We are continuing our series Seven Reasons Jesus Came, and today we come to our fifth reason: To Participate in the Pain of Man. 

When we are going through something hard, one of the first things we want to do is find someone who has been through it before. Even if they cannot offer any particular solution or help, just having their understanding ear is valuable and comforting. A doctor is said to be a good physician if they have a bedside manner, a manner that communicates that they have at least some idea the level of suffering you are going through and respond in gentle understanding. Even if the treatment they prescribe for your condition may cause additional, though temporary suffering, you are more willing to go through with it because you know the doctor has your best in mind (illustration borrowed and adapted from Dr. Gerald Bray). 

This is what we have in Jesus and what is so unique about Him from every other god. Jesus is God in the flesh. God with His divine nature, immune to pain, deprivation, weakness, sickness, and fatigue, took on human nature which was subject to all of those things. Jesus experienced fatigue so powerful, He slept through a storm on boat that was so bad, experienced fisherman thought they were going to die (Matthew 8:23-27)! Jesus experienced starvation, having not eaten in forty days and then be tempted in mighty ways to sin by the devil himself (Matthew 4:2ff). He experienced physical weakness (John 19:17 shows Jesus carrying His cross, but in all the other gospel accounts, like Luke 23:26, they found someone else to carry it. This means that he started out carrying it, but couldn’t make it the whole way due to the weakness from the beating). He experienced grief (John 11:35) and distress of soul (Matthew 26:38). He experienced betrayal by His friend (John 13:21-27), and even His own family thought He was crazy, at first (Mark 3:21). 

Of course, what we remember today is the pinnacle of Jesus’ suffering: His crucifixion on the cross. He had nails driven through His hands and feet and was hung on the cross to die. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus was also bearing all the punishment for our sin on the cross! He was absorbing all of God’s righteous wrath aimed at us so that we would never have to go through that ourselves. 

Then, Jesus died. There is no pain that God has not experienced. Jesus wasn’t the only one suffering that day. The Father lost His Son in that moment, too. 

This brings up another reason why Jesus came to Earth. He came to experience what it is like to be human with all of its pain, coming at a time when it was likely the hardest to be a human being. He didn’t come in our time with air conditioning and modern medicine. He came at a time when creature comforts were vanishingly few. The Bible says Jesus can sympathize with us (Hebrews 4:14-15), but more than that, He can help us (Hebrews 4:16)! In Him we can find grace and mercy in our times of need! He truly is our Great Physician with a bedside manner forged in the fires of pain personally experienced. 

Yes, Jesus understands us. You could say that He gets us. But more than that, He transforms us as well. He does not leave us in temptation, sin, and grief, but begins moving us away from those things in our life. We won’t see the conclusion of this process until we die, but even in death, He is with us and will shepherd us through that valley to joy. He can do this because He has already walked that path for us, and now He is the way through death to life. 

So if you are going through something hard today, reach out to Jesus in prayer. Tell Him about it. Cry in front of Him if you need to. Jesus understands. And one day, Jesus will deliver you from that distress. It doesn’t happen instantly, but one day, you will be delivered comprehensively! 

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I remember once on a Saturday evening I was watching some nature show on the Discovery channel, when my dad came in from outside. He looked at me and said, “Oh, good, you’ll appreciate this. Come outside and see the real Discovery channel. I was intrigued, and I got up and followed him outside. In between two trees, glistening in the moonlight, was a spider’s web being carefully woven together. I watched as the spider was seemingly running on air building this incredible structure and was struck with wonder. I wasn’t thinking so much about how the spider was making the web, what kind of spider it was, or even my own personal feelings about spiders which, incidentally, are largely negative. My heart was simply captured by the wonder of this creature unfolding his web in front of me in such a way that I still think about that nearly twenty years later. My father was correct about this moment being the real Discovery channel, because I wasn’t just learning, I was discovering. 
Too often we approach the Bible and important theological concepts as a set of facts merely to learn, to commit to our memories instead of seeing it as a revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper, a picture of the Lord’s work and its blessing for us has so often been reduced to a set of theological precepts that don’t include beholding Christ. Now, please hear me: I’m not saying that precision in theology isn’t important. It is critical. But the reason it is critical is not because you have to pass a theological examination to get into heaven. Peter isn’t going to ask you to quote the Westminster Catechism to him. But theological precision is critical because you want to know your Lord who loves you so much as well as you can. I want to know my wife’s shoe size, or her favorite flower, or what kind of work she would do if she weren’t an artist not because I am trying to pass a test but because I want to know my wife as completely as I can. It is the same way with Jesus—we should desire to know Him for His own sake.   
We have covered what our understanding of this Supper is in previous sermons. Yes, this table is a table of blessing, whereby we commune by faith with our Lord Jesus Christ in a real, spiritual way. No, this is not the literal body and blood of Christ as if Jesus needs to have His body broken again for our salvation. Jesus did the work to save us from our sin and He did it completely—it is finished. There is no more sin among the elect to be atoned for anymore. Yet that does not mean that Jesus isn’t still working for us, ministering to us. He is continuing to nourish us, support us, pray for us, and bless us with His presence as we see signified and in a way accomplished in and through this Supper. That’s why this isn’t just a memorial as if all of the important work Jesus already did and is done with us. No, He continues to feed us after He washed us. There is no more sin to pay for, no more forgiveness to grant, but there is a deeper intimacy with Jesus to be had, and that is exactly what He gives us in this supper: Himself. 
Having said all of that, that’s not what I want to explore in detail tonight. I want us to focus on Jesus, as the point, the purpose of this Supper. We don’t commune with Jesus in order to get some other blessing. The communion with Jesus is the blessing, is the strengthening of our faith. It all comes back to Him, and we seek Him and love Him because of Who He is, not what He gives to us. 
We can think of it this way, have you ever visited your grandparents when you were a small child, and upon seeing them you say, “What did you get me?” Have you done that? Maybe you’re on the other side of that question now! If that’s the question, then what is that visit really about? Is it about seeing your grandparents, or is it about receiving the gift? When we are young, we can excuse enthusiasm for things, because children haven’t been around long enough to know what a profound gift a person is. As you get older, that gets clearer. Suddenly, when you are a teenager, or if God so chooses, a full-grown adult with grandparents, you see the value of who they are as people. Suddenly, you just want to see them. You cherish them for who they are. 
That’s where I want us to grow towards in our relationship with Jesus. So let’s talk about Jesus. Let’s use this supper that is in front of us to remind us of the Beloved. This Supper blesses us in three ways that all go back to the person and work of Jesus. This supper blesses us by reminding us of what Jesus did for us in the past, by repeating our fellowship with Jesus in the present, and by revealing to us Jesus’ return in the future. 
Reminding us of what Jesus did for us in the past
The Supper is a visual picture of the Gospel which is, quite simply, Jesus died for you. He did so in the most definitive of ways. God, as God, cannot die. Nothing is more powerful than God to force Him to stop existing, and He needs nothing to sustain His life. He is neither dependant nor subservient. But the payment of sin requires death. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins, Scripture says. So the Person of the Son, at the Father’s wish, takes on humanity. He becomes human while remaining fully God. By doing this, He takes on a nature that is weak, subject to external forces, and has needs. God can now feel pain, deprivation, and displeasure. And He does it for you, while you were yet a sinner. In the tearing of the bread we are reminded of this body that He took on was broken. When we pour the fruit of the vine, we are reminded of blood that was poured out to the very bottom. His body wasn’t scratched; it was broken. Jesus didn’t just bleed. He died. The death of the Son of God! Why, it seems almost a contradiction of terms. The innocent dying for the guilty as an ultimately good thing strikes us as scandalous! Yet that is precisely what we are saying in this supper, only we make it personal. The Innocent One died for me, the Guilty One, and that Innocent One was the very Son of God. The Holy One paid my debt, what could possibly be left to pay? My sin is dead and gone, and I am free! When I taste of this supper I am reminded of the grace and love of God that is complete. There is nothing I add to it. The Lord’s Supper isn’t a potluck where we all bring something to the table, it is a royal dinner served by the King Himself. To bring your own food is an insult to the Host Who has thought of and provided everything! 
Repeating our fellowship with Jesus in the present
But this isn’t just a reminder of what Jesus has done in the past, but it is a repetition of our fellowship with Jesus. Jesus didn’t just die, rise again, ascend into heaven, and is now just waiting in heaven for us to finally show up. Instead, He walks with us the whole way. In John 6, Jesus uses this metaphor of eating his flesh and drinking His blood. And this is offensive to the people he says this to, so I’ve wondered why Jesus did this. At first, I just assumed that this was a way of showing us who was committed to following Him, that even when He said something confusing, the truly committed would just keep on following Him. Maybe that is part of it, but I think there is more. John 6 comes right after Jesus feeding the five thousand. He leaves and the crowd searches around to find Him. They ask Him to reproduce this sign, you know, just one more time, and then they will believe. Of course Jesus realizes this and points out that it isn’t about free bread, but about Him. You don’t come to eat bread, because that is not where true life is found, you come to eat Jesus. It is only in Jesus, not in what Jesus gives you that you find Life. You don’t find Jesus by looking in peace. You look in Jesus and there is peace. You don’t find Jesus by finding forgiveness, you find forgiveness by finding Jesus. 
So what better gift can Jesus give you in the Lord’s Supper than Himself? That is what Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. When we read the word “participation” or “partaking” the word behind that translation is the word for “fellowship.” You fellowship with Jesus in this cup of blessing. Listen to FF Bruce, “The true sustenance and refreshment of our spiritual life are to be found only in him who died that we might live. In all ways in which his people feed on him by faith – not only the Holy Table, but in reading, and hearing the word of God, or in private, or united prayer and meditation, (to mention no more) – they may fulfill the conditions which he lays down here [that of eating His flesh and drinking his blood], and receive the promised blessings (160). Do you hear what he is saying? By making use of all the means which God uses to bless us do we find Christ. But it must be said that there is something special about the Lord’s Supper. 
Let’s look at the other means of grace God gives to us and see how they compare to the Lord’s Supper. The Bible promises to strengthen the believer, but it is also the means by which faith is produced in the unbeliever (Romans 10:17), so the Bible is for unbelievers, too. Prayer is the means by which we get in tune with God’s will as Christians, but it is also the means by which we cry out to God in saving faith (Acts 16:31). The Lord’s Supper, by contrast, is the only means of grace reserved for those who have already put their trust in Christ. This is something special, folks. This is dinner with the Friend of Sinners, the One who sticks closer than a brother, the Bridegroom of the Church.  
I remember the rehearsal dinner for my wedding. It was such a sweet meal of fellowship with my bride-to-be in anticipation of the day to come when we would be united forever. Though, yes, there were many people there who were deeply important to me there, I only saw my bride. It wouldn’t have been a good meal without her there, in fact, if she hadn’t been there, it would have been the saddest meal of my life. But even a dinner as special as that was looking forward to something, a marriage within which all future meals would be together. And the Lord’s Supper is no different. 
In this supper is a revealing of the return of Jesus. There is something very subtle in Luke 22:14. Jesus says that He isn’t going to eat of the fruit of the vine until it is fulfilled in The Kingdom of God. Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed to His death, was already speaking of His coming victory, even beyond rising from the grave. Christ in that moment is looking forward to the time described in Revelation 19, the marriage feast. One of my favorite things about eating out is getting appetizers. It is food that promises even more food. It’s such a great experience, especially when it is good food because that promises that the main course will be even sweeter. This is one of those cases. The Lord’s supper we have here, with all of its benefits to us remind what Christ has done, repeats to us what Christ is doing, points us to what Christ is yet to do, and it is His greatest work yet! The best is yet to be, beloved. We have even more of Christ to experience. 

There is a story of the theologian Thomas Aquinas. Thomas has an entire system of thought named after him due to the literal thousands of pages he wrote on philosophy, theology, and ethics, books which, while not right in everything, still have an impact nearly 800 years after his death. Yet, in the months before he died, it was said that he had a vision of Jesus during a church service. This master thinker and prolific writer suddenly stopped writing. When asked why, he said, “I can do no more. The end of my labors has come. Such things have been revealed to me that all that I have written seems to me as so much straw. Now I await the end of my life after that of my works.” Now I don’t know what he saw or if that story is even strictly true, but it does capture the point very well that there is more, so much more for us to see. God has given us so much in His Word, and what is true there will be true in heaven. Yes we should seek to know this book and study it like correspondence from a lover, but let it drive us to look forward to the day when we meet the Author Face to Face. Until then, let us fellowship with Him in this Supper. 


Work Cited 
Bruce, F.F. The Gospel of John and the Epistles 

We are in the midst of a series of seven reasons why Jesus came to Earth. In this post, we are looking at the fourth reason: to Premier the New Promise of God. 

What element of your church’s worship service could go missing without you realizing it? I doubt most people would forget about the sermon. I doubt even fewer would miss the absence of singing. Some might not notice the disappearance of the offering plate (but then tithing is done a lot online these days). But I’ll bet you if the Lord’s Supper didn’t make an appearance for a few months, very few would notice it. This is a phenomenon that Tim Chester poses in His book (Truth We Can Touch) about the Lord’s Supper. Yet the promise that Jesus is making here is in one way the reason that the Church exists at all. The promise made here is what Jesus sealed on the cross and was centuries in the making.  

If we look back in time to Jeremiah 31:31, we see this incredible promise from God that is made in the midst of a book of judgement. Israel has had a covenant with God since father Abraham, and yet they have broken their end of the promise: to worship only God. This is a case of spiritual adultery (v32)! Yet God, forgiving God that He is, is going to make a new covenant, a covenant that is better, one that transforms the heart of the people He makes it with. This announcement is made in the midst of more good news: Israel who has been scattered in exile would be regathered again. By way of illustration, it is like a promise to a cheating spouse that they can come home, and it will be even better than when they left. It is a beautiful promise, an amazing covenant. 

But there is something important to understand about Biblical covenants: they are sealed in blood. You wouldn’t make an ancient covenant without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:18-22), the slaughter of an animal. They would actually split the animal in two, and the parties of the covenant would walk between them. Why is this important? Well, this was a way of saying, “If I don’t hold up my end of the bargain, what may God make happened to this animal happen to me!” The Old Covenant was like that, and the New Covenant is no different.  
There is key difference between the Old and New Covenant, however. Instead of an animal providing the blood, as is the usual procedure, Jesus does something different. He is going to be the sacrifice, the provider of blood, and the supper that He announces this is going to be the means by which we remember and proclaim Jesus’ work. When we break the bread, we remember how Jesus broke His body for us. When we pour the fruit of the vine, we remember how Jesus poured out His blood completely to death. When we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we remember that Jesus is the only means of strengthening our souls in the same way that food strengthens our bodies. 

That is what we celebrate on Maundy Thursday. Jesus inaugurates the New Covenant, promised all the way back in Jeremiah, but not by means of the blood of bulls and goats, but by means of his own blood. God bled for you to have salvation, and that is yet another reason why Jesus came. Without Jesus coming with a body, the possibility of bleeding was impossible for God. But when Jesus condescended to take one humanity, this possibility was opened and used just for us. 

And there’s more! In this covenant, just like the Old Covenant with Abraham, God takes on both sides of the responsibility. Abraham didn’t walk between the animals in Genesis 15; God did. In the same way, Jesus has fulfilled both sides of the covenant by taking on the punishment for our unfaithfulness to God. We need only be united to Jesus by faith, and God will bless us with salvation and a changed heart and life! We will no longer desire to continue in our sin, but we will desire to be faithful to our covenant-keeping God. That is what this Last Supper inaugurates, and that is yet another reason why Jesus came.

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To Propitiate God’s Wrath. 
Have you ever wondered where Christians got the words “saved” from? It’s a word that we use all the time but never really define. We all just sort of understand that being saved is a good thing, but in order to really know how good it is, we should ask the question saved from what? 

There are a couple good answers to this question. One possible answer is being saved from our sins. This is a good answer, as it is true that our sin is a big problem and the main source of pain and suffering in our world. Jesus died so that we could be changed into people that sin less. By doing so, we lead the lives that are more in conformity to how God designed us to live. 

But is that all Jesus did? Did Jesus come to die merely to make our lives better? No. So maybe there is a better answer to this question. 

Maybe the best answer is that Jesus died to save us from hell! Ah, now we are starting to get into something more profound. Hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment. It is a place separated from all good forever, a place of pain, loneliness and despair that can never be relieved. Surely, this is something that we can all be quite grateful to Jesus for, deliverance from eternal pain. 

This is getting much closer to a precise question, but there is one more step, I think, that we need to take.  

R.C. Sproul once asked the question we are wrestling with on this post. He did make one profound change to it. Instead of asking, “Saved from what?” he asked, “Saved from Whom?” R.C. concludes that Jesus is actually saving us from God’s wrath. It is God who saves us from God. One can base this assertion from Jesus’ own words in Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (ESV, emphasis mine). Notice that Jesus doesn’t even point to fearing of destruction but fearing the one who can destroy. 

Now, this might have you scratching your heads. “Wait a minute,” you may be thinking, “I thought the Bible says that God loved the world so much He sent His Son. It sounds like you are saying, ‘God hated the world so much that His Son had to save us!’” 

That is a very good question. Because you are right—God does love us very much as John 3:16 rightly declares. It is also true that God sent Jesus to die for us, and that was no less an act of love for us for the Father as it was for the Son. 

What makes this love so amazing is the fact that God saves us and loves us even though we have deeply offended Him. Can you imagine what it feels like to have a child of yours commit a heinous crime? At one level, there is disgust that someone you loved and raised would do something horrible, and yet at the same time they are your child and love them deeply. In fact, it is because you love them so deeply that one feels the disgust over their heinous actions all the more. To take it even a step further, imagine that you have to look at that child and be the judge in their court case? I think this might be the feeling Jesus describes in Matthew 23:37: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” 

But unlike a human parent who can only feel the pain of a child’s sin, God does something profound with it. Instead of simply resigning all of humanity to judgement, God leaves the bench and pays the penalty Himself. He maintains His justice and His mercy all at the same time. Jesus died so that He doesn’t have to pour out His justly deserved wrath on humanity. This is what the word "propitiate" means. Jesus died and turned away God's just response to sin so that He could respond in mercy. God can't just sweep our sins under the rug—that wouldn't satisfy God's justice, His wrath against sin. But by dying, Jesus makes it possible that He would only ever have to respond in love and mercy to His elect. 

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Why did Jesus come and die? 

This is a question that if you are reading a post like this, you probably already know the answer: Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. In an ultimate sense, you would be absolutely correct, but there is more that Jesus did than that. What I would like to explore over the next few days is what other reasons are there for Christ to come, live on this earth, and die on the cross. We will certainly cover that aspect as that is culmination of His work at His first visit, but I want to show you over the next few days the absolute comprehensiveness of Jesus’ work on Earth and what that means for us. 

It should be noted that we are only addressing 7 reasons why Jesus came, but John Piper came up with 50! If you would like to read that book, you can download it from his website for free: https://www.desiringgod.org/books/fifty-reasons-why-jesus-came-to-die Jesus’ arrival here was comprehensive! 

The reasons I want to cover are: 

1. To perform every precept of God 
2. To fulfill ever prophecy of God 
3. To propitiate every punishment from God 
4. To premiere every promise of God 
5. To participate in the pain of man 
6. To present His love for us 
7. To prepare His Kingdom 

Let's begin with the first reason: 


To perform every precept of God. 
Let me ask you a question. If Jesus were to descend from heaven as a fully grown adult, immediately die on the cross, be buried for three days, resurrected, and then ascend into heaven, would that be enough for our salvation? Try to think it through for a minute with me before reading the answer. Jesus would be fully paying off the sin debt that you owe. All of your sins would be gone if Jesus were to simply come down, die, resurrect, and go back into heaven. 

So why didn’t He do it that way? 


Ready for the answer? 

You still wouldn’t qualify for heaven. Even if all of your sins were paid for, you still wouldn’t be able to enter into the heavenly gates. The reason is heaven is not for people who just haven’t sinned, it is for people who also did all the good things that they were called to do (Matt 5:48). You aren’t just told to avoid lying to your neighbor (Ex. 20:16), you are also called to speak truth to your neighbor (Zech. 8:16 and Eph. 4:25). You don’t pass the test by just not stealing things, although it is true you shouldn’t steal (Ex. 20:15). You need to also be generous to those who are in need (Eph. 4:28). 
This is one of the many reasons Jesus came to Earth to be born and live a fully human life. He was the perfect version of us at every stage of life. Jesus was the perfect toddler and adult (Luke 2:52)! He not only didn’t sin, but He also did everything right. He not only provided for us the payment for our sin debt, but also gives us all of His righteousness as well (1 Cor. 1:30; Romans 5:15-19). 

What does this mean for you and me? Well, this should be a very comforting doctrine to you. It is not up to you to read your Bible enough in order to get into heaven. Jesus has taken care of that for you. You are not going to get booted from glory because you didn’t pray for at least 3 hours a day. Christ has done all of that for you and invites you to take His record not only of no sin but also all of His righteousness. 
This is what theologians call the active and passive obedience of Christ. The passive obedience was Jesus voluntarily setting Himself down as a sacrifice for sin. The active obedience was Jesus going out every minute of every day living completely for the glory of God in every thought word and deed on your behalf. 

Now, some might think, “Well, don’t tell people that, or they won’t live the lives that they should! Don’t you believe that faith without works is dead (James 2:20) or that without holiness no one shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14)?” I can confidently say, “Yes, I absolutely believe those Bible verses, but here is why I am not worried to tell you about the active obedience of Christ. I am not worried because I trust in Jesus’ transforming work. He promises to make you a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), one that desires to do good works out of a sense of love and gratitude rather than fear. So if you are truly united to Christ, He will make you new!
If you are united to Christ, you are no longer your own, but belong to Jesus. This carries comfort and calling to you. You are securely brought to heaven by Jesus’ work alone, and this fact calls you to a different life, a life that is lived out of love to your Savior. This concept is beautifully illustrated in our song for today based off of the answer to the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism. 

I remember many years ago watching a scientist explain biology. He was making a point about how a giraffe’s lungs work while they run. When they push forward on from their back two legs, their lungs expand thanks to the change in momentum to help them breathe in, and when they land on their front two legs, their lungs compress like a piston to help them breathe out. The scientist was marveling at this and said, “It is just absolutely beautifully designed, er, evolved.” and then giggles at the implications of his mistake. That video made the rounds on the internet because it is amusing to see people dead set against a particular idea, say things that prove said idea. What we are going to be looking at today in John’s gospel is a little bit like that. 

What struck me this time, as I studied for our fourth Palm Sunday together looking at this story, with the help of D.A. Carson, is how much of the theological climaxes of the story are told by people who were totally unaware of what they were saying in the fullest sense. We will see that the theological point that Jesus is dying as our substitutionary sacrifice comes from an enemy of Jesus, namely the High Priest! We will see that Mary proclaims that Jesus is going to die and be buried in her lavish pouring out of perfume on Jesus while He yet lived. Finally, we will hear from the Pharisees themselves that Jesus is going to be bringing salvation to the entire world (not just the Jews)! What I am hoping you hear today is the gospel, but hearing it from an unlikely source: Jesus’ enemies. Our two points today from Jesus’ enemies are Jesus has taken your place in His death and He offers salvation to the world freely. 

Jesus has taken your place in His death

Way before Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem triumphantly as prophesied, there is a meeting of the religious leaders about how to destroy Jesus. What has Jesus done to deserve this kind of treatment? He raised Lazarus from the dead. Was this because the leaders hated Lazarus? No! It was because it was getting harder and harder to make the case to the people that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah. This is so concerning, that the Pharisees and Sadducees (lay teachers and priestly class, respectively according to Carson, 420), usually at odds with each other (Acts 23), are united in this purpose to destroy Jesus. 

Why was this so concerning to them? They were afraid of Rome. Let’s follow their logic: if the people think Jesus is the Messiah, all Jesus has to do is say, “Let’s overthrow Rome!” and they will! In fact, Jesus may not even have to say that! The people may just decide that this is the time to overthrow Rome, and Rome will crush us back!” They say that this will cost them their place and their nation! “Place” here likely refers to the Temple, but the way that it is phrased still has their sense of place in the temple and nation at the forefront of their minds (Carson 420-1). 

They obviously don’t believe that Jesus is the messiah, so despite the fact that He has raised the dead does very little to convince them otherwise. As Leon Morris comments, ““In the spirit these men recognize the miracles have taken place, but find in this reason for more wholehearted opposition, not for faith. In their hardness of heart they continue on their own chosen line and refused to consider the evidence before their eyes.” (565)  I remember once as a child being sick and having to take some cold medicine. I fell asleep in the middle of the day and woke up at 6 pm that night. I was convinced that it was 6 am, and there was nothing, including my own mother whom I trust with everything, to convince me otherwise! It was only when the moon was finally visible a full hour later was I finally convinced. When you don’t want to hear the truth, or think you already know it, it can be very hard to convince. This is what these men were doing with Jesus, and it should prompt us to be careful not to make assumptions. Rather, we should be constantly going back to the Scriptures to see and learn what is true instead of just assuming truth based on our own intuition. 

These leaders didn’t approach the Scriptures carefully so Ciaphas speaks forth a plan: we kill Jesus. It is interesting how He frames this in that Jesus is going to be a sacrificial murder. It is the oldest recorded trolly problem: sacrifice Jesus or the nation. Ciaphas says that it is better that one die to save the many. John goes on to record that though Ciaphas meant one thing when He said it, God meant it for quite another. Ciaphas’ move didn't accomplish what he wanted. As it turns out, taking this move doesn’t save Jerusalem, as it will get sacked about 40 years later. Carson comments: “And so [Jesus] died - but the nation perished anyway, not because of Jesus’ activity but because of the constant mad search for political solutions where there was little spiritual renewal. Justice is sacrificed to expediency.” (422) Jesus isn’t bringing a political solution, because the people don’t actually have a political problem as their deepest need. The same is true today. IF our biggest problem is a political one, then we don’t need a savior to die for us. We wouldn’t need Jesus if our problem was political. Our problem is we have rebelled against the King. And we need someone to make peace with God for us, and that is exactly what Jesus is projecting here. He is the bringer of peace! He is announcing that through Him God has extended amnesty to all who would turn to Him and receive it! 

Jesus’ death is going to be a substitute, as Caiaphas plans, but it isn’t going to be limited to Israel, as the Sanhedrin thought of it. Jesus’ substitution will protect from wrath against sin for all of His elect. Jesus died in your place! These guys were afraid of Rome, yet Jesus was defending against the just wrath of God! And Jesus proclaims that through the very guy who hates Jesus! Never think that God isn’t in control of your situation. 

So the decision being made, Jesus is informed of it and avoids Jerusalem. In doing so, Jesus is making a point though. As Carson comments, ““[Jesus] was making a theological statement: no human court could force him to the cross.” (423) Jesus is going to go to the cross when HE chooses to. He is going to make His appearance when He chooses to. Your salvation wasn’t secured  because the Sanhedrin got the drop on Jesus. He was working even in and through them the whole time. 

Jesus doesn’t just speak through His enemies. He also speaks through His friends. We will move more quickly through this section. Jesus is at a dinner with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. The sisters are in their expected places: Martha is serving and Mary is at Jesus’ feet once again. But this time, she is doing more than listening. She is showing a lovely display of devotion to her Lord. She gets out a very expensive and massive bottle of nard, an oil from a plant in India (Carson, 428). This bottle is worth a year’s wage for a common worker, so imagine a bottle of perfume worth around $30,000 in today’s money. She breaks this open and annoints Jesus’ feet. The other gospel accounts note that she annoints his head, so it is likely that she anoints His whole body, as this was nearly a pound of perfume she is pouring out here! What is this all about? Well, whether Mary realizes it or not, Jesus says that this is for His burial, a symbol of what is yet to come. In that time, you would put spices or sweet smelling perfumes on a dead body to cover up the smell. According to Carson, “She meant this to be an act of costly, humble devotion, but like Caiaphas (11:49-52) she signaled more than she knew. In the culture of the day, it was not thought inappropriate to spend lavish sums at a funeral, including the cost of the perfumes that were designed to stifle the smell of decay...But here was Mary, lavishly pouring out perfume on Jesus while he was yet alive. Small wonder Jesus sees it as a prefiguring of the anointing that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus performed (19:38-42).” (430) 

Judas isn’t happy about this. He pretends that he is concerned about the poor, but really he is just hoping to spend it on himself. As FF Bruce points out: ““Devotion cannot be measured in terms of pounds and pence, although some people think it can.” (256)

He offers peace with God to you freely. 

We move on to the day itself, the triumphal entry. Here Jesus is entering Jerusalem and the people are absolutely crazy with excitement over what they think Jesus entering Jerusalem means. Everybody starts cutting down and waving palm branches, which to us might seem strange. This doesn’t have anything to do with the Passover celebration! But at that time, the palm branch had become a national symbol. In the decades earlier, when there was an important military victory, they would wave palm branches. It became such a symbol that coins from that time period depicted the palm branch (FF Bruce, 259). They are also reciting Psalm 118 which the Israelites all expected to have a messianic meaning to them. This isn’t any old blessed one. This is THE blessed one! 

But Jesus does something unexpected. If you wanted to kick off a revolution at this point, the way to do this is to climb onto a large steed, a war horse! This will let the population know that you mean business and that you are taking the throne. Jesus had every right to that throne. But instead, He sits on a donkey, the vehicle of one who comes in peace, not revolution. Bruce comments, ““they had their own clear ideas of what the king of Israel would do; Jesus, without repudiating the title which they gave him, repudiated the military and political ideas which they associate with it by his [sitting on the donkey].” (259) Jesus is going to solve the problem they all actually have, rather than the problem they just think they have. 

But let’s check in with the Pharisees. Here they are, rather disappointed I would imagine. Here they have planned to get the people to turn Him over if they saw Him at the feast of Passover. Well, they saw Him alright and proclaimed that He is the King of Israel! What a backfire! Indeed, they throw up their hands in frustration and say, “The whole world has gone after Him!” Now, they obviously meant this in hyperbole, but John is quick to point out to us in the very next verse that some Greeks are wanting some time with Jesus. Here we see the first crop of Gentiles making a concerted effort to get to know this Savior. It is just a foretaste of what is to come. Can you imagine what the Pharisees would have thought to see that this gospel message has traveled all the way to Alabama? Oh, can you imagine what it would be like for one of them to see what it will be like in heaven! Representatives from every nation, tribe, and tongue are there praising God for the peace that He brought them through the substitutionary death of Jesus—a death that they helped facilitate! 

Of course, the disciples didn’t get all of this at the time. It was going to have to wait until after Jesus ascended into heaven for them to see the whole picture, but they did get it eventually, thanks to the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Carson, 434). Imagine what John was thinking as He was writing all of this down, reliving these experiences with the light of insight he has now. 

It will be the same for us one day, too, you know. One day, Jesus is coming back, and not on a donkey. He is coming on that warhorse to step onto the throne of the world. One day King Jesus will return and take His rightful place on the throne. And we will look back over our lives and everything that has led up to that moment and we will say, “Of course!” It is always driving in that direction. It doesn’t matter what is happening in the world out there or what is happening in your home, Jesus’ advance to the Kingship of the world is unstoppable. That is what we can always rest in when we get to Palm Sunday. Jesus’ march to the throne is constant, and even Jesus’ enemies are paving the way to make that happen. 

So in the meantime, let’s worship and enjoy Christ. We know far more about the future than Mary did. Mary poured out that perfume when she wasn’t sure what was coming. We know exactly what is coming, and it will be glorious. 

Works Cited 

Bruce, F.F. The Gospel and Epistles of John 

Carson, D.A. John, Pillar 

Morris, Leon, John, New International Commentary 

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It is said that men like things simple. Recently, our Walmart redid their floors which meant that to get to the floor underneath, they had to move certain aisles into other sections. The day that I was there, I noticed that they had created the ultimate section of efficiency. The canned goods and pasta aisle was pushed into men’s clothing. Now, men only had one place to go in the entire store! Food, clothing, and shelter–what more can you need? Most of us guys could just move in. These sorts of things are funny because we know the truth behind this, or at least we think we do. 

I don’t pretend to be an expert on the male psyche, but I don’t actually think that men are constantly seeking ease. I think this because many men when they find their life of ease, a season of life we call retirement, they wither. It turns out, I think, that men don’t so much want things simple as they want things clear and profound. We want a goal that gives a clear mission to our lives—it is life-giving to us. I’ve heard it said that men don’t die of old age, they die of retirement, and I think the reason might be that men lose sight of a grander thing they are working towards. No longer do they have a company or cause they actively work for and life feels less meaningful once the office door closes for the last time. Young men aren’t avoiding this danger either. I see young guys getting their grind going sacrificing their health, soul, and family trying to climb that golden ladder towards something that each guy coming back down says isn’t worth it. Now, in saying all of that I don’t mean to say that only men desire lives of purpose, but very few men take the time to find that purpose. We become easily satisfied as being money-making machines or climbing the ladders around us faster than our peers. We tend to think of our ultimate purpose as out there away from our families instead of right here with our families. 

A lot of heartache can be spared on both sides of this equation by listening intently to this passage, whether you are married or not. If you aren’t married yet, then consider this passage to be the standard of character you need to be. You need to be able to get outside yourself and live your life for the sake of someone else. If you end up not getting married, well, then you will still be a Christ-like man which is the goal anyway. For everyone else, this is how Christ loves you. 

To be clear guys, it is your grand goal to lead your wife, your family, to Jesus. It does not matter how much you make, how much you lift, what you can and can’t do. Did you lead your family towards Jesus and love your wife towards Jesus? And if you haven’t, what is stopping you from starting now?   

Today, we will be looking at two points, and I’ve kept them clear and simple: Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and God made marriage to glorify Himself.  

Let’s begin with Paul’s command for us husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church. I’ve heard various responses to that command in my growing up. The first one was that the husband is ready to die for his wife. Which many ladies rightly responded with “and how often does that come up?” The next one I heard was, yes, you need to be willing to die for your wife, and while you are waiting, live for your wife. It’s fine to be willing to take a bullet for your wife, now how about taking out the trash? But my favorite one came from a preacher named Paul Washer, as he pointed out that Jesus died for the Church while She was screaming “crucify him.” Guys, that’s the standard of love. It isn’t one heroic move while your wife looks at you adoringly. This is a constant, long haul commitment to ultimate service whether your wife appreciates it in the moment or not. 

The word for love here is a word that would have hit ancient ears oddly (Thielman). Greek has different words for love depending on the depth and object of that love. You had one word that meant sexual passion, you had another one for love between friends, another for love between family, and then you had one that was the ultimate love, one that wanted to provide what was truly best for the other. The last one is what is here. This is the kind of covenant love that God has for His people, and this is the love that Paul calls for husbands to exercise here. To be practical, R.C. Sproul offers this: “When Paul is saying ‘love your wives,’ he is saying, ‘Be loving toward your wife—treat her as lovely.’” (303). 

In fact, Paul gives men a standard of practical care in verses 28-29. Husbands are to love their wives as they would love their own bodies. You care for your body, or at the very least keep it very comfortable. You feed it everyday without fail, you wash it, clothe it, rest it, make sure that any wounds or pains are dealt with when possible. Here that same concept is applied to wives. The words “nourish and cherish” only show up in this passage and one other place each. “Nourish” shows up here and in Ephesians 6:4, where it is translated as “bring up.” This is taking care of basic needs. This wouldn’t have been too surprising, but the next one is far stronger than that. “Cherish” only shows up one other place in the NT, 1 Thess. 2:7. There, the word for cherish describes the approach of a breastfeeding mother to her new child. That is cherishing. Do you look at your wife like that? Yes, obviously, your wife is not your child, I get that, but does that level of cherishing describe your efforts towards your wife? 

If we were to translate this word literally, it means “keep warm.” I love that image. Do you keep your wife warm? In other words, does she feel secure? Does she feel like her emotions and thoughts matter to you? Do you know, and I mean know, what your wife needs? Have you given her reason to think that if she did tell you what she needs that you would remember and act on that? If not, don’t expect everything to be fixed in a single conversation. A pursuit of someone like that takes a lifetime and quite a bit of focus. Remember your courtship days? R.C Sproul paints a picture of the effort that a man will go to to woo his future wife to marry him. He gives her his unbroken attention, planning his life around her with the focus of an olympic athlete, but then once he has married her, he acts like he has checked a box titled “get married” and then moves on to other pursuits. How do you think she feels about that? Does that seem like she was given a false promise? (304-305). Show with your actions that she still matters to you like she did at the beginning. What if she isn’t who you dated all those years ago. Sproul has a question of husbands who say their wife has changed: Who do you think changed her (306)?  

But what happens when your marriage is hard? Where do you find the motivation for this when your wife is less than loveable? Verse 28 says that loving your wife is loving yourself, and that verse is 100% true. Pursuing your wife’s joy is your joy, not because, well, if you do this, then she will do that for you. No, pursuing your wife’s joy is your joy because that is obedience to God. Even if that doesn’t translate into ease and pleasure on this side of heaven, God has promised great rewards in heaven for good works here on Earth. Paul has said that all the suffering that we are to endure here is not even worth comparing to the glory that awaits in heaven. 

“Ok, so are you saying my job is to just keep her happy? Are you saying that I just do whatever she wants?” No, that’s not what I’m saying. Pursuing her joy is leading her towards Jesus, not just any old impulse she has. True joy isn’t found in selfish impulses being met (yours or hers), it is found in Jesus. Lead her to the true fount of joy! 

Now you might say, “Well, she is more mature than me; I can’t lead her anywhere.” Ok, that is the case for a lot of marriages, my own included, so join me in working on that, and start helping her in her relationship towards Jesus. You can even help her spiritually by doing things that have seemingly little to do with the Bible. By all means, do devotional readings at night or in the morning, but there’s a lot more. For example, it is a lot easier to listen in church when she isn’t exhausted by child care. It is a lot easier for her to be patient when she has had a break. She’ll have time to read her Bible in the morning if she isn’t the first one up all the time. And it is a lot easier for her to obey the call to submit to your leadership and respect you when you know and meet her needs and are obedient to God yourself.

Remember, Someone has already shown this level of care for you. Remember you are doing all of this after the example of Jesus. He loved His bride and gave himself up for her. Jesus died for you. You, husbands, are a part of that bride. Jesus did that for you. And look what else He is doing. He has a purpose in this love. What is that? It is so that Christ may present the Church without blemish or spot. Obviously, this isn’t saying that Jesus is trying to make the church physically attractive, but rather that He is making us morally attractive. He is cleansing us. That word “cleansing” has the idea of clearing a field or a building site to prepare it (Thielman). Jesus is clearing off all of that sin in our lives in order that He may plant something new, build something beautiful, a holy church that reflects His character. He’s working on you. How does He do this? With His word (Thielman).
 
Have you been washed by that Word? Regardless of whether you are a husband, wife, single, are you washed? Are you united, or should I say married,  to Christ? Is Jesus changing you? Because if that isn’t the case, the biggest problem in your life is not your marriage, it is your salvation. You aren’t going to be able to move an inch unless Jesus is clearing away your selfishness and pride. It isn’t easy. Each day with Jesus isn’t necessarily sweeter than the day before, but following Christ will always be worth it. 

Now, at this point, you may be wondering how Jesus making us holy corresponds to the husband’s duty to his wife. Obviously, the husband is not his wife’s savior. You can’t die for her sins, nor can you cleanse her from her sins, nor can you sanctify her. Can you create an environment so that this process of sanctification is easier? Yes, but you are not your wife’s personal Holy Spirit. You can’t change her, but you can help her. 

As we come to the end of this chapter, we find Paul making a summary statement of everything that we have covered, but with one surprising twist that we covered in the first sermon in this series.       

God made marriage to glorify Himself.

Paul gives a quote from Genesis chapter 2 when marriage was first introduced to the world. God made two people, and then immediately created marriage. God writes like a good fiction author. He introduces a concept that you wouldn’t think a whole lot about and makes it far more than you could ever think. Marriage is one of those things. 

When we see it introduced, we see a cure for loneliness. It was not good that man should be alone, so God created woman. He was given someone equally made in the image of God to love and cherish. But now we get to the New Testament, and we find out that God had a much grander vision in mind. It turns out that marriage was created so that when it is functioning as it should, it is a picture of how much God loves and cares for you. Just as husband and wife are united to one another, Jesus is united to us. In the same way, Jesus knows more about us than anyone, AND loves us. That is a beautiful picture of the gospel, so let’s portray it well. We love our wives, and wives respect (which is a better word than “fear” which some translations put it) their husbands. 

So what is our takeaway? Well, marriage is God’s idea, and men, you have a high calling. You are to act like Jesus in the way you love and serve your wife. To borrow one last time from Sproul, Jesus has an entire universe to run—He’s busy! Yet He always has time for His Bride (304). Jesus could have commanded service, but He served instead. That is what Jesus commands of you. Love your wife, lay down your own interests for the interests of your wife. Don’t let your hobbies steal away from your wife. I’m not saying you can’t go golfing or hunting once in a while, but that can’t be the dominating pattern of your life. But don’t discount the joy to be found in being faithful to this command of Christ to love your wife like He loves you. 

Finally, if you have failed in this, and I think we all have at some level, Jesus still loves you. Bring Him your bad husbanding. Bring Him your overcommitment to work. Bring Him your lack of patience. Lay it at His feet and ask Him to take those things from you. Admit to Him you’ve done those things. He already knows, anyway. Be honest, find rest for your soul knowing that Jesus has forgiven you. Then go to your wife, confess those same things to her. She already knows. Then you and Jesus walk together on the road of obedience. Yes, of course it would have been better for your family to start earlier, but you can start now. God in His grace can work in anything. Start pursuing God’s grand vision for your life. This was the pattern since the very beginning (Genesis 2!), and this is the pattern all the way to the end. 

Works Cited
Thielman, Frank Ephesians, Baker 

Sproul, R.C. The Intimate Marriage, Volume V of the Sproul Signature Series 

​​Image by Tesa Robbins

The Disney movie, The Incredibles, actually got something right about the priority of marriage. The story follows a family of super heroes that get attacked by bad guys. The kids reflect on what this means for the parents, with the oldest daughter saying, “Mom and Dad’s lives could be in danger, or worse, their marriage!” Now, this line is played for laughs, but this does capture, even if accidentally, the sort of priority we should have for our marriages. Why would I say that so strongly? What should be the motive that gives us that level of concern for our marriages? It isn’t some trite “happy wife, happy life” sort of reason, as some marriages don’t care whether or not the spouse is happy. We don’t make our marriages a priority because life is just easier when we all get along. We don’t make our marriages a priority because it is better for the kids. Yes, a good marriage is good for our children, but that motive won’t last. Children do grow up, you know. Some of those may motivate a secular marriage for a while, but a Christian marriage has much more to offer. There is no earthly reason that will be more powerful than your sinful nature to make your marriage a priority, except one--the gospel.  

The historical fact that Jesus came to Earth to redeem His bride the Church is what is pictured in every Christian marriage. Husbands are supposed to model Jesus’ care for His Church, and Wives are supposed to mirror the Church’s submission to Christ. We will flesh out what that means as we go along in this series. What I want us to begin with is what is marriage, and why you should care about that even if you are not married yet. 

I want to begin by talking to our single people, both those not yet married and those who have been married but for one reason or another, aren’t anymore. It can be very easy to assume that this series doesn’t apply to you, or will only apply to you in the future if you get married. Don’t make that mistake. This series applies to you profoundly right now. 

Even if you never get married, this series applies to you for two reasons. The first reason is that we are in this church part of a covenant. We are united together as we are united to Christ in one body. We should all care about what a flourishing marriage looks like because we are all connected. When a marriage fails in a church, it affects all of us. You as a single person need to be ready to point a struggling member of a marriage to the hope of Scripture. 

The second reason that you should care about this is that marriage is a picture of the Church’s relationship to Christ. Marriage is temporary, confined to this Earth (see Matthew 22:30), and is ultimately pointing to heaven (Revelation 19). Even if you never experience the picture of that on Earth, you will experience the reality Earthly marriage points to in heaven if you are in Christ. Christ chose to use the metaphor of marriage to picture His relationship with you, so you need to understand what that means.    

Also, like, there is a good chance that you will be married one day! You should probably know how the most significant decision of your life is going to work. I mean, if I was to tell you, “We are going to play a team-based game, pick your partners.” What’s the first question you will want to know? What game are we playing? Is it tug of war or trivial pursuit? You will likely pick a very different partner depending on the game. People will put TONS of work into preparing themselves for a career that they will likely only spend about ten years in but will spend almost no time preparing for the one thing that will most profoundly shape their lives. Don’t want until you are in my premarital counseling office to decide it is time to learn about marriage. 

As we go through this series, I want you to grasp this statement that we will flesh out over the next few weeks. Marriage is God’s design for His glory in the world and your joy in life that points to the love in heaven. 

Let’s begin with Marriage being God’s design. God’s design for marriage is three-fold. Marriage is a promise, a privilege, and a presentation. 

Promise 
We can’t talk about marriage without talking about covenants. What is a covenant? Well, the closest thing that we have to a covenant these days is a contract. Covenants were much more than that. There was a solemn ceremony that took place where an animal was split in half allowing the parties in the covenant to walk between the halves. The idea was, the participants would be saying, “If I break this covenant, may what has happened to this animal happen to me.” That’s a pretty serious promise to make! Imagine if that was the agreement on an apartment lease! You didn’t make covenants in the Bible unless you really meant it. 

Marriage is a covenant (it is called such in Malachi 2:14 [Newhiser, 7]). It is a solemn promise made between two people, right? Wrong. There are at least three people involved in this promise, and there need to be witnesses. R.C Sproul in his wonderful teaching series, The Intimate Marriage points out that covenants were not made secretly (“What is Christian Marriage?” Renewing Your Mind Broadcast). The marriage covenant especially requires witnesses, as anyone can say anything and promise the world when no one else is there to enforce it or remind him or her. But when someone makes a promise to love and cherish in sickness and in health in front of friends, family, parents, and God, that promise better be kept. God doesn’t take kindly to broken promises. 

So who is the third person involved? Look at what is said in Matthew 19:6. What God has joined together. God is the one who puts together marriages, so those who try to break them apart will need to face God one day (Newhiser, 8). In fact, one commentator went so far as to say this, “The principle of Genesis from which Jesus draws this application goes beyond opposing divorce; it opposes marital disharmony altogether” (Keener, 463). In other words, separating a couple in marriage isn’t confined to divorce, it includes arguing and putting one another down or sulking in a silent treatment. By mistreating each other you are separating what God has put together, and He doesn’t like that. You have made a promise before Him and to Him to love and cherish each other, a precious, life-giving vow, and we are willing to break it over the way the towels are folded? No a promise like that needs to be guarded, prayed for, and treated like the treasure that it is. This is one way that we all can serve each other married or not. Be praying for one another that they, with God’s help, will uphold these promises that they’ve made to each other not just by not getting a divorce, not by just not arguing over silly things, but that they would love each other and seek the best for each other in God’s way. 

That is what marriage is meant to be, a privilege. 

Privilege

There are three privileges that marriage allows for in a special way, two of which are exclusive to marriage. The first is companionship (Sproul, “What is Christian Marriage?”). When God created the world, everything that He made, He ended it by saying, “It is good.” But when He made Adam, He said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” He fixed this problem by creating marriage. Now this doesn’t mean that single people can’t find companionship. Look at the Apostle Paul who actually preferred singleness to marriage because it allowed the greatest flexibility for ministry. But it must be reckoned with that there is a level of companionship and intimacy that it is simply inappropriate to have with anyone who is not a spouse. 

This brings us to our second privilege in marriage which is sexual intimacy. We will spend a whole sermon on this topic at the end of our series, so I won’t say much about it here. Suffice it to say, marriage is the only sphere within which sexual expression is allowed. Under no other circumstances are we to use this gift except in the bonds of marriage. Engagement doesn’t count. Cohabitation doesn’t cut it. Only those who have made a public covenant before God are allowed to enter into this great privilege. And it is a great privilege for far greater reasons that you even think.  

The third privilege that marriage brings is the new creation of children. Again, since sexuality is reserved for marriage, child creation is restricted to marriage as well. A moment of sensitivity is required here. Not everyone who gets married is able to have children. I’ve had a couple friends in my seminary class who are unable to have children biologically but they went on to be parents via foster care and adoption. Not being able to have children can be enormously painful for people, and it should be mentioned that the inability to have children does not automatically mean that God is angry at you or punishing you for something you did. Sarah was barren for 25 years after God promised that she would have a son. Hannah was barren before she had Samuel, and she was by all accounts a tremendously faithful woman to God. She stands in stark contrast to her husband’s other wife who could have children but was a huge jerk about it. Not being able to have children is not anymore a sign of God’s anger than having children is a sign of God’s pleasure with you. 

The reason why I still wanted to include children under the privilege heading is because it is too easy in our society to devalue children. People want to D.I.N.K. it in life, Double Income No Kids as if having tens of thousands of dollars extra and greater flexibility to travel replaces raising the next generation. I’ve never seen such confidence in the face of ignorance. Yes, they’ve watched a couple of parents struggle with a toddler at a restaurant and concluded that children aren’t worth it. That’s not how God sees it (Psalm 127:3). Yes, raising children requires a lot of sacrifice, but God isn’t lying when He says that they are a blessing. He has created marriage to give us companionship, sexual fulfillment, and the opportunity to raise the next generation together. That is the privilege of God’s design for marriage. 

But is that all that marriage is? What happens when you get into a marriage that seems to be just a long forced march of duty? Yes, promises were made to love and cherish, but the heat has died out. The privileges at that time become objects of apathy or absence. The kids have moved out, and the romance is gone. Does that mean that the marriage has nothing redeeming left in it? I must say this is a different situation than if there is abuse. God does not require one to endure injustice at the hands of a spouse (Ash, 87). If that is happening to you, come speak to me. But if your situation isn’t like that but the marriage has just become difficult. Everything seems primed to be an issue, so what do you do at that point? 

Presentation 
Here is where the gospel comes in. We will be fleshing this out more in the next two weeks what this looks like practically when we resume our study of Ephesians. But for now, I want to say that marriage is meant to be a presentation of the gospel. That’s what we find in Epheisians 5. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church, and wives are to submit to their husbands as the Church submits to Christ. Paul goes on to say that this is the mystery of the purpose of marriage. 

The word for “hold fast” in the ESV conveys a deep connection. In the Hebrew, it refers to the joining of body parts. How connected is your arm to your brain? That’s the level of intimacy of connection Genesis 2 is talking about. The Greek translation of that word is even clearer. The word it uses is like gluing to boards together as opposed to nailing them together (313, Dictionary of New Testament Theology). The kind of holding fast together isn’t just a few areas of life overlapping. It is connection at every level, and that is the sort of connection that Christ has with His church. 

So when the marriage bond isn’t going well, think about Jesus’ connection with you. If you are a husband with a hard wife, your call is to love her, not for her sake, but for Christ’s. That presents the gospel! And wives, if you are with a passive, hard-to-respect husband, the same call comes to you. Again, not for his sake do you submit and respect, but for Jesus’ sake. Yes,  Christ is the perfect husband, and your husband is not, but submitting to Him shows the transforming effect of the gospel in a way few other things can. This shows the world something in a powerful way. 

Christopher Ash tells the story of an argument between the British Secretary of the Treasury and the Foreign Office. The argument was over how many Rolls Royces each department should have. The Treasury wanted the fleet to be few and reserved for the most elite of British society. The Foreign Office had a different strategy. They thought that if other countries could see British ambassadors being driven around in a fine, British automobile, they would be impressed with Britain because if they can make such a fancy car, they must be a great nation. Ash takes this idea and applies it to marriages. Imagine if Christians took God’s plan for marriage so seriously they lived out what we have seen commanded so far and what we will see in the coming weeks. People would stop and stare thinking, “How is one transformed like that? What do they know that I don’t?” One does not have to be a Christian to be married, but one does need to be a Christian to appreciate and participate in marriage to its fullest extent (91-92). 

So what is our takeaway? Marriage is an extremely precious design of God that is a promise, privilege, and presentation by, with, and of the grace of God. It was designed not mainly with us in mind, but with the gospel in mind. Because our marriages represent something so precious, we should be loath to split them whether through formal divorce or having a fight over silly things. A strong marriage is a great gift to the watching world, but such a thing cannot be faked, at least, not for long. Don’t come away from this message thinking that there's even more pressure to hide your marriage difficulties. On the contrary, he gospel frees you from having to pretend you are something you aren’t and offers you the power to become what you need to be. A pretend strong marriage only makes its collapse all that much harder. But a strong marriage forged by the gospel is a lasting testament for generations. It all begins and ends with the gospel, the good news that you are loved by Jesus. 


Works Cited 

Ash, Christopher, Married for God, Crossway 

Keener, Craig, Matthew, Eerdmans

Newhiser, Jim, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage, P&R Publishing 

Sproul, R.C. “What is Christian Marriage?” Renewing Your Mind Podcast February 5. 

Verbrugge, Verlyn, Dictionary of New Testament Theology

​Image by Olessya
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