Imagine going to a wedding where the bridesmaids were given more attention than the bride. Wouldn’t it be strange to see the bridesmaids wearing beautiful white gowns while the bride was adorned in a plain dress? People wouldn’t know what to do. They would wonder “Who is getting married here? Why are the bridesmaids stealing the show?” They would be in an uproar because everyone knows the wedding is for the bride and groom. The bridesmaids are there to support the bride, not to take attention away from her.
In Ephesians 5:25, the apostle Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
This is a great illustration to meditate upon. Ephesians 5 is telling us that a husband’s love for his wife is supposed to be modeled after the supernatural, sacrificial love of Jesus Christ! In the same way that he was willing to give his life up for the church, a Christian husband should be willing to love his wife and care for her. This is a weighty responsibility for every husband. It fits into God’s greater plan to use marriage to help the church become more holy. Think about it. Can a husband do a good job leading his wife in holiness if he is not pursuing a holy life himself? He needs to be setting the course for his wife and his children so that they can all be transformed into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).
The main point of Ephesians 5:25-27 is to reveal what type of love a husband is supposed to have for his wife. A secondary point is that Christ is uniquely focused on the purity and spiritual growth of the church. He is like a groom that is waiting for his bride, the church, to be prepared for the wedding feast! Revelation 19:6-9 gives us a prophetic preview of the wedding feast where the bride will finally be presented to the groom, Jesus Christ. It says, ““Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
These true words of God reveal that Christians are to think of their lives as a time to prepare for the marriage supper of the Lamb. The wedding dress of the bride is made up of the righteous deeds of the saints. This is a helpful image. God wants believers to see their work and recreation as either preparing for the marriage feast or not. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
The will of the Lord for believers living today is to live for the marriage feast of the Lamb. It is to be invested in the local church, which is the physical representation of the bride of Christ. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The day referred to in Hebrews 10 includes the judgment of God, but it also includes a view towards the eternal state, when the bride of Christ will be united with the groom, Jesus Christ.
Personally, I find it helpful to think about life in terms of this wedding illustration. Am I thinking about the church being prepared as the bride of Christ? Or am I being lulled into complacency by only thinking about the church as a building that needs upkeep and maintenance? Do I know what role I am supposed to play as a part of the body of Christ? Am I being faithful in my role as a husband and father? Am I living in light of the wedding feast of the Lamb? Am I focused on preparing the bride for the groom? These questions will help us keep our focus on things that will last. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
May God give us the grace and the strength to be able to keep our focus on the wedding feast of the lamb so that we might live in light of eternity, not the temporary world that we currently live in.
