Ephesians 6:1-9 (NIV)

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Ephesians 6:1-9 (NIV)

General Context Questions

• Who wrote this? Who is or which groups of people are involved?
• Was this written before, during, or after Jesus’ lifetime?
• Is this a narrative, a parable, a praise, a suggestion, a command, an instruction, or something else?
• Is there anything that stands out to you?
• Did anything confuse you? Were there words or phrases that didn’t make sense?

Specific Questions

• Do you feel like you obey or obeyed your parents? What actions did, do, or can you take to do this?
• Fathers, do you feel like you're prepared to bring your children up "in the training and instruction of the Lord"? How can you better prepare for this?
• Do you think that the words "slave" and "master" carry the same meaning to you that they did to the author? What may be some important differences in meaning?
• Are all "masters" to be obeyed with respect and fear? What should you do if you encounter a bad or negligent master?
• If masters are advised to "treat your slaves in the same way" as slaves are instructed to treat masters, what is the difference between slave and master?