Brief Notes on Ephesians 5:25-33

Ephesians 5:25‑33  •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 7
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Matthew 16:13-1813When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:13‑18), Eph. 5:25-3325Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Ephesians 5:25‑33). Men may talk much about the church, but there is no understanding of it till the person of the Lord is known. Simon was only a poor ignorant fisherman, but he made a glorious unwavering confession, “Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God.” There was no pause, no hesitation; he knew it. But the knowledge came by revelation of the Father, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” There was no happier man than Simon at that moment on the face of the earth. Then indeed there ensues a further revelation, “And I also say to thee that.... upon this Rock I will build my church” — “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
But in Eph. 5 we have another thing: this blessed Person has “loved the church and given Himself for it.” The Spirit here employs the nearest and dearest of all earthly ties—the love of equals. It is not here an angel I am called to love, but a fellow-creature brought into the happiest and closest relationship with myself— “so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.” But if that is so sweet, what is it to be the object of the love of the Son of God, to be loved by Him as we know Him revealed by the Father? When we learn His person and then His love to us we may learn about the church. What can those who are discussing His person understand about it, though they talk so loudly about the church?
We are not only living stones on the Rock, but we are “builded” there. We are not loose stones to go anywhere, nor are we thrown down into the road in a heap, but we are “builded together” each having its own place to fill in the “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:55Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)), and nothing can, in His grace, move us from this allocation, nor from Himself the Builder and the Rock, and by-and-by will He present to Himself His church in all its glorious completeness, ourselves then perfected in glory (John 17:2323I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)).
Here in the Gospel it is divine affection addressing the disciples in their sorrow at their Lord and Master's approaching departure, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me; and as I said unto the Jews, whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.” How different the time when He used these same words to the Jews, “Whither I go ye cannot come”!
It is His love in verse 33 that leads to verse 34, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” It was a new commandment because never so expressed before. “As I have loved you.” Such should be the character as well as the measure of our love to each other. His love had been shown in washing their feet. We too should wash one another's feet (ver. 14). But was this then realized in the disciples? It needed the power of the indwelling Spirit, that other Comforter, or Advocate, whom He would send from the Father (15:26; Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33)) before it could be said “which thing is true (not only in Him as always, but now for the first time) in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light now shines” (1 John 2:7, 87Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. (1 John 2:7‑8)).
“Let not your heart be troubled.” There was much to trouble—the discovery of a false professor (Judas), as well as the failure of a true disciple (Peter); and above all His own absence, for He had not yet spoken a word about the Comforter. How similar to our present condition, except that we now have the Comforter! “Let not your heart be troubled.” Trouble may be all around; let it stay there. Keep it out of your heart. “Ye believe in God” though you have not seen Him—you have His presence (witness the Psalms), “believe also in Me.” Amid the trouble, He is on your side. I will be also. And the blessed Lord is more occupied with them in His absence from this scene than whilst here— “It is expedient for you that I go away.”