September 26, 2011

• The Wholly Family

  Through the Spirit of God, I had learned so much about Ephesians 1:18-24, being into marriage for six months.  It is amazing how this passage illuminates when one experiences the blessings of the marriage life and lives truth that Christ had written into the foundations of creation.  This is the family that Christ wants to build and He wants to start the family with wives being submissive to their husbands just as the church is submissive to Christ (verse 22) and husbands loving their wives just as He loves the church (verse 24).  As I meditate on these verses, the Holy Spirit leads me to the first family on earth with God Himself as a member.

  As I look to Jesus and His life with His parents, I realize one thing - that He supports family having Joseph and Mary as His father and mother.  God's Son could have easily came down onto the earth through a single woman, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose up again on the third day for the salvation of man.  However, He chose to incarnate through a family.  This indicates that He not only supports family, but He also supports marriage.  As we look at how Joseph and Mary responded, we see a reflection of Christ and His relationship to His church.  God tells us that Joseph is a righteous man and did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace by divorcing publicly.  He instead wanted to divorce her quietly (verse 19) [side note: In Jewish custom at the time, a betrothed couple is considered binding with each person being referred to has husband and wife (verse 19).  A betrothal could not be broken except through a divorce; this is the reason why Joseph considered divorcing Mary quietly despite the fact that they had not yet been married (verse 20)].  Joseph had a dream, where an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that the child Mary will conceive is from the Holy Spirit and that he should take her home as his wife (verse 20).  Verse 19 mentions Joseph as her husband, yet verse 20 mentions that he should take her home as his wife (the context of the Jewish culture clears up this discrepancy).  Reflecting on these verses and the situation Joseph went through, it is clear to me that God supports marriage and wanted the record to clearly reflect that He deliberately Incarnated into a family.  And despite all logical explanations going through Joseph's mind, Joseph trusted the dream given by God and married Mary.  This trust in the Lord reveals His unconditional love for His bride the church.

  Mary demonstrates what our relationship with Christ should be like.  Her submissiveness and readiness to do what God asked of her despite the possible backlash from her husband, Joseph, indicates the obedience and dedication that a true disciple should have for Christ.  When God asks us to do something, our answer should be the same answer that Mary gave to the angel, "I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said."  How often in our lives as believers do we truly say "Yes, Lord" to this extent?  How often do we let the Living God inside of us reveal Himself through us, giving birth through more spiritual children of our own?  How often do we let the Father use us a vessel, in whatever way, shape, or form for His glory and His glory alone?  Mary agreed to all of that and more.  She is an example of the vessels that we should be, the willingness and living sacrifice that we should be for Christ, and the submission of a true discipline, wholly devoted to Christ.

  This is the ideal family, at least to me, as I read and reflect from the scriptures.  In this family, husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the church and wives should be submissive to their husbands as the church is submissive to Christ.  And, just as the family reflects the glory of Christ, so must the church.  In the church family, the same dynamic should apply, that disciples are submissive to their mentors just as a wive is submissive to the husband and mentors should love their disciples in the way that Christ loves the church.  This is the mystery of the church.  Before I end this reflection, I want to emphasize that both husband and wife should be submissive to Christ following Him just as Joseph obeyed and Mary obeyed the Lord.

  This is my idea of family and my thoughts on family as I start to think about the family I want to have and maintain.  God is already speaking to both and my wife and I, guiding and directing our lives in similar ways to Jesus' earthly family.  In the end, the gospel calls us to community with family being the fundamental community.

  What is your ideal family?  If you already formed a family, please share about your family.  If you are thinking of forming one, please share what you are thinking about.  If you are single, please share about the family that you are a member of.

  Copyright 2011 by Christenstein

  • 9:30 am
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