22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
We move from the Ephesian 4 church to the Ephesian 5 marriage, complete with the “S” word, submit. Few verses of Scripture elicit as much emotion and resistance as verse 22. Paul would be canceled today and roasted on social media. That is because we have been taught all our lives about our self-worth, our happiness, our opinions, our rights. Jesus cared nothing for that when he came to earth and died on a cross for us. He was God and took on the role of Redeemer for our good. This is not about patriarchy or misogyny. It is about roles.
One of my favorite cheesy movies as a kid was “The Thing With Two Heads” about a man who had a head surgically added to his shoulder. It was absurd because only one head is needed for the body. The church needs only one head and Jesus fills that role because of his perfect nature. The marriage needs only one head and the husband fills that role. It says nothing about competence or deserving. The wife fills the role of the Proverbs 31 woman. There is nothing weak about her and there need be nothing weak in a wife who follows Jesus Christ. Likewise, the Ephesians 5 man is willing to die for his wife. He is strong. And submissive to Christ. He is a leader and a follower. Together, it works. For more information, review 4:1 from yesterday.
…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church
Cape May Court House NJ