March 13, 2016
A man had just heard a sermon on headship and a wife's submission to her husband. He determined to follow his understanding of Paul's teaching on this matter. I should make clear that this is not about me and Julie. He went to his wife in the kitchen and announced, "From now on, you need to know that I am the head of this house and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, you will serve me a sumptuous dessert. Afterward, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will set out my slippers and robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow morning, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?" She calmly looked him in the eye and said, “The funeral home.” As I said, it is not me and Julie but that would be her answer if I ever tried that.
So often our understandings of the scriptures are acted out in ways that are not in line with the overall meaning of God's word. Paul did write it, “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.” We hear that from time to time and it is often misused as an excuse to lord it over the wife. What often happens is we fail to read the verses on either side of this, “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” and after, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” That is not being waited on, it is mutual service in love.
This has been a bit of a digression from the epistle for today, but I wanted to point out how easy it is to get our eyes off the target. In our epistle for today, Paul explains his target in his life.
o edit.
|