Ephesians 5:22-33

*If you’re doing this with littles, skip to the bottom for the family-friendly short version*

Sermon Follow Up

Summary

In Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul shows us that marriage is more than a social arrangement—even more than “the building block of society.” Marriage is a living picture of the Gospel. In these verses Paul paints a beautiful picture of Jesus’ love for church and he makes it the paradigm for understanding marriage. Paul invites us to participate in preaching the powerful Gospel of Jesus through our practical life together as husband and wife.

Discussion/Reflection Material

-Pastor Luke said that in the first century Roman world the only thing that would really restrain a husband from misusing his patriarchal authority was a commitment to Jesus, hence Paul’s 9 verses fence around how that authority should be used. But he also said that in the 21st century, times have changed. In our society, the only thing that would cause a wife to truly submit herself to her husband is a commitment to Jesus. Do you agree with that assessment? If so, why does it resonate? If not, talk it through.

-The Bible works pretty hard to redefine leadership and authority against the backdrop of the ancient world.  Passages like Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:8-12, Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:24-27, John 13:3-17, and plenty of explicit passages to similar effect from the epistles establish that leadership and authority are not to be exercised domineeringly (1 Peter 5:1-4), harshly (Col. 3:19), or self-servingly (Phil. 2:3). How does Paul join that chorus in Ephesians 5:22-33?

-What should Ephesians 5:24, “wives submit to your husbands in everything…” look like in practice? What should it not look like?

-What should Ephesians 5:25, “husbands love your wives…as Jesus gave himself up for the church…” look like in practice? What should it not look like?

-Is there a long-time married couple you know whose marriage seems to paint as beautiful a picture of marriage as Paul crafts in this passage? Talk about how you’ve seen these things lived out well in poorly in the examples around you and in your own marriage.

-Paul says marriage ultimately refers to “Christ and the Church.” How does seeing marriage as part of God’s larger plan of new creation change the way we think about ordinary acts of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and faithfulness?

Family-Friendly Short

Big Idea: Paul teaches us that our families can reflect God’s love and salvation as we learn to love and serve one another well.

Quick Question: In the Bible, leadership often looks like washing, cleansing, nourishing, and caring for others. Is that what you usually think of when you think about a leader? Why do you think the Bible describes leadership that way?