opposition to a lifestyle of over indulgence (gluttony and
drunkenness). We see this in the way Paul urges readers to live honorably
rather than debauchery and drunkenness (Romans 13:13) and in keeping
spiritually awake rather than get drunk (I Thessalonians 5:7b). Second, the positive part of the antithesis
is that the author now urges that they allow God to fill them with the Holy
Spirit. After all, the rule of God is a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). This Spirit is the one who fills up the
believer and the one who does the filling. The Dionysians had to fill
themselves with wine before their god could fill them. The Spirit must fill
Christians. What the Spirit's presence
does is to inspire the right spirit and form of congregational worship. This positive, Spirit-filled version of the
pagan's drunken parties does not try to claim any physical ecstatic effects on
the believer. In addition, we must note
a significant grammatical switch here.
While the pagans fill themselves with wine, the author breaks up his
comparative sentence with the instrumental use of "en" (translated
"by") to emphasize that Christians are to allow the Spirit to fill
them. Wine is a passive element - humans determine whether they will drink and
how much they will drink. The Spirit, however, exercises its own active role in
the imbibing process. Christians are to open their hearts and souls to accept
the incoming flow of the Spirit, but individual believers in no way control the
degree of the Spirit's presence within and among them. What the Spirit's
presence does is inspire the right spirit and form of congregational worship.
Again, it might help to contrast this author's concept of a proper
Spirit-filled experience of worship with the wild party atmosphere of so many
of the pagan cultic worship ceremonies. The author now says the filling of the
Spirit occurs19 as you sing
psalms [the Book of Psalms] and hymns
[Christian-composed songs of praise to Jesus as Lord] and spiritual songs [Spirit-inspired compositions of the moment] among yourselves. This may suggest antiphonal singing but
certainly emphasizes the communal nature of the singing. Thus, he urges singing and making melody to the Lord in
your hearts. Such communal activity also needs to become the experience of
the individual believer. References to the “heart” are to the total self. The
author thus specifies the Spirit-filled presence of song "in your
hearts" as a positive indication of authentic Christian worship. We should
not understand this reference as some literal reference to an enforced period
of silence, but rather suggests that sincere worshipers experience the Spirit
in their hearts, not just on their lips. Joining voices together in Christian
praise and song is not just a "crowd phenomenon" but is the communal
manifestation of every individual believer's faith. Further, in their worship
they are 20 giving thanks to
God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Early communities were joyful, singing communities. The text could also refer to musical
instruments. Strong emphasis on thanksgiving, though it could refer to people
rather than things. If the former, they
have a priestly function with all humanity.
If the latter, they are to be accept with gratitude all that happens.
The natural outpouring of the Spirit-filled Christian continually and tunefully
results in "giving thanks to God the Father." Unlike the Dionysian
celebrators, whose attentions turned to their god only during festival days
when they were filled with drink, Christians filled and fueled with the Spirit
will naturally give thanks to God "at all times and for everything."
The foundation of
the church is its existence in the world as the body of Christ. As such, it
exists for the praise of the graciousness of God, and lives in a way that
produces good works.
How shall
Christians live in the world? Human beings will think of themselves as wise and
insightful, separating themselves from God. What human beings think of as
wisdom can lead to sexual excess, greed, and hurtful talk, each of which
reflects darkness. Yet, from the Christian perspective, wisdom is orienting our
lives toward the will of God. Every age has plenty of evil. Wise people must learn to live
in such times. The presence of evil does excuse Christians from the
responsibility of using every opportunity to live for God. We waste our time if
we allow the evil of the age to lure us away from the will of God and accept
purely human wisdom. As those who have been enlightened, waked up, and raised
from the dead, Christians are now on God's time. The will of the Lord is the
standard for Christian behavior.
In practice, overindulgence
is often the path of human beings. Such a lifestyle puts the individual in control
of how much he or she will indulge. Human beings will grasp at anything in this
world to fill their emptiness. However, to allow the Spirit to fill you is to
surrender control. Christians need open hearts and souls in order to accept the
incoming flow of the Spirit. Yet, individuals do not control the degree of the
Spirit’s presence within and among them. The presence of the Spirit inspires
right spirit and form for worship.
How shall Christians
worship? The Spirit inspires the singing of the psalms of the Hebrew
Scriptures, the composition of songs by Christians in praise of Jesus as Lord,
and Spirit-inspired compositions of the moment. Such singing reminds us of the
communal nature of worship. Yet, communal worship needs to find itself
experienced by the individual believer. The Spirit-filled presence of song in
the heart is what authentic Christian worship is all about. Such singing cannot
be just on the lips. Although occurring in the community, such singing needs to
reflect the faith of the individual believer if it reflects genuine worship.
Christians filled and fueled with the Spirit will naturally give thanks to God,
not just in brief moments and for certain things, but at all times and for
everything.
Every time the church
divorces genuine worship and its way of life, it hurts the witness of the
church in the world. It also hurts the believer.
[1]
Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.1 [62.3]
733.
[2] A
wise teacher from the Jewish tradition, biblical scholar Abraham Heschel, has
this to say about what a wondrous gift from God the Sabbath is:
Felicity
"Time is like a wasteland. It has grandeur but no
beauty. It's strange, frightful power is always feared but rarely cheered. Then
we arrive at the seventh day, and the Sabbath is endowed with a felicity which
enraptures the soul, which glides into our thoughts with a healing sympathy. It
is a day on which hours do not oust one another. It is a day that can soothe
all sadness away. --Abraham Joseph Heschel, The Sabbath (Macmillan, 2005), 20.
[3] --Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
screenplay. One movie that played around with time was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), about a baby born old,
placed in an old folks home, and increasingly gets younger throughout the
movie.
For what it's worth: it's
never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's
no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there
are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you
make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you
feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different
point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're
not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."
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