Friday after Ash Wednesday - Reflections on the Letters during Lent
"But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you."
For me, just picking one word for today is difficult. So, if I have to choose, it would be "reprove!" Yes, reprove... according to Webster, "to correct or scold usually gently or with kind intent." I'm not sure why that word stuck out. It may have been how I read it, or it may have been the other twitchy feelings I got when I read the whole passage together.
I think that Paul is trying to teach Titus how to speak the truth in love, but he's using examples that are characteristic of time, place, and culture. For me, wives and slaves being "submissive" isn't an example that work's in our time and place. In fact, I think it was these passages in scripture that were used to justify slavery and against women's suffrage. Slavery was wrong! People are not property! Women are equal and they are not property either. I think, for the sake of compromise and maintaining good relationships, we must submit to one other at times, but this reading far from justifies people as property. It's sad that scripture was ever used that way.
Now, some of Paul's examples work for us today: integrity, sound speech, fidelity, zealous for good deeds, sound in faith, in love and endurance, temperate... all good things to aspire to. Speaking the truth or reproving is something that none of us are very good with... we do not like to hold our brothers and sisters accountable for their behavior, for fear that it will cause a rift. That somehow, a gentle correction with kindly intent is going to ruin our relationship. The truth is hard to bare sometimes. We get upset when we are told the truth. It's definitely something everyone needs to work on.
The call to action for me today can be found within the reading. We should live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly! Also, in with love and friendship, gently reprove one another - with the emphasis on gently. It's ok to hold each other accountable.
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