Why Marriage Is Like A Profound Mystery
Text: Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
In our Epistle Reading, St. Paul says that marriage is like a ‘profound mystery.” Yes, marriage is like a profound mystery.
Now, with that stated, what makes marriage like a profound mystery? Why is this marriage today like a profound mystery? The answer, marriage is a picture of the Gospel. Indeed, Jason and Stephanie, the marriage that you are stepping into today is a picture of the profound mystery of Christ’s love for His church.
You see, today, Jason and Stephanie, you both do not make a marriage. A marriage is not created by both of you coming together today. But rather, both of you are stepping into the estate of marriage. Today, in this church service, you are taking your places in this profound estate of marriage that the Lord created at the very beginning. And, as you take your places in this marriage as husband and wife, you are certainly ‘not’ stepping into positions where you will fight for dominance, power, and control over each other, for this is not what Christ does with His church. Indeed, the role of husband and wife are not combative or competitive. But rather, today you are taking your place in the estate of marriage - places that are sanctified for the love and service of one another. In other words, this marriage estate that you are taking your places within is not a marriage where you will strive to be the boss and have your own way. This marriage is not characterized by conflict to be supreme, for this is not how it is with Christ and His church. If there is any conflict in marriage, it should not be between the husband and wife, but it should be against your sinful nature. Yes, the conflict in marriage should not be with each other but against your selfishness of not wanting to uphold the calling to each other as husband and wife.
Let me state this as plainly and clearly as possible: Jason, as you step into the Lord’s estate of marriage, you become a husband. And husbands are called to deny their desire to assert themselves and strut around like a rooster in the henhouse. They are called to die to their selfish desires, ambitions, and dreams. They are called to lay down their lives for their wives.
Jason, Jesus today asks you to love Stephanie with the same sort of love that He has for his church. It is a love that keeps no record of wrongs. It is a love that forgives and serves and does so with joy and gladness. It is a love that is willing to sacrifice everything, even death if necessary. Yes, it is a love that is willing to die for Stephanie.
And today Jesus not only asks you, Jason, to do this as Stephanie’s husband, but He also gives Himself to you so that His love might be in you and might be your love for Stephanie. What a gift!
And Stephanie, let me attempt to say this as plainly and clearly as possible. Today, you become a wife. And within the Lord’s estate of marriage, wives are called to deny their desire to assert themselves and manipulate the desired responses out of their husbands. Wives are called to love and submit to husbands just as the Church herself delights in submitting to Christ and Christ Himself submits to the Father. Yes, it is a love that trusts and respects Jason as your husband.
Stephanie, today Jesus asks you to love Jason with the same sort of love that his church has for Him. A love that strives to please and to honor and be loyal to Him in all things. And today He not only asks you to do this but He also gives Himself to you that His love might be in you and might be your love for Jason. Again, what a gift!
We must also keep in mind that today is not some magic wand that is waved over you as you take your places in marriage. It is not as though the pastor waves a magic wand over you and the words of the fairy tale come true for you: “they both lived happily ever after.”
But it is the faith and conviction of the Church that a bride and groom in marriage belong to Christ in good times and bad. You see, as the Lord’s own, the bride and the groom continually receive Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, as they learn to walk in the rhythms of His grace and mercy through the good times and the bad. As husband and wife: confess, forgive, love, and respect – in Christ.
And there, my friends, is why marriage is like a great mystery. Indeed, marriage is like the profound mystery of Christ and His love for the church. Loving, dying, sacrificing, submitting, and respecting, not competing, fighting, dominating, and manipulating – that is the profound-ness of marriage.
Jason and Stephanie, you are stepping into the high, and holy calling of marriage as husband and wife with your eyes fixed on the hope of Christ.
What a high and holy calling, what a wonderful gift He gives to you today!
The Lord bless and keep you both as you take your places as husband and wife in this most holy estate of marriage.
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