We’ve all sung the song. But have you actually rowed the boat? A raft, a canoe, a kayak? Have you rowed in choppy water? Or rowed with the wind blowing hard against you? Have you rowed until your arms ached and your chest burned?
Our favorite apostle Paul knew a thing or two about rowing.
Recently, I talked the family into watching the 2016 Ben Hur movie again. Poor Judah had been sentenced to the galleys. He would row, row, row that Roman ship under terrible conditions for five years. Naked. Rats. Whipped. His punishment was perhaps worse than death. As this part of the movie played, I looked over at Aide and her face was drawn up in disbelief and horror and sympathy. And then Tom said, “I bet the ship Paul sailed on as a Roman prisoner had galley slaves who rowed the boat.” What? Interesting!
So I Googled. And interesting indeed!
“Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Paul wanted to be known as — as all the disciples came to desire too — a servant. They were taking their lead from Jesus himself. Especially after watching Ben Hur and becoming familiar with galley slaves, the Greek word for servant Paul used in this passage is striking!
Huperetes, uperetes. It means…under-rower. Whoa!!
Paul had first-hand knowledge of an under-rower’s life and he chose this word as an illustration. An object lesson. Paul is so cool.
The under-rower sat on wooden benches in the lowest deck of the ship, chained to each other and to the ship. There would be no escaping. In front of them sat the captain on a raised platform. The under-rowers fixed their eyes on the captain and rowed to his command. They did what he said.
Always.
“Servants of Christ” seems pretty tidy. But under-rowers of Christ? Galley slaves of Christ? Well that gets real — real fast!
Paul said that’s how he wanted to be regarded and he encouraged us to be known like that as well. Not just from 9am to 5pm, but always. A people who fix their eyes on their Captain and row at His command. We do what He wants us to do no matter our circumstances. We say what He wants us to say no matter our comfort level. Listening to Him only, we serve him by staying on His boat and rowing. Lord, may the prayer of my heart always be — make me an under-rower today.