THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
He rightly says elsewhere, “serving with good will, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Eph 6:7). For even if you serve your master willingly, your service has its beginning in fear.
Thus the one who serves with such fear will receive the greatest rewards. If a servant does not restrain his hand and does not bridle his tongue, why would the pagans marvel at our teaching?
But if they see a servant philosophizing in Christ, showing greater self-restraint than their philosophers, and serving with great readiness and zeal, they will undoubtedly marvel at the power of the preaching.
For pagans judge doctrines not by teaching, but by deeds and life. Therefore let both women and servants be teachers for them by their conduct.
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Among them, and everywhere, it is acknowledged that servants are generally rough, uneducated, stubborn, and very unreceptive to instruction in virtue. This is not by nature, no, but because of the treatment and negligence of their masters.
Those who own them are everywhere concerned about nothing except their service. If they are sometimes concerned about their morals, they do this also for their own peace.
They do not wish to entrust their affairs to people who are dissipated, thieves, or drunkards. Naturally, being left without any care and having no one to look after them, servants sink into the very abyss of evil.
Even where father and mother, guardian, tutor, teacher, and peers keep watch, and where consciousness of noble birth and many other things elevate a man, rarely does anyone escape fellowship with corrupt people.
What then should we think about those deprived of all this? They come into contact with depraved people, deal without caution with whomever they wish, and have no one to care about their acquaintances.
Consider what will become of such people. This is why it is difficult for a servant to be virtuous.
On the other hand, they receive instruction neither from outsiders nor from us. They do not associate with free people who are good and concerned for their honor.
For all these reasons, it is a difficult and even astonishing thing for a servant ever to become honorable.
But when pagans see that the power of the preaching has restrained this rough kind of people and made them the most honorable and modest of all, they will gain a lofty opinion of our doctrines. This will happen even if the masters are the most senseless of men.
It is evident that only by receiving into their soul the fear of resurrection, judgment, and everything else we hold to come after death could they depart from evil. They implanted in their soul fear, which draws one away from enjoyment of vices.
Therefore the Apostle does not speak about this so often in vain or casually. The more evil such people are, the more others will marvel at the power of the preaching.
We marvel at a physician when he heals and corrects a desperate man who accepts no help, has no power to restrain himself from shameful desires, and continually gives himself over to them.
And see what the Apostle requires of servants: what most gives rest to the master. “Not contradicting, not stealing,” that is, that they show great zeal for what is entrusted to them.
They must be especially kind toward their masters and obedient to their commands.
Do not think I have enlarged on this without purpose. I want to direct the following words to servants. Therefore, beloved, do not look at the fact that you serve a man.
Look rather at the fact that you serve God and adorn Christ’s teaching by yourself. Then you will be able to fulfill everything, obeying your master and enduring unjust injuries and annoyances from him.
Remember that you are not pleasing him, but fulfilling God’s commandment, and you will easily bear everything.
As I always say, so I say now: if we prosper in spiritual matters, the goods of this present life will also be added to us.
Such a servant, so well behaved and so obedient, will not only be received by God and deemed worthy of bright crowns. The master himself too, satisfied by his services, will praise and respect him.
Even if the master is like a beast, even if he is stone-like, inhuman, and cruel, he will prefer him before all others and entrust him with authority over the rest. This is so even if that master is a pagan.
If you wish, I will give you an example that a servant must be such even when his masters are pagans. Joseph was sold to Pharaoh’s chief cook and was of a different faith, not Egyptian.
What then? Seeing the young man’s virtue, the master did not think about the difference of faith. He loved him, showed him friendship and respect, and entrusted him with complete authority over others.
With him present, the master did not look after anything in the house. The servant became a second master, or rather, more important than the master himself. For the latter did not know his own business, while Joseph knew his duties better than his master.
Later, when the master believed his wife after she had uttered a criminal slander against Joseph, it seems to me he limited his anger to imprisoning him. He did this out of respect for the former honor and dignity of an honorable servant.
If he had not known this man well and respected him for his former service, he would immediately have killed him and pierced his body with a sword.
“For jealousy is the rage of a man,” says the Wise Man, “and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no ransom, nor be satisfied though you multiply gifts” (Prov 6:34-35).
If such is the jealousy of any husband, much more was it the jealousy of this Egyptian and foreigner. He thought he had been insulted by a man whom he had deemed worthy of honor.
You all know, of course, that not all insults wound us equally. Those from people well disposed toward us are stronger and more painful than others.
The evil caused us by people whom we trusted, who trusted us, and who received many benefactions from us especially torments and grieves us.
The Egyptian did not think to himself or say, “Has this man, whom I took as a servant, to whom I entrusted everything in the house, whom I made free and almost greater than myself, repaid me with such recompense?”
He said nothing of the sort. So strongly had his soul been bound by his former respect for the servant.
And what is astonishing if Joseph enjoyed such honor in his house? Look at what respect he enjoyed even in prison.
You know how those entrusted with prisons become accustomed to cruelty. They profit from the misfortunes of others. Those whom others feed in their sufferings, they rob, gaining profits worthy of many tears.
They act more cruelly than wild beasts, since they take for themselves what could have eased the sufferings of the prisoners.
Let us consider not only this, but also how differently they treat all prisoners. Perhaps they show mercy to those slandered, condemned, and imprisoned for a minor reason.
But they inflict thousands of blows on those imprisoned for shameful, grave, and brazen crimes.
Thus the prison guard should have treated Joseph harshly, not only because of his own character, but also because of the reason for which Joseph had been imprisoned.
Whom would that young man not have armed against himself? He had enjoyed such honor, was suspected of an attempt against the honor of his mistress, and had repaid his benefactor with such recompense.
Taking all this into account, both the prisoner’s former honor and the matter for which he was imprisoned, would not the prison guard have treated him more savagely than any beast?
But Joseph’s hope in God was above all this. Such is the soul’s virtue: it knows how to tame even wild beasts.
By the same obedience with which he won over his master, he also won over the prison guard. Again he became chief. In prison he acquired authority just as in the house.
Preparing to rule, he first learned how to obey properly. And while obeying, he was chief and ruler of the house.
If Paul says to one invited to ecclesiastical authority, “If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he care for the Church of God?” (1 Tim 3:5), then everyone who attains authority must first govern his own house well.
Joseph ruled even in prison, not as in prison, but as in a house. He relieved everyone’s misfortunes and governed the prisoners as though they were his own members.
He not only showed them sympathy and help in their sufferings. If he even saw someone thoughtful, he approached and asked the reason.
He could not see anyone sorrowful without comforting him in his grief, although another would not show such love even to children.
From this all the good consequences began. What depends on us must come first, and then what depends on God will also follow.
That Joseph truly showed compassion and sympathy is stated by Scripture. Seeing Pharaoh’s eunuchs, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, imprisoned by him, he asked them, “Why are your faces sad today?” (Gen 40:7).
Not only from this, but also from the way they acted, one can see the virtue of this man.
Though they were royal servants, they did not despise him or push him away, as men irritated by grief. Instead, they opened all their circumstances to him as to a brother who knew how to suffer with them.
I say all this to prove that nothing can crush a virtuous man, even if he is in slavery, captivity, prison, or beneath the earth itself.
I say this to persuade servants that even if their masters are like that Egyptian, even if they are as harsh as that prison guard, even if they are pagans like those men, and whatever they may be, servants can win them over and soon soften them.
There is nothing more attractive than good character. There is nothing more pleasant and lovable than submission, meekness, and obedience.
Such a man is pleasing to all. Such a man is not ashamed of slavery and does not flee from the poor, the sick, or the suffering. For this virtue triumphs over everything and overcomes everything.
If it has such power in servants, how much more in the free? Therefore let us all exercise ourselves in this, servants and free, wives and husbands.
In this way we shall be pleasing both to men and to God. We shall be pleasing not only to good men, but also to evil men, and especially to the latter, because they are especially ashamed before and respect such people.
As subjects fear meek rulers more, so corrupt people fear the virtuous, seeing what they themselves lack.
Such is the fruit of virtue. Therefore let us strive for it and acquire it. If we possess it, nothing will be difficult for us. Everything will be easy, everything convenient.
Even if we must pass through fire or water, everything will yield and bow before virtue, even death itself.
Therefore let us be zealous for it, that we may be found worthy of the good things to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord.