Quotation: Ephesians, 5:22-33
I would like to look back a relationship between a husband and a wife referring to a quotation. I would rather think of a relationship between the Lord and us. I married thirteen years ago. Before our marriage, I heard a message titled, "A Marriage And A Faith" in this fellowship. I was single then, I thought a marriage would be how His words tell. In the message, it is told that an attitude of a husband toward his wife is as an attitude toward the Lord. As a matter of fact, while I'm in a right relationship with my wife, my relationship with the Lord is also right. While I'm irritated and behave lovelessly to her, I behave to the Lord just like it. It won't be true that a relationship with my wife is right, and a relationship with the Lord is wrong. On the other hand, if a relationship with Him is right, a retionship with her is right. This has been a help in our marriage. There will be a limit in making a relationship between a husband and a wife right, no matter how hard you may try. It is difficult to understand and be aware of your partner perfectly. Then it is important to make a relationship not only between a husband and a wife right, but also between the Lord and me. If not, a relationship between a husband and a wife won't be right. I think I was lucky enough to hear this message before marriage, because I was given an answer to a question how shall we behave when a problem rises. In the words below, an attitude of a wife toward her husband and an attitude of a husband toward his wife are described concretely. Actually, they are outcome of an attitude of a wife toward Him, and an attitude of a husband toward Him. In this meaning, throught our marriage, we are made our relationship with Him correct. Ephesians, 5:22-24
On the Verse 22, it is written to wives, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." Its reason is written on the Verse 23, "For the husband is the head of the wife." And on the Verse 24, "Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." By reading some other sections of Ephesians, I found in the Chapter 6, a relationship between children and the Lord is written, followed by a relationship between slaves and masters. This is to say, Paul discusses not only a relationship between a husband and a wife, but also between children and the Lord, and between slaves and masters, in the same way. There is one thing common among these three, it is an authority and an obedience. They are so important not only in our life at home, but also in our social life. As a matter of fact, an authority and an obedience aren't welcomed in our present society. A word "authority" is used in rather negative meaning. For example, in old days, teachers were highly respected. People made much of an authority of teachers. Thus students thought there's no wonder to obey their orders. This authority faded away gradually. Today, in some cases, parents don't say, "Do what teachers say." On the other hand, if their children are scolded, they will visit teachers to outcry against it, in extreme cases, they visit a board of education of the city for appeal. It's getting for children to neglect to obey what teachers order. As a result, we sometimes hear, there're students who don't stop talking in the class, and sending and receiving e-mail using cell-phone. Now, an authority of a father is lost in a school and at home. Once upon a time, if a father said a word, it would have been decisive. I think it was because Japanese has been effected by a doctrine of Confucianism. I think it was a better situation than there's no order in a home. Now a days, an authority to judge what is right and what is wrong is lost. An authority and an obedience are established by the Lord. Romans, 13:1-7
Here Paul wrote, because all existing authorities are established by the God, you have to obey it. In a peaceful period, it may be easy to do, but while he was alive, it wasn't so. That is, a ruler in that period, corresponded strictly against those who believe Jesus. Paul himself was arrested and put into a prison for preaching Jesus. How did he correspond to those who persecute in Satan's attacks? He wrote, "everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities." Even if the authority persecute you, you should submit to it, because it is established by the God. There are something we shouldn't misunderstand when we think of an authority and an obedience. One is that he who obeys isn't obeyed because he is inferior to one who makes him obey. The Holy Bible says so. It is obvious if you see a relationship between Jesus and the God of His Father. The Lord Jesus obeyed the God, but it wasn't because Jesus was inferior to Him. Colossians, 1:19-20
Here we know, the God has all His fullness dwell in Jesus. It means, in a relationship between the Lord Jesus and the God of His Father, there wasn't superiority neither inferiority. But, Jesus obeyed Him completely, until His blood shed on the cross. Why? It was because to make His will be realized on the earth. We obey not because we are inferior, but because we realize His will on the earth by doing things according to His will. For this reason, a wife should submit to her husband, children should submit to their parents, slaves should submit to their masters. Another thing we shouldn't misunderstand is that submitting of a wife to her husband has its meaning, but submitting to the Lord by obeying His words, "submit to your husband", has much more meaning. If we misunderstand these two points, we may be lead to a wrong conclusion. For example, many people think the Holy Bible says a wife must submit to her husband because It respects men and neglects women. Or, some say, the Holy Bible stands for a slavery. If a husband is an alcoholic, he may say to his wife, "There's no more liquor. Go to the Liquor Shop and buy some." In this case, should she submit to him because His words say so? NO. If it spoils His will, she shouldn't submit to her husband. It may causes a serious problem, though. To keep our faith, we should show a consistency in our attitude, and never compromise. If a wife can live in a life without any compromises, submitting to her husband will be easy, but in a daily life, it is sometimes quite difficult to keep it. A husband may say, "Burn incense for the repose of someone's soul." at a funeral in Buddhism. Or, at some religious events in Buddhism, you may burn incense, in the presence of relatives, bounded by a tradition. How further should she submit to her husband, or how further should she avoid compromise? A criterion to judge it is if she submits to the Lord by submitting to her husband. It is only a symbol to submit to her husband. Ultimately, each one of us is requested to obey the Lord. So, Paul rejected an order issued by the government not to speak in the name of Jesus, with the resolute attitude. Then he was arrested and put into a prison, but he kept his faith consistently. He was never faithless to the Lord. 1 Corinthians, 11:3
That is, a head of a wife is a husband, a head of a husband is the Lord Jesus, and a head of the Lord Jesus is the God of His Father. This is the order by the God .... (Side A -> B) leads the body. In other words, a head decides things, and a body follows them, protect whole body from any danger. Genesis, 2:15-18
This is a part of His Creation of men. Now, we know it was to Adam that the Lord ordered not to eat from the tree of the knowledge. Eve wasn't created yet. The Lord gave His order to Adam first, then Adam told it to his wife Eve. This is an authority and an order established by the Lord. 1 Peter, 3:1-6
We've been reading a call to wives, now let's see what is requested to husbands. 1 Peter, 3:7
It is very important for our prayers not to be hindered. While my attitude toward my wife is wrong, I can't pray to the Lord. Marvelously, not. I truly realize I'm a sinner, and I go to my wife and apologize to her. Then I can pray. Similarly, if we can't pray in calm to the Lord, our attitude toward people around us may wrong. Back to the Chapter 5 of Ephesians, it is written how a husband should love his wife. Ephesians, 5:25
A husband is requested to love his wife as Jesus loved the church. It is extremely hard to do it. If we think how Jesus loved the Church, each one of us, we will know how deep a husband should love his wife. That is, Jesus so loved the Church the bride, He paid precious expense, His life for us. There wasn't higher cost. A husband is requested to love his wife as deep as He. Hosea, 3:1
We once followed idols, or a God called desire, before we knew the Lord. We were so far away from the Lord and resisted Him. But He loved us. A husband is requested to love his wife with such a deep love, as deep as he permits and accepts a wife, even if she commits a sin. Why did Jesus love us so much? The answer is written on the Verse 26 and 27 in the Chapter 5 of Ephesians. Ephesians, 5:26-27
Jesus loved us because He wanted us to be holy by washing with His word. He offered His life and bought us, because He wanted to build a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle. Paul wanted to say a husband must love his wife with the same love Jesus had. John, 15:3
This is what Jesus told to His disciples. By this, we know that we are already clean not by what we do, for example, reading the Holy Bible earnestly, or being a good man, but by the word Jesus spoke. This is a grace. John, 17:17
This is a prayer of Jesus. He asked the Lord to sanctify disciples, and each one of us, by the truth, that is the word of the God of His Father. By His prayer, we now are holy, though we are still in sinful nature. It also tells a relationship between the Lord and us should reflect in a relationship between a husband and a wife. 1 Corinthians, 7:12-14
It is written, "the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband", but not "the unbelieving wife has been saved." But, by a prayer of believing husband and His words, unbelieving wife is sanctified, as a result, their children are also sanctified. I think this is one of a ground of a prayer for a salvation of family members. Jesus has already sanctified families, and permitted to pray for their salvation by His name, and testify Him among families. Through these graces, one day a salvation will be brought to family members. They have been already sanctified. Paul wrote a lot about a relationship between a husband and a wife, and I found he concluded a husband and a wife can't be divided. On the Verse 28 in the Chapter 5 of Ephesians, "Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.", and "He who loves his wife loves himself." On the Verse 29, we find "own body" again, and on the Verse 31, "two will become one flesh" Paul concluded it is meaningless to think of a husband and a wife individually. And on the Verse 32, "This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church." Paul here says, unifying a husband and a wife is as unifying the Lord Jesus and the Church. Revelation, 21:2
It is called as a marriage of the Lamb, each one of us will be unified completely with the Lord Jesus as a bride. Revelation, 21:9-10
In the Chapter 21 and 22 of Revelation, Satan, our enemy doesn't appear. Because he has been thrown into the lake of burning sulfur in the previous chapter. A marriage of the Lord Jesus and bride will be held without any intervention of Satan. Also, a first marriage of Adam and Eve was held before Stan intervened. We should know that the Lord respects a marriage. Today, we learnt we should look back our relationship with the Lord through a relationship between a husband and a wife. |