Believers are slaves of Jesus.
I wrote in my new book, Kingdom Dynamics: The Day of My Death, that Jesus saved my life and then took my life. He saved me because He wanted to kill me. As a result, my Saviour became my adversary and killer. That is kingdom dynamics.
Similarly, Jesus frees slaves from bondage and then enslaves them Himself. Indeed, the greatest slave trader of all is Jesus Christ. If Jesus enslaves you and you try to escape, you are going to get into trouble.
Enslaved Jews
When the king who did not know Joseph became Pharaoh in Egypt, the Jews became the slaves of the Egyptians. Later, God sent Moses to rescue them, and he did this by a strong hand.
When Jesus, the Messiah came, He also declared that He came to proclaim liberty to captives and to set those who are oppressed free. (Luke 4:18). As a result, many reached the conclusion that God is against slavery. Liberation theology maintains that slavery must be resisted by the righteous.
The general conclusion is that slavery is evil. The British, who were the chief slave traders, maintained that they would never be slaves. They sang an anthem saying: “Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves. Britons never, never, never will be slaves.”
Righteous men, like William Wilberforce in England and Frederick Douglas in the USA, fought to get slavery abolished. The American civil war was fought over slavery. Today, slavery is proscribed in modern society.
God and Slavery
But God’s attitude to slavery is ambivalent. Slavery was legitimised under the Law of Moses. Under the law, you could own a slave, but after six years you must let him go free. When he is set free, he must not go empty-handed. A six-year slave can then elect to be a permanent slave.
Women could also be sold into slavery under the law. But female slaves were given special protection. They could not be sold into prostitution. Owners of female slaves had to marry them or give them as wives to their sons. Therefore, fathers could sell their daughters into slavery as a means of securing their future.
Although God liberated Israel from slavery in Egypt, He later sent them back into slavery in Babylon when they offended Him. Thereafter, they looked forward to a Messiah who would liberate them once again.
Disinterested Jesus
But when Jesus came, He was completely disinterested in liberating the Jews from Roman oppression. Many hoped His powerful anointing could be used politically, even militarily. They wanted to make Him a king to lead a liberation movement. But Jesus did not accede to their wishes. (John 6:15).
When He rose from the dead, His disciples became convinced that it was time for Israel’s liberation. And so, they asked Him: “Lord, are You going to free Israel [from Rome] now and restore us as an independent nation?” (Acts 1:6). But Jesus simply fobbed them off.
Slavery in Christianity
Paul enjoins slaves to obey their masters: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is a slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8).
Peter also expressed a similar viewpoint: “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” (1 Peter 2:18-19).
When the slave, Onesimus, escaped from Philemon, his owner, Paul sent him back, showing that Christianity does not put any premium on the freeing of slaves. Instead, Paul says:
“Usually, a person should keep on with the work he was doing when God called him. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you – but of course, if you get a chance to be free, take it. If the Lord calls you, and you are a slave, remember that Christ has set you free from the awful power of sin; and if He has called you and you are free, remember that you are now a slave of Christ. You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to Him – be free now from all these earthly prides and fears. So, dear brothers, whatever situation a person is in, when he becomes a Christian, let him stay there, for now the Lord is there to help him.” (1 Corinthians 7:20-24).
Jesus’ Slavery
Jesus calls believers to slavery. He says: “Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28).
Many Christians fail to recognise is that Jesus Himself is a slave trader. The gospel says Jesus purchased slaves from slave-owners and then established His own slavery. As a result, Paul tells believers: “You are not your own. For you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The Lord says in Isaiah: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” (Isaiah 52:3). As foretold, Jesus bought us back “with His own blood.” (Act 20”:28).
Believers are now the slaves of Jesus. The only difference in God’s slavery from other forms of slavery is that, in the case of Jesus, the slave must agree to be a slave.
Jesus says: “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
The disciple of Jesus is required to take the yoke of Jesus and put it on himself by himself. In that way, he agrees to be Jesus’ slave and to do all His bidding.
However, if He refuses to be Jesus’ slave, there will be trouble. Those who rebel against Jesus’ enslavement are in for difficult times. The psalmist warns:
“What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God! For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and His Messiah, Christ the King. ‘Come, let us break His chains,’ they say, ‘and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.’ But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. And then in fierce fury He rebukes them and fills them with fear.” (Psalm 2:1-5).
So, Jesus chains people down and makes us His slaves. If we rebel, we get into trouble. Jesus says: “Those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them — bring them here and kill them in front of me.” (Luke 19:27). CONTINUED.
Credit: Femi Aribisala