Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
In a time when aggressive, militarized versions of Christianity and other faiths are gaining strength around the globe, preachers may be inclined to avoid the battle armor imagery of today’s 2nd NT reading, Ephesians 6:10-20. Indeed, its rhetorical form most closely resembles peroratio, the rousing speech a Roman general might deliver to his troops on the eve of battle.Yet, close attention to its vocabulary reveals that it is strategically designed to undermine, rather than reinforce, militaristic notions of faith.
First (although most translations do not reflect it) Paul’s opening admonishment (v 10) is stated in the passive voice: “be made strong in the Lord” and with the “power” of the Lord. The “struggle” of faith—which is not against flesh-and-blood enemies (v 12)—cannot be won with ferocity and muscle, but only through humble receptivity to an endurance only God can supply.
Second, the components of battle armor the writer sets before us are designed (with just one exception) for protection, not attack. Truth is the belt that secures everything else. The pursuit of just and right relations –”righteousness”—is the believer’s life-saving breastplate. The shield of faith quenches the flaming arrows of adversaries. (Roman shields were covered in water-soaked leather for this purpose.) All-terrain shoes keep us on the move, proclaiming the gospel. The one and only weapon we carry is the “sword” of the Spirit—literally “[spoken] word of God,” our witness or proclamation. And what is it that we proclaim? The ” gospel of peace” (v 15).
Verses 10-12 describe the threats the churches of Asia Minor face using apocalyptic terminology: “the wiles of the devil,” the machinations of “rulers and authorities,” the schemes of “cosmic powers,” and “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.” Direct appropriation of these phrases is likely to be misunderstood in most modern contexts. In our polarized, web-driven world, the name of Jesus, as well as traditional Christian symbols, are being linked to hate speech, corrosive falsehoods, and inflammatory conspiracy theories. Listeners are better served when we help them envision bold, peaceful practices that lift up inclusion and protect the maligned and vulnerable.
The text’s final section, vv 18-20, focuses on prayer, the “breathing apparatus” of every Christian community. The writer counsels us to pray “at all times,” and “in the Spirit.” The meaning of the latter phrase is ambiguous, but surely suggests that in our prayers, we seek to be brought into alignment with the redemptive will and ways of God in the world. We pray in the conviction that the Spirit is living and active in the world today, advancing God’s renewal of all things. Prayer places us at the disposal of God’s activating Spirit. We trust the Spirit to show us pathways of participation in Christ’s remaking of the world—broad as the cosmos and stunningly inclusive. In closing, the Ephesians author asks his readers to pray that he may proclaim boldly (6:20). We too “must speak.” Preaching in our time and place is not easy. It requires discerning wisdom, tact, and courage. We fear, on one hand, sowing division or misunderstanding. On the other, we fear failing our people through over-cautious silence. Maybe this is the week to appeal to our listeners to pray for us, even as we renew our pledge, as shepherds of the flock, to pray for them.
**An expanded version of this homiletical commentary is currently available at http://www.workingpreacher.org. Browse the site for this week’s readings and choose the 2nd New Testament Reading.
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