Seven Truths About Jesus (Ephesians 5:22-35)

In this passage about husbands and wives, Paul mentions, almost in passing, several truths about the relationship between the church and Jesus. Yet they are all important, so we can reflect on these truths briefly as we study this passage.

The first truth is that Jesus is united to his church. This truth is stressed in this letter by the frequent use of the words ‘in Christ’ or similar expressions. When did this union begin? The answer is that it began in eternity, which is another way of saying that it had no beginning. It has always been the case as far as Jesus was concerned. His people were chosen in him before the creation of the world.

All other aspects that we will mention are connected to this basic reality of union with Christ. There are many illustrations of union with Christ found in the New Testament. Here are some examples: shepherd and sheep, vine and branches, bridegroom and bride, foundation and building, and head and body. All of them highlight that the identity of Jesus, as far as salvation is concerned, is bound up with his people.

Second, Jesus loved and loves the church. This love has existed as long as the union. The Saviour spoke of this reality when he said to the Father that he gave a people to his Son. This gift was not a surprise because the Son is omniscient. But receiving them was a pleasure for him and the possession of the gift gave him great delight. Those responses were connected to his eternal love for his people.

The love of Jesus for his church is the main type of love that exists in Jesus as far as his relationship to his creatures is concerned. Because he was a man living under the law he would have loved his neighbours when he was here on earth. He did good for all of them. In addition, he had a love of compassion for those whom he realised were in great need. That is why he wept over the city of Jerusalem as he thought of its future destruction. Those other kinds of love are very important, but we should not forget the priority of his love for his people.

Third, Jesus died for the church. In what way did Jesus die for his people? He did not die of exhaustion after having spent his life serving them. Nor did he die as a martyr, giving his life in order to further the cause. Instead, he died in the sense of giving himself to bear the penalty for sin that his people deserved to pay because of their sins. On the cross, he voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement in order to redeem his people from the terrible experience of eternal divine judgement.

It would be possible for a martyr to wish he had not been so dedicated to a cause or for a servant to regret the amount of devotion he had shown to a master or to an organisation. But it was not possible for Jesus to regret the strength of his love that led him to the cross on behalf of his people. If he had fallen short in his love for them to any degree, he would not be qualified to be the sinbearer. He also maintained his love for the Father who was punishing him for the sins of others.

Fourth, Jesus is head of the church. When Paul says that Jesus is the head, he has two ideas in mind. One idea is that Jesus is Lord of the church, he is the One who is in charge of the church and rules over it. While he always has been head of his church, there is a sense in which this position was magnified by his resurrection and ascension to heaven. The church is subject to him as its King and lawgiver. It only has the authority to insist on the items he requires to be obeyed.

The other idea is that Jesus guides the church and informs the church. In a human body, the head is the part in which information is located and from where instructions come concerning what the body should do. The head controls and gives power to each part of the body. In a far higher sense, Jesus does this. The number of people he currently guides and helps as their head runs into millions.

Fifth, Jesus sanctifies the church. How does he do this? While Paul does not say so here, Jesus uses the Holy Spirit to bring about an ongoing change in the lives of his people. He had mentioned this activity of the Spirit on the last evening he was with his disciples when he said that the Spirit would function as the Comforter, Counsellor and Helper of his people. Every Christian is sealed with the Spirit in order to bring about sanctification.

But how does the Spirit bring about this kind of sanctification? He does so by using the ‘washing of water by the word’. I suspect that what Paul means here is that preachers should teach the divine implications of baptism in the name of the Trinity. In his great commission to his disciples before he ascended to heaven, Jesus mentioned the two requirements of baptism and discipleship. A believer has two kinds of washings: there is cleansing by the blood and there is cleansing by the word. We can see how obedience to the commandments of the Bible brings about a new kind of living, as if a person had washed himself and put on new clothes.

Sixth, Jesus feeds and cares for the church. Paul is thinking of how a husband does this for his wife and then he points out that Jesus does it for all his people. We can best understand this provision by reminding ourselves that Jesus is a shepherd-husband or a pastor-husband. He ensures that his people receive sufficient and suitable food for their souls, and he also ensures that each of them receives tender care when they are harassed by the troubles of the way. The food he provides is connected to himself and the healing he provides is applied by himself through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Seventh, Jesus will present the church to himself at the end of the day, on the day when he and they sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb after the resurrection and final judgement. When that occasion comes, she will be marked by ‘splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.’ On that day, she will be glorified (splendour) and flawless inwardly and outwardly.

There will not be a trace of sin in his entire church. Unlike the old creation which moved from perfection to imperfection, the new creation will have moved from imperfection to perfection, and the move is brought about by the One who became a man out of love in order to rescue those he loved from the penalty of sin. It will be a great day when this takes place.

Paul mentions that Jesus wants to ‘present the church to himself.’ One way of understanding this is to ask, ‘What will Jesus desire most on the great day?’ The answer is that he will want his people to be with him forever. His involvement with them in time will not have diminished in any way his desire to be involved with them throughout eternity in their experiences of divine love.