Titus 2:9-10 This ain't Normal

What is "normal"?

I love the FAGE Total Plain yogurt commercial. It talks about how there was this thing called "plain" and it was just that; "plain". But then something spectacular happened to "plain" and now it will never be the same. Look it up on you tube; it is cool.

So I ask, what is normal? How does something become "normal"? Normal is like routine, but even a routine had to start at some point. At that point it was new and not the norm.

Why all the crazy talk about normal? Up till this point Paul has mentioned many things that are not normal for a Cretan. In chapt 1:5-8 Paul lists off a bunch of stuff that an elder should be and all of it is the exact opposite of a normal Cretan: not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not a drunkard, not violent, and a bunch of others that do not describe a Cretan. Chapt 2: 2-5 says to teach them to be self-controled, temperate, worthy of respect, and so on. Why teach them these things? Because they don't do them. It ain't normal for them. And now in 2:9-10 he says to teach slaves to be subject to their masters; try to please them; don't talk back; don't steal. Again, not normal.

So a slave is to be subject to their master. Seems obvious, but they weren't doing it. "To be subject to" in the Greek is hupotasso, which is a military word meaning "to arrange" in order. Like a military order. There is a necessary order of command. For things to run effectively; the order has to be followed. The proper order is important.

Then Paul says to do all this to "adorn" the Gospel. What does that mean? Isn't that like putting on make-up and jewelry and getting all pretty. Yes it is! Now what would a slave know about all that. They don't wear make-up or jewelry and to look pretty might make their master look bad, so that can't happen. So for a slave, ugly is in! Well, a slave would know something about making someone else look good. They put the make-up and the jewelry on their master to make them look good, or to adorn them. It was their responsibilty to sink into the background and watch their master shine.

"Adorn" =kosmeo. Looks alot like the word cosmetics, but it actually means to put in order. it was like putting things in just the right order to express to most beauty of that thing. We do it everyday! What shirt goes with those pants; which belt do I wear with these shoes; and then how you wear them matters. To put in order for maximum beauty. To put in order. Adorn.

So does the Gospel lack something that it needs to be beautified? Absolutely not! It couldn't be more beautiful! But if we don't have the proper order; then we may distract others from seeing it in us. 2nd Cor. 4 tells it like it should be, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." It doesn't make sense to brag about the jar. It is just clay. What good does it do to decorate it? The best that we can do is pour forth the Gospel and get out of the way. That is the point. That is the proper order. That is what it means to adorn the Gospel.

To Adorn= Kosmeo= to put in order

To be subject to= Hupotasso= to arrange in order

For us to put someone else first is not normal, but it is the proper order.

"God our Savior" what has he saved us from? Our normal... to give us a new normal.... His normal

Kosmeo= the proper order

It's a Beautiful thing!!!!!

Titus 2:9-10

A slave? Yes, most of us have felt like slaves. Working all day everyday for someone else; doing what they say when they say. Yes a SLAVE!!! And as a slave, we pretty much just want to get the day overwith. But that just isn't good enough for Paul. In Titus 2:9 Paul says,"Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted,..."

Isn't it enough that I just do my job and do it well? I want my pay check and my boss wants a job done. That should be enough! I mean I can understand the "not to steal" part and even the "not to talk back" part, but having to prove you can be trusted or even worse, "try to please them." I doubt very seriously that my boss has hired me to be their friend or even to have someone to please them, but lets start with the easy ones first.

"Not to talk back." Funny thing I've noticed about being disrespectful; it never brings you any respect. So, If you talk back; you lose your job (or in the case of a true slave; lose respect and be disrespected). I get that!

"Not to steal." Seems easy to understand and most of us wouldn't dream of stealing from our bosses. However, that word "steal" is really the word nosphizo "purloin, embezzle, withdraw covertly." That is what we think of when we say "stealing" and we would never do that (I hope you wouldn't). But this word also means something as simple as "to set apart, seperate, divide." That doesn't sound quite as bad. And it probably could be applied to all of us in regard to all that little stuff from the office that makes its way to our pockets and gets emptied on the top of the dresser at home. No we aren't being covert, but it doesn't belong to us. If your boss knew; he wouldn't be pleased. That is the point. To show that we can be fully trusted. Why? To Adorn the Gospel. If we can't be fully trusted; then why would anyone trust what we say about the Gospel.

But this all seems like something we all should do, so the question that pops into my head is why does he direct this instruction to slaves only?

Titus 2:6 self-control

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded." (KJV). I remember one time when I gave my children $5 each for helping me with a project and told them we would go to the store so they could buy something if they wanted. Even though I encouraged them to save their money; they had to spend it; every penny. It became a competition to see who could get the most things. They bought the stupidest little junk despite my constant reminder that they could save the money to buy something they really want later. There is no self-control for a kid with money in his pocket.

That's why Paul says to encourage the young men to be sober minded (self-controled). The verse does say "likewise" just like it did for the older women; which means that everything that was said to the older men, applies to the younger men. However, the one thing Paul wants to emphasize is self-control. Notice that he uses that word "exhort" or encourage (parakaleo), which means to come alongside, admonish, beseech, entreat, instruct, strengthen, console, and even beg. That word alone kinda gives you the idea that this is pretty important. And notice that he doesn't say that the younger men should be self-controled, but that they should be encouraged in that direction. Just like my kids can't really be expected to think of saving their money on their own. I have to encourage them to do it, or beseech, entreat, and even beg them to do it. Do we do that for the young men in our churches? No way!! We tend to say, "what they do isn't any of my business." If I took that kinda attitude toward my kids; then they wouldn't save a dime. They would grow up to be the kinda impulse spenders that the credit card companies just love. I care about them and their future too much to just sit back and let that happen. After all, they have to support me when I'm old. What a thrill it is for me to hear my kids come home from shopping at a thrift store and brag about how little they spent. And what a thrill it would be to come alongside, encourage, instruct, and strengthen a young man and watch him develop into a Godly man who pours his life into serving Christ. He may do things that I can't do. He may reach people that I can't reach. It's not enough for me to have it all together (well, still working on that too) but I need to help others to get it together as well. After all, my time will be over and someone will need to take over.

So how does a young man learn to be self-controled? Titus 2: 7-8, "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech..." In other words we got to get control to give control. They need to see it, so we have to be it. So, get it, and give it. Got It?

Titus 2:5 If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand Times

If you have kids; then I'm sure that you have repeated yourself a few times. Then, you probably said something like, "How many times do I have to tell you?" I even have trouble when my wife tells me something. She will say, "I told you that yesterday!" To which I usually respond with, "Did you tell me more than once and slap me upside the head to get my attention?" That is about what it takes for me and I'm thinkin that I'm not alone.

This next verse in Titus (2:5) has some things in it that are repeated either right here in Titus or at least scattered throughtout scripture. It's like God knew we needed a good knock in the head before we would get it. The verse reads, "to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, ...(NIV)" In the first part the, KJV, uses the word "chaste" instead of "self-controled." But the Greek is still "Sophron" meaning a sound mind or in one's senses; and yes, we have seen this one many times in Titus alone. Then there are the simple ones like "pure" and "kind" which are peppered throughout scripture. Now, looking at the "be subject to their husbands"; well, that usually gets preached at least once a year, but usually from the passage found in Ephesians 5:22.

So I really don't want to focus on these because we have all been slapped upside the head with these. But I kinda got stuck on the phrase "to be busy at home." Could it be that the Bible says that women should not work outside of the home? Are all those christian women who work outside of the home disobeying the Bible? Maybe the Bible just isn't culturally current? Or maybe it is a statement meant only for that particular culture? Can the Greek be interpreted differently for a better understanding? Yes, my brain does rapid-fire questions like that. It's really annoying at times. So what's the deal here? Is there a Biblical issue with women working outside the home? If there is; then we better pay attention and make some serious changes. But if not; then we shouldn't be pulling out our personal soap boxes to preach against womens lib. No I didn't say that I agree with womens lib or disagree. The fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter what I have to say or any other person (or well meaning pastor). It matters what the Scriptures have to say; so we had all better be careful.

So here is what I have found:

There seems to be some confusion on the actual interpretation. It is either "oikourous" (keepers at home) or "oikourgous" (workers at home). I know it doesn't look like much, and, to be honest, it isn't much. If it is the second one; then it is important to realize that this is the only place in scripture that it is used. That alone should make us pause before taking any kind of hard stance on the subject. It isn't enough, however, for us to say, "well, it only said it once, so I don't need to pay attention to it." I know that if my kids fed me that line; it would not go well for them. We need to pay attention the first time (like I tell my kids), but we have to look at it in context. Most of what we see in this text is is along the lines of character traits and not so much a "to do" list. Paul talks about women in his book to Timothy as well. (1 Tim 5:13-14) He talks about a woman being idle at home. He does talk about the young woman keeping the house, but it is more of a remedy for idleness. In Proverbs 31:27 it mentions a woman looking after her household and "does not eat the bread of idleness." Back in Titus, this is one time I like the NIV translation. It says to be busy at home. There seems to be a heavy emphasis on avoiding idle hands. The purpose of the whole passage in Titus (and Timothy for that matter) is stated very clearly, "so that no one will malign the word of God" (NIV).

So is it okay Biblically for women to work outside of the home? Though I am very tempted to give my personal opinion; I digress. If we look at this passage for what it is trying to teach; then we have to say that this is not a message on the role of women, and we should not stretch it out to be one. Titus speaks to all of us to be careful how we represent the word of God.

Titus 2:4 True Love

"And Love, true love" Oh who am I kidding? Who can explain that? How many have asked the question, "How do you know when you are really in love?" Obviously there aren't a lot of good answers to that question when 50% of marriages end in divorce. Or maybe we just don't know how to maintain that true love. Well, I don't have a good answer for how to find true love or even how to know when or if you did find true love, but Paul gives the ladies a little "how to" on maintaining true love. "Then they (the older women) can train the younger women to love their husband and children"(NIV).

Remember that the word "train" emphasizes how they should come alongside and give them real tangible or useable stuff. Not philosophies or generalities, but watching and observing these young gals before just handing out advice. Advice on what? Well, first of all, on loving thier husband and children. Yes, that is your business; the Bible says it is your business. Of course you don't just walk up and be rude about it. No it all goes back to that reverent living and coming alongside. That is worth listening to.


Now, about that loving thing. They are supposed to train them how to love their husband, but this isn't like a romantic love. The Greek here is "philandros." Now what does that look like? Kinda like "Philanthropist" or "Philadelphia." That root word "philo" does mean "love", but it is more like a friendship type love or at least an action type love. It isn't the gushy, feely, kinda love or the deep unconditional kinda love. A philanthropist is someone who helps others and Philadelphia is known has the place of brotherly love. So when Paul says that the older women should teach the younger women to love their husbands; he is talking about a how to be loving and kind and supportive. You know, the visible stuff. The how to show your husband that you love him. Not the romantic stuff; not even the sexual stuff. It's the day-to-day stuff of good, supportive friends. It's all about doing loving things. That same idea passes on to the kids as well. Those sweet little "teknons." Young women need to know how to "philoteknos."

I don't know if we can teach true love or even Godly love, but we can obviously teach and learn phileo love, and that is the key to maintaining true love.

Titus 2:3 Likewise!!

likewise, ditto, yeah what he said, et tu ladies. That's right, Paul says basically the same thing to the older ladies as he did to the older men. But it is a little different. Well of course it's different, women are different, but the message is still pretty much the same. He says that the older women should be reverent in the way they live. That sure sounds alot like "worthy of respect." And that word "reverent" is the word "hieroprepeis" in the Greek, which doesn't sound real pretty, but it plays well. It breaks down into "heiros" which means sacred, and is also used in the NAS to refer to the temple. The other part, "prepo" means to be or become suitable. Paul tells them to live like they are a suitable temple, which is the same word that was used of a priestess. Same gig as the guys, but a more beautiful way to say it.

Then he tells them not to slander or be addicted to wine. Now the wine thing we saw already with the guys in a little different form. It's still all the same, and uses the Greek for being a slave to wine. But that part about slandering is specific to the women. No I didn't say that only women slander or gossip, but apparently it needed to be addressed here. So how bad is gossip? Well, the Greek word for it is "diabolous" which is where we get words like diabolical, but also the same word used for the Devil. We tend to act like gossip is no big deal, but that's what Satan does. How can we just brush it off as nothing when it brings us to the same playing ground as Satan? Yet, we fall right into it. We like to hear it and we like to spread it. What is wrong with us? Maybe we could stop if we just pictured Satan grinning ear to ear everytime we go to gossip or hear gossip. Even if we have to imagine the red suit and pitch fork!

Then Paul tells them that it is so they can train the younger women. That word train is interesting as well. The word in Greek is "sophronizo." Now that word can be translated into "train" or even "encourage." It also looks a lot like the Greek word "sophron" which we saw in connection with the Older men when they are told to be self-controled. So, this word means to restore one to his senses. The difference between the usage for the men and for the women is that the first one tells them to be an example for the young men. Guys tend to look for a role model. We watch; we learn; we copy. The second one (to the women) places emphasis on being there to help. It is more personal training; not just teaching. This is support and encouragement and that is definately something that women are good at.

As Men and Women we are obviously very different, but God's expectations are still very much the same. Though we have different methods and styles and needs; God says "Likewise."

Titus 2:2: Extraordinary Ordinary

You know that old saying that "opinions are like butts; everyone has one, and yours stinks." Well, chapter 2 of Titus doesn't exactly say that, but I would translate it to say, "Everyone has a level of ordinary, but our ordinary should be extraordinary!"

So verse 2 doesn't really start with the word "teach" like we find in the NIV. I suppose you could argue that Titus is teaching them, and so he will need to teach them these things. I think it is more like Paul is saying, "Hey, this is the way you should be."
The first part is for men, so men, "be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance." Now this is some of that Greek freak stuff, so check it out!
Temperate (NIV) Sober (KJV)= nephalios= abstaining from wine.
Worthy of respect (NIV) Grave (KJV)=Semnos=Reverend, Honourable.
Self-controlled (NIV) temperate (KJV)=Sophron= Sound mind, in one's senses.
So the first one and the last one are kinda related. Drinking a certain amount of wine will desensitize you. In-other-words, you will be out of your senses; which means you don't have a sound mind; which means that you are not self-controlled. If you are not self-controlled; then you are controlled by something else, like booze or really anything that compels us to sin. That's right; if we can't control ourselves; then we are not sober. If we are not sober; then we are not worthy of respect. Now that word (Semnos) comes from the root word "sebo" which means worship. Now that's some weight! Is there someone who worships you? No not like they bow at your feet, but they look up to you for something. It's not that we try to get people to respect us, but that we are "worthy of respect." No, this isn't a guilt trip; It's a measuring stick. You see, "old men" doesn't necessarily refer to how old you are. You can be 95 years old physically and only 2yrs old spiritually. I was saved when I was 8yrs old, and I am now 43. I have taught the word of God almost weekly for 16 yrs. I still ain't got this thing. In some areas of my Christian life I am an old man, but in others, I'm just a child.
So in some things I should be like a spiritual father, helping the young men learn the right way, but in other things I should be looking for a spiritual father for guidance (instead of pretending to have it all together : which is a major plague in our churches today, but I digress). The point is that we are not islands. As old men, you must realize that you are being watched. Everyday, every action, every word. It isn't just what you teach, but the ordinary everyday stuff that makes a difference. So, old men, whether you are gray haired or not, we need to have an extraordinary ordinary.