HUSBAND AND WIFE
IN THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS, Chapter 5
21 Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 A husband is the head of his wife, in the same way that Christ is the head and the Savior of
the church, which is his own body. 24 Wives should always put their husbands first, as the
church puts Christ first.
25 A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.
( 26 Christ made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it
with water, 27 in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty — pure and faultless,
without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection.) 28 In the same way, a husband should love
his wife as much as he loves himself. A man who loves his wife loves himself. ( 29 None of us
ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the
church; 30 for we are members of his body.)
31 Scripture says: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his
wife, and the two will become one. 32 There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture,
which I understand as applying to Christ and the church.
COMMENTARY
In chapter 5 of the Letter to the Ephesians the author speaks about the relation between
husband and wife. According to the author, that relation includes "love" and "submission".
Both of these words need to be better understood.
It should be remembered that this chapter, and this letter, are only one part of the New
Testament. The letter can't be well understood until it's considered with the rest of the New
Testament.
It will help to put the letter in a larger context -- that is, the world of the early Christians
when the letter was written (probably sometime between 70 and 90 AD). It was common
practice in the pagan world to draw up lists of duties and responsibilities for the people in a
household. This included husband, wife, children, and slaves. It was the purpose of the lists
to provide good order in a household. It was thought that in a well-ordered household there is
one person (the husband) who is the head. Under him is the wife, then the children, then the
slaves. This reflects what may be called a "top down" or "authoritarian" structure. It was the
responsibility of the head to take care of those under him, because they were considered to be
weak and inferior. It was the duty of the others to show respect and submission to the head,
in order to help him run the household.
The earliest Christians, the first generation of believers, however, did not show any
interest in these lists of duties or in this type of authoritarian structure. They focused their
attention upon their union with the Risen Lord. In him, and by the power of his Spirit, they
felt drawn into a community of faith, in which they were brothers and sisters to one another.
For that reason the earliest Christians rejoiced in their equality with one another.1
In the course of time, the Christians of a later generation felt the need for a different order
in the community. This was the time when different offices in the church -- for example,
bishop and priest -- began to develop. This was also the time when Christians turned for
guidance to the pagan lists of household duties. The letter to the Ephesians reflects this later
point of view, and incorporates some items from the pagan lists.
Therefore, in reading the letter to the Ephesians it must be remembered that chapter 5 of
the letter reflects only one point of view. It doesn't take the place of the earlier emphasis on
equality; it stands alongside it. Both points of view are valid and need to be taken together.
