Paul’s Business Card
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, Romans 1:1 NASB
Apostle – One time at a gathering of believers I was presented with a business card that gave the man’s name followed by “prophet.” I am sure he had that card printed in good faith, but I shuddered when I read it. If he really knew anything about the prophets, that would be the last role he would want to play. Abused, rejected, misunderstood, blamed and, inevitably, killed, the prophets were not likely to distribute business cards with that title. Their cards more likely read, “Shepherd,” “Gardener,” or “Potter.” Ordinary in every respect. Of course, the same might be said for “bishop” or “choir director” or “evangelist” (even, heaven forbid, “preacher”). When Paul introduces himself to the audience, he uses the term doúlos, not properly translated “bond-servant,” but rather “slave,” with all the connotations of the first century world. He is a slave, owned entirely by someone else, and in that capacity, assigned a task to complete. That task is to be an apostle (apóstolos), “the person sent with full authority. The Greek gives only the form, the Hebrew the content.”[1] But it’s no laudable title, as it tends to become in later centuries. It is just a job expected of a slave. The authority does not belong to the messenger. It belongs to the owner, represented by the slave-messenger.
Paul, a slave of Yeshua, called to perform the job of giving the good news of God (notice it is not the good news of Yeshua) to those outside the ethnic category of Jew. It was a task that occupied the rest of his life. His business card was not just what he did. It was who he was.
What kind of business card would you use? Would it list prominently “slave of Yeshua HaMashiach”? Would it reflect who you are rather than what you do? Since men invented the idea of self-identity, we have become comfortable with multiple roles, none of which actually define our true essence, all of which describe the various jobs we currently do. But maybe that’s a mistake. Maybe we need to seriously think about what our “business” cards should say about who we are. Maybe that’s what really matters.
In the ancient world it was unlikely that a man chose a career path different from his father or his grandfather. Life was about being “in the family,” and that meant taking over the tasks of the past generations. Careers were handed down from father to son just like property. Continuity was important. This lineage thinking was also part of the spirituality of ancient men. No one ventured too far from the family. Of course, we’re different. We’re free of those familial bonds. And we tell ourselves it’s so much better this way. We can be our own person. But I wonder. Wasn’t there something critically important to identity when I belonged to someone else? Doulos is not just a status. It’s an anchor.
Topical Index: doúlos, slave, identity, Romans 1:1
[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
