[First Things]

This week’s issue was delayed due to travel.

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[The Devo] Navigating Power Differentials in the Labor Marketplace as Servants

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:18-25

As we established earlier, life as a bondservant in the first-century Roman Empire was not the same as life as a kidnapped chattel slave in America. Despite the differences, one should not conclude that bondservants enjoyed wonderful lives for which they should be thankful. Families were broken up, physical abuse was not irregular, and women and young children were often sexually exploited. 

The household codes established a manner of ethics for life in the kingdom that was intended not only to order the household but to promote the flourishing of the Roman Empire. That empire stood on the shoulders of the great Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle - each of whom wrote on political philosophy, the nature of the state, and the importance of developing a virtuous citizenry. 

On the issue of the master-slave power differential, Aristotle wrote in Politics that slaves have an inability to reason properly, 

“He who participates in rational principle enough to apprehend, but not to have, such a principle, is a slave by nature. Whereas the lower animals cannot even apprehend a principle; they obey their instincts. And indeed the use made of slaves and of tame animals is not very different; for both with their bodies minister to the needs of life.” Politics, Book 1, Part V

In other words, Aristotle proposed that some people were created to be slaves, should be slaves, and that allowing them to serve as slaves is a mark of a virtuous and flourishing society. Because of the prevalence of slavery, guidance on the social, ethical, and cultural implications of the master-slave power differential was at the forefront of the household codes. 

Within this reality, Peter seeks to instruct those who find themselves on the downside of the workplace power differential. Because Peter’s recalibration of the household codes is based on the gospel and Christ’s mission of making all things new rather than Greek philosophy, he is turning Greco-Roman culture on its in at least two ways: first, by speaking directly to them and, second, by comparing their obedience to that of Christ. 

Instruction Based on Human Dignity and Not Cultural Classifications

First, the fact that Peter is addressing bondservants directly rather than speaking about them to their masters was far outside any established cultural expectation or norm. Aristotle’s well-accepted assertion that slaves are not capable of complex reasoning would have made Peter’s direct instruction to the bondservants to assess between the just and unjust masters seem irrational. But, in the continued unfolding of the nature of the economy of the kingdom, one built on paradox and the frequent inversion of cultural norms, these weak-side workers hear that they matter to Christ’s mission of making all things new. They are not just human tools (Aristotle’s phase in Politics)  but people created in the image of God whose work was received by God as worship irrespective of their master’s valuation.

In this publicly read letter to the churches of Asia Minor, Peter is instructing the bondservants to “be subject (attitude) to your masters with all respect (attitude), not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.” Peter is not asking them to endure whatever evil comes their way.  Rather, he is likely addressing an implication of “being a new creation in Christ and stating that upon converting to Christianity, if you conclude that your master is unjust (perhaps meaning not a Christian), this is not grounds for breaking your bondservant contract. 

Instruction Based on Obedience to Christ 

Second, rather than grounding his instruction on the common good, Peter firmly locates his instruction on imitation of Christ and obedience to Christ, 

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

One Old Testament reference that Peter makes is to the instruction Moses gives to the people about to enter the Promised Land, forty years after being rescued from over 400 years of chattel slavery in Egypt,

And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. Deut 21:22–23.

The 1 Peter passage also contains multiple references to the Book of Isaiah. Specifically, Isaiah 52:11-53:12, typically known as “The Suffering Servant” passage. In the first part of the book, Isaiah communicates the coming judgment of the LORD upon the nation of Judah for their failure to live by the household codes they were given in the Law. 

True to the redemptive narrative of Scripture, Isaiah then uses the concluding chapters to let the exile-bound people know that rescue will come. But it will not come in the manner they might expect. Salvation will come from the suffering servant rather than a military leader using force to consolidate power. You can read the whole passage here, but the quotations that would have caught their attention are found in this part of the Isaiah passage,

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:3-7

What Peter is saying merits our full attention. He is connecting the unjust suffering of Christ to their unjust suffering. Bondservants are hearing that God’s punishment of His disobedient servants (us) was resolved by the crucifixion of His Son who died as an unjustly suffering servant for our iniquities to bring us peace.

Just as we have with the comparison of bondservants and chattel slaves, it is necessary to recognize the dissonance between the masters-bondservants relationship and that of the modern-day manager-staff relationship. However, in the resonance, we are comforted in knowing that when we suffer unjustly as servants (or employees), we are participating in the suffering of Christ and that he knows our suffering. This is how the gospel upends even the most extreme power differentials. 

Congressional offices and Cabinet agencies are often wonderful places to work. I have heard numerous stories from staffers about the excellent way they are treated by their Chief of Staff, elected or appointed official, or immediate supervisor. Staff have spoken of how their boss has intentionally worked to develop their skills and given them opportunities for professional growth. 

Sadly, these stories are counterbalanced by stories of offices that can only be described as caustic. Young staffers who have come to Washington to seek the welfare of their city and the flourishing of our nation are mistreated, screamed at, blamed for things they did not do, and had the credit for what they did stolen by their boss.  

Separate from one’s anger at the current administration over firings is the call to serve well in one’s current position - to suffer as Christ suffered, even when no one is looking. Paul makes this clear in his instruction to bondservants,

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Ephesians 6:5-8

The attitude, motivation, and methods of servants matter as much to Peter for their life as dual servants of the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of God. The same is true for the dual citizens navigating power differentials in the labor marketplace of the public square as servants.

As we shall see, the role of masters matters, too.

Application questions

What makes an office a difficult place to work as someone on the low side of the power differential? 

What criteria do you use to determine whether you are suffering justly or unjustly? What criteria do you use to distinguish between the good and gentle but also to the unjust?

Share Faithful Presence

[Faithful Prayer] 

• Cabinet Agency: For Secretary Scott Bessent and the servants and leaders of the Treasury Department as they work “to maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively.”

• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: For the Fellows and staff of The Brookings Institute as they pursue their mission to “finding bold, pragmatic solutions for societal challenges through open-minded inquiry, diverse perspectives, and holding themselves to the highest standards of scholastic rigor.”

• Weekly delegation: For the congressional delegation of the state of New York.

• Agency News: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently announced a $280 million grant agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to provide critical economic relief to eligible Rio Grande Valley farmers and producers suffering from Mexico’s ongoing [shortfalls in meeting] its water delivery obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty. As outlined in the grant agreement, TDA will oversee the implementation of these grant funds, including managing the sign-up process and distributing payments. Payments through this grant agreement will be issued to eligible producers who suffered eligible losses of water deliveries in the calendar years 2023 and 2024.

• Personal requests: (1) For someone navigating a complicated policy implementation at a Cabinet agency. (2) For someone who just had a long-awaited surgery rescheduled. (3) For someone looking for a new nanny for their children. (4) For a young couple looking for a new place to live that is within their budget. (5) For someone waiting for Senate approval. (6) For someone working on an important briefing memo that will potentially reorient an agency’s operational mission.

[The Page, The Pod & The Stack]

• → Read this first →  The Gospel Coalition has a critically important review of the recently concluded ARC Conference in London, titled The Constantine Question and Christianity’s Future in the West. 

• → Listen to this first → The CPT Podcast (Center for Pastor Theologians) has A Vision of Freedom with Brad Littlejohn to discuss his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License. He discusses questions such as: What is the definition of human "freedom" and where do American theological, moral, and political concepts of freedom and liberty come from?

• The Rabbit Room has a beautiful and pastorally helpful piece from Anglican pastor Jez Carr, You Are Not Alone: Storms in Faithful Christian Experience, which highlights the importance of coming to terms with the Creator-creature distinction as we wait for Christ’s return. 

• The Dispatch has an essay sure to encourage young parents from Emily Oster, The Fake False Dilemmas of Early Parenting, detailing how data on child outcomes shows small choices parents make usually aren’t life-altering.

• First Things has a great article by R.R. Reno, The Return of Strong Religion, on the apparent revitalization of confessional faith in our current cultural moment.

[What’s Happening?]

• Tuesday, March 25, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET, the Center for American Progress is hosting an online event, The SAVE Act: The Bill That Could Block Millions of Americans From Voting. CAP experts will discuss their work on the SAVE Act, and how they believe this legislation will affect tens of millions of Americans. 

• Wednesday, March 26, 1:00  - 2:30 pm ET, the Cato Institute hosts a hybrid book event, Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. Cato senior fellow Patrick Eddington and Cato legal fellow Mike Fox question German about his new book and his own experiences as an FBI undercover agent who infiltrated violent right-wing groups.

• Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET, The Urban Institute hosts an online event, Advancing Residents' Upward Mobility by Fostering Dignity and Belonging, Economic Success, and Power and Autonomy. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the three interconnected dimensions of upward mobility: dignity and belonging, economic success, and power and autonomy. We’ll provide practical insights and strategies to implement in your community.

• Wednesday, March 26, 5:00 - 6:00 pm ET, AEI will host a much-needed in-person (and online) event, The Old Ball Game: Baseball’s Place in America’s Past and Present, with baseball lovers George F. Will and Kevin Baker. 

• Friday, March 28, 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET, Faith & Law’s Friday Forum presents Living Truthfully: Ellul, Propaganda, and the Christian Mind with Dr. Stephen J. Nichols to discuss how a Christian worldview speaks to these conditions and encourages us to both speak and live truthfully in difficult times.

• Saturday, March 29, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm ET, Amazon sponsors the Blossom Kite Festival as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Washington Monument Grounds with soaring activities, music, competitions, and performances. Kite enthusiasts, beginners, families, and friends are all welcome.

[Two Thumbs Up] Bosch: Legacy (Prime Video)

Back in 2014, Amazon Prime released the first season of Bosch, a gritty and seasoned LA police detective with a painful past and a complicated present. Over the next 11 years, the Michael Connelly’s Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch has made Los Angeles better through living by belief that “There are two kinds of truth... The kind that comes from darkness, gets bent and manipulated for someone's self-interest, and the kind you carry inside and know is real” and “everybody counts or nobody counts.”

While there are a lot of police dramas on television, Bosch is different. First, the writing is superb, largely because Michael Connelly oversees most of the script adaptations. The acting, including Titus Welliver (who was born to play Bosch), is also quite good. But what makes Bosch special is the relationships, most of all the one between Bosch and his daughter, Maddie. The series portrays the complicated, tenuous, deeply loving, and ever-evolving relationship between a long-absent father and a child coming of age in Los Angeles.

Speaking of Los Angeles, this city as an uncredited character should not be overlooked. Both the show and the main character have a love affair with the city and share their love throughout the seasons by highlighting restaurants like The Musso & Frank Grille and the Nickel Diner and bars like El Compadre and Catalina Jazz Club.

Speaking of jazz, the classic jazz soundtrack is another reason to tune in to the final season on March 27th.

[Last Things]

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