Interpreting Ephesians

Getting Started

Here’s your opportunity to study and interpret one of Paul’s letters. We hope you feel like you are getting your feet under you when it comes to reading and understanding Paul. Once again, some of the greatest leaders of the Christian church have had their lives changed by reading Paul’s letters. There is just something about Paul’s life and what he has to say that touches our hearts. Paul’s gospel is personal, but it also includes all of the created universe. Paul speaks to our hearts, but he also casts a grand vision of God’s redemption and renewal of all creation. As you select a passage to interpret for this assignment, listen to the Spirit guiding you to one that moves you and speaks to you.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Interpret a passage from Ephesians. 

Resources

· Bible

· File: Sample Church Service Report - in Course Documents

Background Information

If you take a few minutes to read through Colossians, you will see that it has a great deal in common with Ephesians. The two letters contain similar language about Christ “in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10, Col 3:1-2). Both speak of Christ’s headship over the church (Eph 1:22, Col 1:18). Both give instructions to Christian households (Eph chs. 5-6, Col ch. 3). We see some similar overlap between Galatians and Romans and between 1 Timothy and Titus. These letters help us see key themes that Paul included across his various letters, as well as how he adapted his approach and advice to specific circumstances. 

For this assignment, you may choose to wrestle with some of the various instructions to households contained in Ephesians chs. 5-6. They have some material that can feel troubling to us. How can Paul categorically tell wives to “be subject” to their husbands (5:22, New Revised Standard Version)? How can Paul implicitly condone slavery (6:5-9)? How is it possible to avoid provoking your children to anger (6:4)? These are large and important questions. You are charged with a more specific task of looking closely at these passages, but here are a couple of pieces of insight to consider in the context and application. First, you should know that these “household codes” were a relatively common form of moral instruction in the ancient world. Second, note that all of this material is framed by the opening statement in 5:21: “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Thus, while there still appears to be hierarchy and power relationships embedded in the instructions, all of it is relativized in light of this initial command for mutual submission as part of life in Christ.  

Finally, the New Testament has passages that are more revolutionary and counter-cultural (wait till we get to Revelation!) and passages like this one that accommodates more to the surrounding culture. Paul does not make the radical steps to complete equality of the sexes and the abolition of slavery. However, he does review and revise what household relationships look like in light of the sacrificial love demonstrated by Christ (see especially 5:25-27). So, part of what Paul has here fits with the standards of good moral teaching of the day, but already Paul is giving us hints that show that Jesus Christ challenges the structures of the world, causing us to rethink the hierarchical nature of these relationships and the systems of power that they reflect. These too need to be evaluated in light of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. So, go ahead and dive into these deep waters if you want to in your interpretation assignment. You’ve got some good tools to use and learning to be gained in the process. 

Instructions

1. View the rubric to be sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. You are allowed to choose a passage of your preference from anywhere in Ephesians. Your passage should contain a complete idea or story. You should not start in the middle of something or cut a unit off early. Generally, your selection should be at least 3 verses long but no longer than 10 verses. If you have any questions selecting a passage, just check with your instructor.

3. Once you have chosen your passage. You will want to read it closely, attending to its overall flow, the structure of sentences, key nouns, key verbs, and any important descriptive elements. Then you will want to consider the four contexts (immediate, literary, cultural-historical, and canonical) and see how they may inform your understanding of the passage. Remember that you can draw on the videos on “Literary Styles in the Bible,” “Cultures in and of the Bible,” and “The Story of the Bible” to help provide some material for these various contexts. 

a. A brief introduction that identifies your passage and explains why you chose it (approximately 50-75 words).

b. A section that explores the details of the passage’s flow, sentence structure, nouns, verbs, and descriptors (approximately 250-300 words).

c. A section that explains the passage more fully by using two of the following contexts with connections to details in the passage: immediate, literary, historical-cultural, and canonical (approximately 250-300 words).

d. A short conclusion that states your main takeaway from your interpretive work and how that point may apply to our time and place (approximately 100-150 words).