In Ephesians 5:22–33, Paul uses Christ’s affection for his bride (the church) and the church’s obedience to church (her head) as the steering metaphor for the relationship between a husband and wife. The first three verses are obligations targeted to wives as they are informed in Eph 5:22–24to surrender to their husbands as the church obeys Christ. Christ is equated as the church’s head, and wives are directed to submit to the husband because the husband is the wife’s leader, which stipulates a hierarch of authority. Christ’s leadership of the church describes the husband’s leadership. Paul highlighted the nature of Christ’s leadership of the church by indicating Christ’s sacrificial death on the church’s behalf. Therefore, as Christ’s leadership was typified by a commitment to sacrifice for the church’s benefit, the husband’s leadership should be demonstrated by altruism and sacrificial servanthood. The wife’s submission means the wife venerates her husband’s administration and abides by her husband’s standards and principles, like the family operating in unity. The submission should not be forced or harmful to the wife.
The next eight verses in Eph 5: 25–32 are obligations aimed at husbands to love their wives as Christ adored their wives like Christ adored his church. The husband is reminded that same as the church is Christ’s mystical body, so too is the wife part of the family body where the husband is the family head, and the two are one flesh, as illustrated in Eph 5:29–32. Hence husbands are told that no man rebuffs how own body or mistreats his won flesh, and therefore there is no because he should disrespect or ill-treatment his wife because she is perceived as the same as his flesh. This implies that the husband should look out for his wife’s comfort by proactively doing what is needed to thrive, just as he would do for himself. The illustration for such loving care to nourishing and pacifying is Christ with the church. Because Christ’s leadership is typified not only by power but similarly by sustenance, which is an example for husbands. The mystery of the husband and wife in one flesh is equated to the obscurity of Christ’s harmony and his church.
Eph 5:33 is a summary and a reminder to both husbands and wives to adore and respect one another. Same as Jesus directed men to love their neighbors as they adore themselves, husbands here are demanded to cherish their wives as they adore themselves, and the wife is ordered to respect her husband. This verse brings the reader back to the marriage connection. Paul echoed that a husband must adore his wife as he adores himself. This acts as a synopsis of what Paul taught to the Ephesians. It likewise becomes more personal since Paul is individualized to state ‘every’ husband, meaning that ‘each husband’ is anticipated to act in this manner.
