O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
If you are asked to submit to someone, how do you picture this happening?
You probably think of obeying someone who is above you.
Someone who has more authority than you.
Maybe someone like a boss at a job
or a police officer
especially if he pulls you over while driving.
There is nothing wrong with following authority, is there?
We hope that a person is placed into a position of authority
because the community wants the person there
and the person also wants what’s best for the community.
But the idea of submitting to someone seems to have a negative meaning our modern Western world.
The concept of submitting gives the idea that a person has given up their free will and their identity to take on someone else’s will and identity.
It’s almost as if a person becomes a slave to someone else,
as a slave was to his owner during the American slave trade.
However, Paul in our Epistle lesson doesn’t seem to use the word submit
as if it’s a dirty word.
Nor does he use it in the sense that a person’s freedom is forcefully taken away.
Rather a person gets to choose to submit,
just as a person can submit and follow through the job
given by their boss, the person they choose to work for.
In Ephesians 5:21,
Paul asks the church to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
What does this submitting to each other look like?
It’s allowing each person to do their job.
It’s allowing the people lead when it’s their job to lead.
It’s allowing others to serve when it’s their time to serve.
It’s embracing everyone’s gifts and talents and roles that
each person is given.
It’s living in a community where everyone is embracing each other the best they can.
I would rather live in a community that is for you rather than against you, wouldn’t you as well?
Now Paul gives an example of submission here in verse Ephesians 5:22.
He says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands.”
This instruction can bring some heat into any conversation, couldn’t it?
Then Paul also says, “as to the Lord.”
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”
Long time Christians know they should follow and be faithful to God even when they don’t understand why.
And Paul is asking wives to treat their husbands likewise?
Is Paul trying to dig himself in a hole?
What is Paul trying to get at?
Well, then he stops talking about the role of wives
and begins to talk about the role of a husband.
He says, “For the husband is the head of the wife.”
Easy for Paul and I to say isn’t it?
But then he compares this role to Christ.
“as Christ is the head of the church.”
“For the husband is the head of the wife
even as Christ is the head of the church.”
Christ being the head of the church isn’t a role Christians generally wouldn’t argue about.
They know Jesus is head over the people. Over the church.
Yes, we are friends of God, but Jesus is still in authority.
In verse 24 Paul again paraphrases, “As the church submits to Christ,
so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”
Have you thought of marriage as an illustration to our relationship to Christ?
Something that has similarities that continues to reveal itself?
Marriage is often thought of as an example of love where two people
love each other so much that they are inseparable.
Marriage is seen as a team working together for life.
A couple to be faithful for a lifetime.
Does this always happen?
Do all couples that get married stay married for a lifetime?
… No, no they don’t.
And there are a variety of reasons why.
Lies. Cheating. Neglect.
Too many examples to mention.
But whether a marriage ends in divorce or not,
each marriage has its issues.
There was once a person who shared with his friend that he was having marriage problems.
His friend replied, “I know.”
The person said, “You know?”
The friend said, “Yeah. Because when you are married
those are the kinds of problems you have.
When you’re single you have single problems.
When you are an adult you have adult problems
and when you are a teenager you have teenage problems.
Those are the kinds of problems you have.”
Now let me ask you, what about the church,
do the people in the church have church problems?
or are we all here because we are all perfect and have life all figured out.
No! We are here because we don’t have life all figured out.
Both husbands and wives, and all people.
As you may know, many people today don’t want to get married.
They would rather be boyfriend and girlfriend for the rest of their lives.
Even if they have children of their own.
And again there are many reasons for this.
But I think a big one is the concern what if they get hurt.
What if they pledge to love each other and it doesn’t work out?
… And likewise, the same can go for being a part of the church.
What if I join the church and all of the sudden someone takes advantage of me or just make me feel like I have no value?
As one person once said, “There are things I’ve seen my Christian friends do that I know my atheist friends would never do.”
It’s hard to make a commitment to someone or some organization
if you know you they are probably going to let you down.
But as many of you might know,
taking the risk to be loved beyond your imagination
is often better than living in fear of who is going to hurt you next.
Nevertheless, whoever we are or wherever we are,
we all have things we struggle with.
We all have our mistakes, our blemishes, that make us look bad.
… But yet, God still loves us.
Verse 25, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
God created the world.
And he created Adam and Eve.
He gave them the world.
But they chose sin.
They chose to disobey.
And while God did have consequences for them,
he also said he would provide them a savior for their sin.
The great news is that God continued to have a relationship
with the people in this world.
He didn’t give up on them.
How did He accomplish this?
Jesus comes to this earth.
He comes to serve and teach the people.
He leads them to what is good.
But many don’t follow him.
Many even reject him.
As found in many of our Scripture readings,
They find reasons to believe he is a fake.
They disobey and don’t worship him.
Instead they send him to the cross to die.
But the story of Jesus and his love for us doesn’t end there.
He rises from the dead
and though his people have abandoned him in one way or another,
he goes to them to make things right.
He goes not to get revenge.
He doesn’t go to them and say, “I’ve had enough!”
Rather, he says, … “Peace to you.”
He eats with them.
And he tells them he has followed through everything his father told him too because of his unconditional love for us.
The sin that separates us from God is now paid by Jesus.
The shame and the guilt from our sin and our mistakes are covered by the blood of Jesus.
And because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross,
by offering his own perfect life to cover our imperfect life,
the sins of you and me are no more.
We now stand spotless before God the Father.
Whether sins in marriage or sin any other place in our lives.
We stand holy and blameless before the Father.
And he continues to care for us, to nourish us and cherish us,
even though he knows we’re going to fall into trouble time
and time again.
This is the love that we Christians are to submit to.
Not in fear.
Not just because God is greater and has more authority over us.
But because God is good and gracious and merciful.
We get to let him pour his love in our lives.
And we get to share this love
by following God’s will and his law for us.
Especially husbands who ought to give themselves up for their wife.
Because God loves us unconditionally and has given up his son Jesus Christ to pay the price of our sin,
let each husband love and care for their wife as Christ love the church.
Let him present her as one without blemish.
Let each wife respect and submit to their husband letting this sacrificial love fill their hearts with joy.
… And let the church submit to Christ knowing that God will love us,
his people, more than whatever we can give back in return.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
