Sunday, December 20, 2009

Interpretation

What goes into the process of interpretation? Today as I got out of the car I almost uttered the words "Thanks for waiting for me!" Fortunately I did not. As some of you might know, those words by themselves do not indicate whether my companions waited for me or not. They could easily indicate that they had already headed for the store and the bargains waiting inside. They could just as easily express my genuine satisfaction at seeing them waiting for me to get out of the car to walk inside together. Interpretation is not merely a series of words, but a series of words within a greater context of words.
What does this have to do with the Bible? Well as I begin to prepare for a message on January 3, 2010 I am convinced that the context is incredibly important. What is the passage? It is the Haustafeln or Household Code found in Ephesians 5.22-6:9. Historically it has been looked at as a unit that is derived from other ancient instructions on how a household should run, specifically in this case a Christian household. So what is the problem?
The problem is that the section seems out of place. It follows a segment that discusses "evil days", "drunkenness", "foolishness", and singing songs of thankfulness. Either "Paul" is able to spin his audience's heads on a dime or there is some connection. But how often is this passage, especially "wives to your own men" interpreted outside of a context, usually modern, that limits its understanding to behavior within a household???
As I have been studying Paul in other writings, I am more impressed with the rhetorical method used than the actual words. It is common to find a general statement (sometimes called a principle) followed by specific statements (referred to as applications). I find it more helpful to think of it in terms of a point and an example or series of examples. If this is the case, then the passage becomes exceedingly clear.
Ephesians 5.21 states "Submit yourselves to each other in the fear of Christ." While the verb "submit" is technically a participle (a verbal noun) and not an imperative (verbal command) it is generally translated as a command. The problem follows because 5.22 quoted above as "wives to your own men" doesn't possess a verb.
What if Paul is using the household code as the example for how to actually submit to one another? It would be simple to explain to the members of society accustomed to submission: wives, children, slaves. But how would one explain this Christian (in the fear of Christ) submission to those accustomed to lording it over others: husband, father, master?
What if Paul's language of love is actually the example of how a husband submits to a wife? What if it is in dying that submission is actually seen? Is it really possible that a Christian husband, father, master could actually demonstrate his life in Christ by imitating Christ? Is Christ's death submission to the will of God? Is our male death submission to the will of God?
Would an appropriate interpretation of this passage within the context of Ephesians matter to the world in which we live today? It gives one room to ponder.