As Paul the
apostle continued to share with the “husbands” within the
church of Ephesus, he told them to “love” their “wives,
even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it”.
“Husbands” were to “love” their “wives”
as they loved their “own bodies” because “we are
members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones”. Because
of this, “a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be
joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh”. In
chapter five and verse thirty-two of his letter, Paul share how this
is “a great mystery” where we read:
This is a
great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
The
verse begins, “This is a great mystery:” Paul began with
the words, “this is a great” or “splendid, of a grand
scale, stately and excellent” “mystery” which means
“hidden thing, secret and that which is not obvious to the
understanding”. The manner in which a “husband and wife”
become as one is an “excellent secret”.
The
verse continues, “but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.” Paul added the word,
“but” which is a
disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written
takes precedence over what was previously stated, “moreover,
nevertheless and nonetheless” “I speak”
which means “say, affirm, maintain, teach, advise, exhort, command,
direct and call by name” “concerning”
or “towards, for and among” “Christ”
who is “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God” “and
the church” which refers to
“an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a
religious meeting”. “The
great mystery” concerns how
Jesus and His bride, the church, become as one.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we marvel at the “mystery”
or “secret” which is hidden between Christ and the church as it
demonstrates how the “husband and wife” become as “one
flesh”. Jesus gave everything for His “bride”, and
this made His “church” as one with Him. When the “husband”
“loves” and cares for his “wife” in the same
manner as Christ “loves the church”, he grows as “one”
with his wife. Even as Jesus demonstrates the way “husbands”
are to “love”, we too should rely upon Him to help us
fulfill the “great mystery”.
Next
time Paul repeats how a husband is to “love his wife”
and how “wives are to reverence”
their “husbands”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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