Ephesians 6

Summary

Unlike most of his other letters, the Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians to the believers in the church in Ephesus to teach and encourage them in their daily lives as a community of individual believers.  He wanted them to understand more about how to live out their lives as believers in Christ.

We can see this happening at the beginning of chapter 6 when Paul even speaks to children as well as slaves and their masters about proper behavior and relationship.  Yet it is when he is wrapping up his letter to the Ephesians that Paul gives an image to his readers that helps describe, what daily life for a Christian requires.  The image that he gives is that of a soldier, a Roman soldier.  This image works well because all of the Christians to whom he was writing lived in the Roman Empire so they could all picture in their minds what pieces of equipment, armor and weapons were worn by a Roman soldier.

Paul lists out a belt, a breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and sword.  In fact most of you can picture what a Roman soldier looked like when dressed in full kit from movies like “Ben Hur” and “The Passion.”  The Roman soldier of course needed shoes in which to march the Roman roads.  He also needed a belt to which he attached and hung necessities and small bags of supplies.  He also wore a metal breastplate to help protect against and deflect the thrusts of spears and swords.  His shield was to block sword slashes as well as to absorb flights of arrows and could be interlocked with the shields of the soldiers next to him to form a sort of armored wall or roof.  The helmet of course kept the soldier’s head from being bashed in and helped to make him look fierce.  Then there was his sword.  Each soldier wore a sword.  All of the other pieces of equipment and armor I have listed off were for defending oneself, but the sword would not only help a Roman defend himself, but could also be a weapon of offense.  It could do more than hurt, it could kill.

Some people over the years have felt uncomfortable with the Christian life being compared to that of a soldier at war, while others have more than enthusiastically embraced that image.  I myself feel comfortable with a measured middle approach to the reality that as Christians we do fight in the struggle against the evils of this world.  And so, when Paul is comparing what is needed for our lives and in our struggle as Christians, the tools of the Roman soldier I think it are very fitting.  Yet to more fully understand his imagery, we probably need to modernize the equipment, armor and weaponry.

Now for some of you folk who are interested in history and the evolution of technology, in a certain sense we have come a long ways, and yet kind of full circle from the days of the Roman soldier.  For instance, if a preacher 150 years ago was to compare Paul’s list from Ephesians 6 with the gear of a soldier from America’s Civil War, there would not have been much to compare.  The soldiers that entered battle 150 years ago at Shiloh, Gettysburg and Spotsylvania Courthouse wore no armor and did not travel with armor of any sort, the only comparisons to be made would be with the shoes, belt and kind of the weapon.  The soldier or marine of our modern military actually has much more in common with the Roman soldier and his kit.  

Starting with World War I it seems that each successive generation of soldier has added back in pieces of armor starting with the helmet.  Today, throughout the world soldiers wear helmets to protect their head and body armor to protect their torso and groin.  Then in a drastic, but direct advancement in technology from the Roman’s shield, the modern soldier or marine usually rides in an armored vehicles like a tank, or a an armored personnel carrier of some sort.  Even modern boots, like the Roman sandals, are made for walking many miles while performing duty.  And again though advanced the modern soldier’s load bearing system, or webbing does a similar but better  job than the belt mentioned by Paul.  And of course today they carry a much more far reaching weapon than a sword in their sub-machine gun, rifle or other personal weapon.

But let us get back to the subject of why Paul uses this soldierly image.  If you think of what is required of a soldier of any generation or time, being prepared is one of the paramount qualities needed.  

So a soldier’s belt or ‘load bearing system’, is what allows him or her to carry all of what might be needed, from food to water to ammunition to shelter to a first aid pack.  Paul’s belt, which is named ‘truth’ provides the basis of what the average Christian needs in their daily life.  For if we believe we have the truth we have all that is needed. 

The breastplate or body armor that Paul names ‘righteousness,’ protects our very self from the evil that causes us to sin.  For our righteousness is given us by Jesus.  In his death he covers all of our sins and so makes us righteous in the eyes of God.  This is something that we can never achieve, and so like the body armor he protects us from the eternal wounds of sin.

The prophet Isaiah writes, “Blessed on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

And so it is that Paul declares our boots to be ready to take us to wherever we need to be to proclaim the tough, gentle, and peace filled love of Jesus to our neighbors and the world.

And then our faith, like a shield or an armored vehicle, needs to be strong enough to so that as the world, as people in our lives scoff, laugh or even ridicule us in our beliefs we can stand our ground and say, like Luther, “Here I stand, [for in my belief] I can do no other!”

For we know that the salvation that our Savior Jesus gives to us, like a soldier’s helmet, Roman or modern will save our lives when doom, like a sword, flashes down upon us.

Paul knew it was tough to live life upon this earth as a Christian.  So many refuse to even hear what Jesus has to offer, and others do not really listen, and then there are those who actively try to weaken our faith, or destroy our beliefs with their words.  And so Paul knew that we cannot simply try and protect ourselves, but we truly also need to be ready to strike back.  Yet, unlike a soldier, we do not strike back to hurt or kill, but rather with the words, stories and parables of truth and salvation for all the world.

Like soldiers of every time and place our main purpose is to be ready to do the will of he who commands us, and so maybe this how Paul’s image of the soldier is the most apt.  You and I need to be ready to reach out with the truth to meet other people’s needs when they are drowning in lies.  Our feet are called ‘blessed’ because lives are changed when we follow God’s call to love one another.  Our faith not only protects us, but is the source of strength when we falter and for when try something new in Jesus’ name.

In other words, Jesus has prepared us well for all that we should be doing, now, let’s step out of our comfort zones and start doing it!  I am sure the Romans had some version of this phrase that many militaries use, which we all need to hear, “Forward march!”

Yet, let me add as Christians it should be, “Forward, as Jesus leads!”

Amen.

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