October 18. Jesus' joy in marriage.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

so that he might present the church to himself in splendor. Ephesians 5 25 to 27. The reason there is so much misery in marriage

is not that husbands and wives seek their own pleasure, but that they do not seek

it in the pleasure of their spouses.

The biblical mandate to husbands and wives is to seek your own joy in the joy of your spouse.

There is scarcely a more hedonistic passage in the Bible than the one on marriage

in Ephesians 525 to 30. Husbands are told to love their wives the way Christ loved the church.

How did he love the church?

Verse 25 says, he gave himself up for her.

But why?

Verse 26 says, that he might sanctify her and cleanse her.

But why did he want to do that? Verse 27 answers, that he might present the church to himself

in splendor. Ah, there it is. For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.

Hebrews 12, too. What joy? The joy of marriage to his bride, the church, the joy of presenting the church to himself in blood-bought splendor.

Jesus does not intend to have a dirty and unholy wife.

Therefore, he was willing to die, to sanctify and cleanse his betrothed,

so he could present to himself a wife in splendor.

He gained the desire of his heart by giving himself up in suffering for the good of his bride.

Then Paul applies this to husbands in verses 28 to 30.

In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.

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