Ephesians 5:22-33

Personal Observations:

v. 22-24, Paul’s instructions toward wives

v. 22, Wives have an obligation to serve their husbands as they would serve God

Wives have an obligation to serve their husbands as they would serve God

v. 23, the reason for this service is because the husband has an appointed role as “head of the wife”

v. 23, the relationship between husband and wife parallels the relationship between Christ and the Church

v. 23-24, husbands are called to emulate Christ, whereas wives emulate the Church and emulate her completely.

v. 25-30, Paul’s instructions toward husbands

v.25, Husbands have an obligation to love their wives as Christ loves the church.

v. 25, This love has a sacrificial edge to it

v. 26, on the premise of sacrificial love, Paul notes its purpose for the sanctifying (make holy) of the bride

v. 27, for the sanctifying of the bride, it is for the purpose that she might stand before God in utmost glory, completely cleansed, holy and blameless

v. 28, so because of v.25b-27, husbands need to love their wives with all the capacity they can love them. Paul says like as the wives were their bodies. If you love your wife, then you’re loving yourself (this is a build up to oneness language)

Despite the marital context, this notion of loving someone as we love ourselves isn’t new,

v.29, no one who is right in the head has ever hated their body; to some degree we all feed our bodies, we all ensure that it is kept warm, protected, etc., we all take care of our bodies out of a need for self-preservation and this care between us and our bodies models Christ’s care for the church

v. 30, the placement of this sentence seems odd, research

v. 31, Paul proceeds to take his point all the way back to the beginning, quoting

v. 32, is he calling what happened in the beginning a mystery or the relationship between the church and Christ?

v. 33, the overall conclusion is that every Christian husband is to love their wife as they love themselves

(Cut and Paste observations to points of discussion when beginning outline)

Subject: What am I talking about?

Why should husbands and wives love and serve one another?

Complement: What exactly am I saying about what I’m talking about?

Because marriage is needs to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.

The Big Idea:

The relationship between a husband and wife should reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church

Prayer Requests & Praise Reports

Intro:

So we are continuing onwards in the instructional phase of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians and much of what we have been discussing has been revolving around the preservation of unity amongst the body and Unity with God.

Can anyone give me a quick recap of what we spoke about last week?

Imitators of God (v. 1-5)

Wake Up (v. 6-14)

Understanding the Will of God (v. 15-21)

When we know God’s will, we can please Him by mirroring Him in our living, speaking and thinking.

Every facet of who we are as Christians must be conformed to the reality of who God is.

Today are continuing from that premise and we are discussing a passage that marks the beginning of a set of instructions to various members of the Christian household. Now before we go any further, it is important to establish some historical context here. The audience of Paul’s day is entirely different from 21st century American Christians.

That is to say that women are viewed differently in modern Western civilization that in ancient Judaism and the Graeco-Roman world.

For example, one writer said women were the worst plague Zeus made.

Another said, “The two best days in a woman’s life are when someone marries her and when he carries her dead body to the grave.”

One rabbi advised, “Do not talk much with a woman.” Another added, “Not even with one’s wife.”

By and large, women were viewed as inferior and were given relatively little freedom. Of course, their status varied in different places and times. Generally speaking, the farther west one went the better their lot, but even in Rome women were only in a slightly better position than their sisters in the East.

Obviously there were exceptions like in a few places such as Sparta and Egypt women were given greater freedom and responsibility. In most places, however, if they were allowed to live at birth, women were minimally educated, could not be witnesses in a court of law, could not adopt children or make a contract, could not own property or inherit, and were viewed in every inferior to a man. They were seen as less intelligent, less moral, the source of sin, and a continual temptation (see ).

Today is a continuation of that discussion, but on a little more specific level.

Respectable women were kept from public life. Typically, women lived in one part of the house and men lived in another. In many cases they did not eat meals together. In larger homes virgins spent most of their time in a section set aside for them. Conversation with people outside the house was kept to a minimum. For a woman even to do her spinning in her doorway was scandalous. Imagine how scandalous some would view the early church where both sexes met together in a house for worship and shared the Lord’s Supper!

When girls married (usually about age fifteen or sixteen), they were expected to take the religion of their husbands. They were either under their father’s, their husband’s, or some other male relative’s authority all their lives.

As Christians in the 21st we must take into account both this devaluation of women in the ancient world and the problems caused in the early church by the new freedom and valuation women found in the Christian faith.

Now all this said, is what we are reading regarding husbands and wives so historically conditioned, then, that they can be ignored?

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Vol. 3, p. 332). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

No.

There is no biblical text can be ignored. The issue is how they should be understood and applied. They point to a reality about God, humanity, and the relationship between the two that needs to be recognized and followed.

We have seen three important facts about the house codes:

(1) They were motivated by the desire to avoid slander on the church. ()

(2) They provided instructions on Christian conduct within the household.

(3) They addressed the same three groups that other Greek and Jewish writers addressed, but focused more on the responsibility of the husband, father, and master. (wives-husbands, children-parents, slaves-masters)

(1) They were motivated by the desire to avoid slander on the church. ()

(2) They provided instructions on Christian conduct within the household.

(3) They addressed the same three groups that other Greek and Jewish writers addressed, but focused more on the responsibility of the husband, father, and master. (wives-husbands, children-parents, slaves-masters)

Snodgrass, K. (1996). Ephesians (pp. 302–304). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Snodgrass, K. (1996). Ephesians (p. 301). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Subjection (v. 22-24)

Love (v. 25-30)

Mystery (v. 31-33)

Subjection (v. 22-24),

After ending his previous sentence with, “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ,” he transitions to the subjection of wives unto their husbands

This notion of subjection shouldn’t be so controversial, as Paul is not really calling wives into doing something that the rest of the body is excluded from. The only difference is that the context is much more intimate

v. 22-24, Paul’s instructions toward wives

v. 22, Wives have an obligation to serve their husbands as they would serve God

Submission does not imply inferiority, since Christ Himself is submissive to the Father

Peterman, G. W. (2014). Ephesians. In The moody bible commentary (p. 1854). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

What we are encountering here is completely backward scandalous in 1st century antiquity (ancient past)

The cultural expectation of the “good wife” was that of complete obedience.

In quoting 1st century Jewish writer Josephus,

“For saith the Scripture, “A woman is inferior to her husband in all things” [in reality, there is no such verse anywhere in the Old Testament]. Let her, therefore, be obedient to him; not so that he should abuse her, but that she may acknowledge her duty to her husband; for God hath given the authority to the husband.”

What is important to note however is that Paul is not doing away with the social structuring of submission. He is contextualizing it.

What do I mean?

He clearly maintains a role distinction between men and women in the marriage relationship and expects the man to assume a role of leadership. Yet Paul carefully qualifies the kind of leadership the husband is to provide.

v. 23, the reason for this service is because the husband has an appointed role as “head of the wife”

v. 23, the relationship between husband and wife parallels the relationship between Christ and the Church

v. 23-24, husbands are called to emulate Christ, whereas wives emulate the Church and emulate her completely.

v

The cultural expectation of the “good wife” was that of complete obedience.

In quoting 1st century Jewish writer Josephus,

“For saith the Scripture, “A woman is inferior to her husband in all things” [in reality, there is no such verse anywhere in the Old Testament]. Let her, therefore, be obedient to him; not so that he should abuse her, but that she may acknowledge her duty to her husband; for God hath given the authority to the husband.”

What is important to note however is that he is not doing away with the social structuring of submission. He is contextualizing it.

What do I mean?

He clearly maintains a role distinction between men and women in the marriage relationship and expects the man to assume a role of leadership. Yet Paul carefully qualifies the kind of leadership the husband is to provide.

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds

In a first-century context, to “submit” (hypatassō) is a word for order that was used to designate role relationships in various kinds of social structures. In contrast to the word “obey” (hypakouō), “submit” implies a voluntary yielding to one who has authority in a leadership structure. Submission is thus used in contexts where soldiers follow their commanders, members of the church yield to their leaders (see ), and all people to the governing authorities of the state (see ).

In the first occurrence, Paul takes the dramatic step of enjoining a mutual submission. This flows out of the teaching of Jesus, who calls his disciples to serve one another and resist the temptation to “lord it over” each other (). Elsewhere, Paul encourages believers to defer to the needs and interests of others by considering fellow believers even more highly than they consider themselves (). This involves subduing pride and self-oriented pursuits.

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Vol. 3, pp. 332–333). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Point 2 (v. -)

Love (v. 25-30)

v. 25-30, Paul’s instructions toward husbands

v.25, Husbands have an obligation to love their wives as Christ loves the church.

husbands are not commanded to lead but to love. This love has two bases: Christ’s example (vv. 25b–27), and the one-flesh relationship (vv. 28–30).

Peterman, G. W. (2014). Ephesians. In The moody bible commentary (p. 1854). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

v. 25, This love is defined by its sacrificial nature

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The kind of leadership the husband should exert is not defined by the prevailing cultural trends, but by the example of Christ himself. Above all the husband’s leadership is governed by a self-sacrificial love. This admonition to the men flew in the face of many heavy-handed and demeaning attitudes of men toward their wives in antiquity—both in Judaism and in Greco-Roman culture

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Vol. 3, p. 333). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v. 26, on the premise of sacrificial love, Paul notes its purpose for the sanctifying (make holy) of the bride

Paul is alluding here to the image of a marital covenant that Yahweh entered with Jerusalem. The Lord told his people, “ ‘I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you’, declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘and you became mine. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you … you became very beautiful and rose to be a queen’ ” (Read ). The church is not cleansed by literal water (although there may be an allusion to baptism here); rather, the effective factor for salvation is the Word of God, the gospel, rooted in the blood of Christ that cleanses believers from all sin.

Paul is alluding here to the image of a marital covenant that Yahweh entered with Jerusalem. The Lord told his people, “ ‘I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you’, declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘and you became mine. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you … you became very beautiful and rose to be a queen’ ” (). The church is not cleansed by literal water (although there may be an allusion to baptism here); rather, the effective factor for salvation is the Word of God, the gospel, rooted in the blood of Christ that cleanses believers from all sin.

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Vol. 3, pp. 333–334). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v. 27, for the sanctifying of the bride, it is for the purpose that she might stand before God in utmost glory, completely cleansed, holy and blameless

Christ’s love is beyond comprehension (3:19); as he seeks the good of the Church (vv. 25b–27), so husbands must love by joyfully pursuing the best for their wives, even if it entails sacrifice. Christ died to set the Church apart (sanctify, v. 26a) as His own. This sanctification is positional, not progressive (cf. ), and happened by means of cleansing—that is, forgiving sin. The gospel message (word) does this spiritual cleansing. Christ’s goal is a Church that is morally and spiritually beautiful (in all her glory, lit., glorious) at His second coming (cf. ).

v. 28, so because of v.25b-27, husbands need to love their wives with all the capacity they can love them. Paul says like as the wives were their bodies. If you love your wife, then you’re loving yourself (this is a build up to oneness language)

Despite the marital context, this notion of loving someone as we love ourselves isn’t new,

v.29, no one who is right in the head has ever hated their body; to some degree we all feed our bodies, we all ensure that it is kept warm, protected, etc., we all take care of our bodies out of a need for self-preservation and this care between us and our bodies models Christ’s care for the church

Point 3 (v. -)

Mystery (v. 31-33)

v. 31, Paul proceeds to take his point all the way back to the beginning, quoting

, cited in v. 31, both undergirds 5:28–30 and also reveals a profound mystery (great, v. 32). As mentioned at 1:10, mystery refers to some aspect of God’s plan that was previously hidden but which now, in the gospel, has been made known. While some OT passages mentioned God as husband to His people (e.g., ; Hs 1–3; ), v. 32 makes clear that the mystery is the unexpected union between Christ and His Church—being His body—which is pictured in a Christian marriage.

Peterman, G. W. (2014). Ephesians. In The moody bible commentary (p. 1854). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

v. 32, Paul is not referring to marriage as a deep mystery. The mystery he speaks of here is the intimate relationship of Christ to the church. This is consistent with his usage of this term throughout the letter (1:9; 3:3, 4, 9; 6:19), where it always speaks of something concealed that God has now revealed in Christ.

Arnold, C. E. (2002). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Romans to Philemon. (Vol. 3, p. 334). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

v. 33, the overall conclusion is that every Christian husband is to love their wife as they love themselves

What’s the Point?

The Big Idea:

The relationship between a husband and wife needs reflect the unity between Christ and the Church.

Why?

We have seen three important facts about the house codes:

(1) They were motivated by the desire to avoid slander on the church. ()

(2) They provided instructions on Christian conduct within the household.

(3) They addressed the same three groups that other Greek and Jewish writers addressed, but focused more on the responsibility of the husband, father, and master. (wives-husbands, children-parents, slaves-masters)

Because every facet of Christianity is defined by unity; unity to God and unity with one another.

The beauty of a good marriage, one that perseveres towards unity, is that it allows outsiders, to some degree, to see their relationship with Christ. For those on the inside, they are utterly transformed by the sanctifying work of unity.

Marriage is a precious covenant that stands as a lighthouse to God’s love you.

As Eve is taken from Adam’s side in the midst of deep sleep, so too is the Church taken from the pierced side of Christ in the midst of deep sleep.