Ephesians 5:31-32 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Do you enjoy mysteries? How about profound mysteries? Profound mysteries involving love? Before you turn on the Hallmark channel, consider this.
When Paul addresses the subject of marriage in the fifth chapter of Ephesians, he reveals one of those profound love mysteries. He says the marriage between a man and woman reflects the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church. The church that consists of you and me and every follower of Jesus who has ever walked the earth. Paul explains how husbands are to echo Christ’s sacrificial love toward their wives. A man leaves his old home, his old way of life, his father and mother, in order to become one with his bride.
Just like Jesus did when he left his Father.
Jesus emptied himself of all the splendor of heaven in order to become human. In order to bring some of that splendor into us fallen creatures. In order to make us pure, holy and blameless. So we could be one with him.
It makes me think of my Grandpa Creech. His deep love for Grandma grew stronger and stronger over their decades of marriage. In her late 80’s, Grandma began experiencing the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, and it progressed to the point she could no longer live at home. But no way would Grandpa let his bride go to a nursing facility without him. So he sacrificed his own independence and left his house, his neighborhood and all things familiar, to be at her side. Even when Grandma’s recognition of him faded into a vacant stare, he loved her still. Grandpa crystalized the love Jesus has for his church.
And so do all husbands who love their wives with his kind of sacrificial love. God designed it that way. He wanted to give us flesh and blood glimpses into the nature of his devotion to us.
So if you are married, I pray you realize you have opportunity to reveal this profound mystery to the world. But whether you are married or not, don’t miss the picture God has given us of his deep, everlasting love. Enjoy love’s profound mystery!