5:30
“For we are members of His body”. Jesus feeds and cares for the church. Obviously His supreme work for the church was on the cross, but that is not the end of it. Jesus is not sitting around twiddling His thumbs until the second coming. He is working actively in His church today, as was demonstrated in the book of Acts. We need to appreciate what the church is. So often it acts as if it is there for its own benefit or there to chose its own purpose. Neither of these are true. We are the body of Christ, to enable Him to achieve His purposes.
5:31,32
Paul then quotes from Genesis 2:24 which sets out the marriage mandate, and one which was endorsed by Jesus. There is meant to be an amazing unity between man and wife, but the primary point that Paul is drawing out here is that it is meant to be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church. We were created in God’s image, male and female. Together we reflect something of the glory of God.
5:33
Paul has been talking about the deep relationship between Christ and the church, but it also has important practical relevance for us right now in our marriages. We are to love our wives as we love ourselves, and wives must respect their husbands. The picture of marriage (or partnerships, as is so often the case in the world today) in the world is often so different from God’s intended plan. We need to have a fully Biblical understanding, along with real practicality.
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