Kingdom Living’s pole position in the husband-wife team

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

+ In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes of so many qualities and virtues and manners of living that he actually describes quite well what is a good and blessed and virtuous community of faith that we simply now call church. He lists these qualities several times and encourages all to hear the call, and to follow it and live it purely. He certainly sees this as Kingdom Living, just as Jesus would call it.

But today, he takes a leap into a very intimate relationship both in scope and in size. He talks about the relationship between two — and two in particular: husband and wife. And the scope is their relationship, and how they treat one another. But he also sees this related to the whole community and to their relationship with Christ, since he compares husband and wife living as Christ and church-living.

In an age where women truly were subordinate to men, Paul has no problem saying that. But then he turns on husbands, and tells them they should love their wives as Christ has loved the church, who “handed himself over for her to sanctify her.”

To call it a “great mystery” just a few verses later makes perfect sense. Christ handed himself over for church on the cross.

Husband handing himself over for wife. Wife subordinate to the man. Two becoming one. It is almost a hymn!

And as he speaks all of this in reference to Christ and the church, he simply concludes with —

“In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.”

Simple! Beautiful!

Jesus is talking about something completely different and completely the same. He puts it in terms of Kingdom Living, but true husband-wife living is also true Kingdom Living.

Jesus also puts it in terms of growth — a tiny mustard seed that grows into a huge tree, and a tiny amount of yeast that grows into a whole batch of dough becoming a sizable loaf.

From Paul and Jesus, respectively, gifts are being given and hopefully received. The results are truly remarkable — and a miracle, of sorts!