Bite 79: The Long, Long Sentence Diagram of Ephesians 5:15-6:9

An Apology

Actually, not the defense kind this time. The I-couldn’t-help-it-I’m-sorry kind. This passage is ridiculously long for what I normally do in study, but this is where Paul addresses specific groups and I couldn’t find a reasonable stopping point in the middle.

What’s the most annoying part of it? My structural diagram and I will be in contention. The print is so small I may need a magnifying glass. Or stronger readers. If you have young eyes, you’ll have an advantage.

Like I said last time we diagrammed, I’ve noticed you read the sentence diagramming articles the most. That is so cool. You know how I’ve asked you to “like and subscribe and share with other students of the Word?” In my course of life, I’ve only met ONE OTHER PERSON who has used this tool. I’ve always thought I’m an odd duck (for varieties of reasons, believe me), but seeing how many of you are interested in diagramming gives me hope that I’m not alone in my study out here.

So we will cover some of the reasons I chose to execute my diagram the way I did. By way of reminder, I’m not officially trained in this discipline, but I still believe so much can be learned by working with our hands moving the phrases and word groups around (keeping word order intact!) to see how they relate to each other. So much benefit from having another means of exposure to the Word.

Let’s discuss the nuts and bolts of how I did this exercise. Here is the printing link so you can hold the diagram in your hands, if you’d like, as we chat.

Objective

In each passage, we are studying that uses three points of method.

1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

Within each of those points are various techniques we can use to help us gain understanding for Paul’s meaning in writing. For today, we will talk about sentence diagramming, which is an aspect of the first step of observation, and we will also talk about keeping the passage in context.

Choosing the Passage

In our previous passage, I had already determined that I was going to both end with Ephesians 5:15 and that it would be the “beginning” of the next passage. Which isn’t the beginning in actuality but is almost a pivot between “in a general sense don’t be like this but be like this” and “hey (insert group here), this specific is for you”.

Reading through Ephesians 5 (have you been remembering to read the entire letter? Me neither… I will listen to it today as I prep for our 8-day camping trip), and then partway through chapter 6, the stream of thought was the same in Paul. He was telling folks in the congregation points on holy living.

As you read through, you can see that at Ephesians 6:10, there is one of those change-in-direction words, isn’t there? Finally.

Side Note

These side notes are not super profound or anything. But they are often peeks into my brain and some of the stuff that rattles around. Like this:

See why I call it the long, long passage? 28 verses is a lot of verses. Funny, because now I’m thinking, “how am I going to cover all of that in a couple of sessions with my friend here (you)?” My solution initially was that I will only cover what pertains to me (don’t judge). As I mentally ran through the groups Paul instructs, these are the things I thought:

• Wives. Hey! That pertains to me.
• Husbands. That’s not me. But I might need to counsel a single lady about what a husband should be willing to be as a future husband. That pertains to me.
• Children. I am not only an adult, my beloved and I are adult orphans with no parent alive on either side. But there may be some person I might have opportunity to chat with about how to navigate both the under-age stage of childhood and the adult stage of childhood. That pertains to me.
• Fathers. I’m definitely not one of those. Although, I am a parent. Provoking to anger is bad and possible by either parent, at any stage. That pertains to me.

Do you see a pattern here? In my flash of thinking, I saw a pattern. All of these, in some form, pertain to me. Weird. It’s like the Bible is true. All scripture is useful…End side note.

Finally

The end of the passage and the beginning of the next is designated by this flag word, finally. Our passage is this long, long section of Ephesians 5:15-6:9.

As I continue to analyze this, I think if I’d planned my passages ahead of time, I might have had the division be between Ephesians 5:20-21. The general address stops at verse 20 and specific groups (which pertain to everyone) begin at 21. But like we’ve discussed, this is an exercise which exposes us to the Word in a way that is different than straight reading. If we’d change the divisions after the fact? Okay. We’d change them. No biggie. We are not translating or creating doctrine based on a sentence diagram. Observation is the point. And we’re achieving the point.

What are We Going to Discuss

One principle I’m sharing today is to line up similar word types as long as they are related. The other has to do with the content of the hubby section. There is a lot of papyrus spent on comparison between the husband and Christ. Making the comparisons clear, whose done what and whose to follow is something I’d like to be distinguished. Not separated.

Haha! Sproul always says there’s a huge difference between distinctions and separations. This is a basic paraphrase: “If we are going to discuss your body and soul, I can make a distinction between your body and your soul. However, if I make a separation between your body and your soul, I have killed you.” Isn’t that a great explanation?

You’ve heard of the best way to communicate, right? “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them.” Now I’ve told you what I’m going to tell you. Let’s move to the telling you part.

Line Up Word Types

When possible. They have to relate. We aren’t going to line up participles just because they end in -ing. Our objective is to see what Paul is listing for us and how they relate to the other phrases. Here is one example.

Within these lines, Paul commands the congregation to not do a couple of things and instead do these other things.

My goal is that eventually anyone who wants to create their own diagram will be have enough tools in their toolbox to do them on their own. If you already are, that thrills my soul. In either case, whether you are creating your own or you are following along on the one I made, can you see another instance in our passage where similar word types are lined up together? If you can begin to notice them in my diagram, you are on your way to being able to see them in the text as you create your own.

Line Up Components of Comparison

The other aspect of diagramming we will look at today is how to organize the points of comparison.

Beginning in Ephesians 5:25, there is an extended comparison between role of the husband in marriage and Christ in his role. In my diagram, I wanted to make sure the comparison was clear. The command is husbands love your wives. Then comes that critical word as. What does it look like for the husband to love? Bring flowers and chocolates?

Maybe. But more importantly, Paul lays out the details of the broader scope of love the husband should have for his wife. In our diagram, we want to organize those together. First section contains the actions Jesus as Christ performed with relation to the church. He loved and he gave. Following those are the results.

Additional critical words in the comparison arise in the text. In the same way.

Oof.

With that phrase, Paul just made being a husband one of the hardest, most serious tasks known to a man who has his eternal hope in Christ. At this point of observation, we are not analyzing the content so much as doing analysis of how the grammatical pieces fit together. However, without even looking at the “what stuff did Jesus do” specifically, having in the same way as whatever Jesus did is a tall order.

And we want those things to be clear in our diagram. Where Paul declares, “if Jesus did ____, then husband does ____.” All of the content of this if/then statement is under the category of husbands love your wives.

With the idea that we are attempting to learn diagramming for ourselves, is there another place in our passage that you see a comparison? As we see them, we want to make sure the pieces of the comparisons are clearly designated as associated ideas on our diagrams.

Context in Observation

You recall that we want to consider as part of our observation that the passage is nestled between what came before and what comes after. Without keeping context in mind, true goofiness is more possible in interpretation. Application becomes a free-for-all. Heresy is almost a given. Let’s keep it locked down by remembering where we’ve been, and then stay the trail by having our eyes where we want to go.

I Write a Summary

When we write our summary, don’t think a polished version is required on your first attempt. Here is the progress I made as I considered what came before.

What Comes Next?

In the next verses after our passage, there is one more finally. One more command in relation to the reality that is the gospel. I’ve said it before, it bugs my hermeneutic sensibilities to try and sum up what is up and coming without having studied it. But we need to have at least a clue about where we are going. So I write a simple sentence to keep myself focused.

Be equipped to stand against the devil.

Now we have a clear rearview mirror view as well as an idea of what Paul will speak on next.

Reflection

Similar to composing a summary of what comes after, reflection on a simple sentence diagram grates against my biblical analytical nature. But, God has also made his Word such that little children with basic comprehension abilities can come away from it with life-altering truths. The Word is not exclusively for in-depth study. Using it that way is as limiting just as only reading. There are many avenues for being immersed in the Word.

That being said, I’m reflecting on the emphasis Paul places on the wife and husband relationship as a correlation to the church and Christ. The image of a rightly working marriage is a loud billboard in society for the reality of all of scripture, actually. Obviously what the NT writers explain, but go back further. All through the OT Christ, as part of the Trinity, has been loving and giving himself up for those who are his own.

If the reality of what Christ has done is vibrant in your life, marriage is a big deal. No matter your marital status.

• Wives, how does the Church relate to Christ? That is my role.
• Husbands, what is your responsibility to your wife?
• Unmarrieds, consider carefully with whom you attach yourself. Before two become one, do both parties have the vision Paul describes for marriage?
• Even widows. What words of courage and experience you have to buoy those floundering?

Paul intention is to hold high the covenant of marriage because of its ability to demonstrate the almost unimaginable reality of the gospel. I will mull that over.

Wrap Up

Our Bible Study Bite today is a mind set. I’ve bumped into the “I’ll just study what pertains to me” idea a number of times as we’ve studied together today. Flawed thinking, folks. Like I touched on earlier in my Side Note: all scripture is useful. The Word is all useful for all.

I’ve heard a number of times over the years that on Mother’s Day, the pastor wouldn’t speak particularly to mothers for fear of hurting someone’s feelings on the subject of motherhood. Maybe over more time I will change my opinion on the matter, but to me that sounds like a lawnmower pastor.

Cultural Reference

Ooh! I get to reinforce this new cultural reference in my head. Forgive me if you already know, but it was new to me a couple of weeks ago.

You know about helicopter moms, right? Those are the ones who hover over their kids, watching over them. These lawnmower parents are the ones who go out in front of their kids, mowing down all obstacles in their paths so they never get hurt or have problems. Not something I understand, personally. In our family, we had the motto, “Trauma teaches.” Later, we amended it when we saw what some of our kids were doing. “Trauma teaches. Some people.”

I’m not saying cause problems for people or be purposefully hurtful. But smoothing and fixing and fussing is not the reality of life.

All Scripture

All scripture is useful.

Even if it touches pressure points of the soul. When the unmarried desires marriage. Then the couple desires a child… and another. Or the unemployed father is frantic for a career that will provide for the family.

Or if the scripture looks irrelevant. I don’t have employment outside my home therefore how could the job related verses relate to me? And I don’t have a position of any sort of authority. How can this be necessary for me to learn about?

Are we part of the body? Do we rub shoulders with other believers? Is it possible that life situations change? All of the groups Paul addresses here in our passage have profit to each of us from the youngest to the oldest. No matter station, position, or whatnot. There is relevance now or there will be at some point in the future.

Our Bible Study Bite for today is to keep our eyes open for how the Word is meaningful not only for ourselves for also for ministry to others. Because like in 2 Timothy 3:16, it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

Thanks for studying with me today! If you found anything helpful in our time, please like and subscribe. And if you know any other students of the Word, please share with them. I’m always on the lookout for my tribe.