Jesus' submission to his Father.

John 12:44-50 says "Then Jesus cried out, 'When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.  When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.  As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.  For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.  I know that his command leads to eternal life.  So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

When we consider this passage in John as we read Ephesians 5:22-33, we would be thoughtless to think that the act of a husband would be anything but submission.  Submission to Christ.  There is no check-list applied to the passage of Ephesians 5:22-33; no suburbia bench mark of what a husband or wife is responsible for aside from strict obedience to Christ.  As Kyle so beautifully put it today, this passage in John quickly pulls the legs out from anyone's idea that the husband is to be domineering or controlling.  In fact, its the opposite - his sole responsibility is to Jesus Christ and obedience to Him just as Jesus was responsible to the Father in his life, death and resurrection so that He may present his bridegroom to himself 'as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless'.  Kyle's responsibility to me is to remain in Christ (read John 15:1-8), find what pleases the heart of Christ (Ephesians 5:8-10) and then encourage me to walk forward in obedience to Christ - whatever that may be.

In regards to the thought that the husband is to be only obedient to Christ, why then do we have a trend of women who seem to live their lives in such a way as to 'defend their honor' and their competence?  Isn't it interesting that the moment I speak to the passage demanding a humility in the husband, I've got a handful of wives surrounding me nodding their head in agreement as though they've been waiting for this moment to bring them their due honor and respect?  On the other hand, these same women who have lived their lives in such a way as to outwit, outlive, outsmart, outstand their husbands are the very women who don't get it - or so I presume.  They have missed out on the experience that God has so graciously given us...

That we may experience and begin to understand the relationship that Christ has to those he laid down his life for.  We are subject to Him and He died for us.  Why isn't that anything but beautiful and awe-inspiring?  Why is that something that we are threatened by?  Praise God for His grace and praise God that He reveals Himself to us.