I discovered an extremely interesting dynamic in Ephesians 4 as I prepared for Lenten services a couple of months ago. This may be the key to understanding how the New Testament writers reflect on the role of relationships in spiritual growth.
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Consider this paragraph (Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV): 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Thanks to Biblegateway.com) The pronoun “we” occurs twice. “We” is plural. Obviously. But I’ll wager that most of us don’t actually read it in the plural.
Think this through we me. When I read “we will no longer be infants” I understand–I assume–that Paul is using the plural because he is writing to a number of individuals scattered across Asia minor. He is planning for this letter to be shared with congregations in addition to the one at Ephesus. But even though I recognize the plural form, I read it in this way: “Paul is talking to me, personally. I am an individual. Paul is offering to me the prospect of stability, groundedness, maturity. This growing up is something I need badly. Now, how do I make this happen in my life?”
Am I right? For us, the plural is a form of address which includes all the individuals (please note this word!) that might read this paragraph–each applying the words to himself or herself. But I suspect this is not how the first readers of the paragraph read it. Let’s see if I can get this into their words.
A believer in the 1st century would not have read this paragraph as one individual among many. He or she would have read (or heard it read) as addressed to a member of a collective, a group whose members were consciously connected to each other. So the “we” would mean “none of us in this room, none of the members of this group,” will continue to be infants. “We–all of us gathered here, together, will in all things grow up into him. . .” “We–all of us in this room–with speak truth to each other in love. We will together both hear and speak, and as a body we will grow. . .”
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The difference in t he two readings is profound. Most of us see spiritual growth as a do-it-yourself project in which singly we set out to become what God calls us toward, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. WE ARE TRYING TO DO IT BY OURSELVES! (I know that capital letters means that I am shouting, or angry, or upset. I’m not. I want you to get that message!) By the grace of God we can make some progress as individuals, but I think that is the really hard way to follow Jesus. It is so much easier (once we learn how) to walk with Jesus together. How many other passages have we been misreading by not being personally connected to other readers?
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