Calvin Synod Herald, 2014 (115. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2014-05-01 / 5-6. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD d&U&t and 'Elide *%4fafa(f /imivenMntj Pentecost brings the celebration of the marriage of Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church, when the two truly became one. In our human relationships, God gives us an understanding of our relationships to Him, and in our marriages we find insights that parallel experience. As the apostle Paul writes of the union between one man and one woman, he quotes Jesus who recalled sacred words often repeated in Jewish rites, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one." Then Paul with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit adds, "This is a great mystery, and I take it to mean Christ and the church." The wedding anniversary of the Lord and Church celebrates a day almost 2,000 years ago, in an upper room in the holy city Jerusalem. While the white gown of the bride implies chastity and an expectancy then of virginity (less and less true in modem culture), no one is without sin and lust, and therefore the Bride of Christ was no exception. So Paul writes, "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, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."-(Eph. 5:25-27) Where It All Began As romances often begin with a glance that pleases, Israel found favor in the sight of God, and the story of the Old Testament narrates how they became the Chosen People. But it tells also of the off and on behavior of this tribe and nation, sometimes chasing after other lovers and spuming the one who really loved her. The story is summed up by the prophet, "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you tome... in steadfast love and mercy. 1 will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord." (Hosea 2:19-20) It is in the New Testament that the relationship is increasingly intense, as God walked by the Sea of Galilee and began to gather the Church. Beginning with two pair of brothers He called twelve men to be the solid foundation of the Church, with the kind of faithfulness necessary for the special relationship with Jesus the Son of God, which would be required of every member in the generations to follow. Still possessing the frailties of the Israelites, these Apostles found favor with God; for having followed the Son of God all the days of His ministry, His passion and crucifixion, His resurrection and ascension, the Holy Lord sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify forever the sacred union between Christ and the Church, beginning with them. But the Church would be far bigger than any and all of them, as they were sent into the whole world to gather yet millions in their footsteps. When The Two Become One Paul insists that we take most seriously our marital relationship, both of the Church as a whole and of each one who is a part as an individual, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" (I Corinthians 7:15ff) Elsewhere he explains that while there is one Body and Christ is the Head, all of the parts - like arms, eyes, ears, mouth - make up the one Body. So each must function well for the sake of the whole (mouth must continue to eat, eye to see danger, etc.), and he warns us, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two shall become one flesh. 'But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (I Corinthians 7:15-17) When We Marry Just as by our marriages we can understand better the unity of Christ and His members, it also works the other way around. As a man and woman meet in the intimacy of deep love that binds them ever closer day by day and year by year, so grows the relationship of each Christian who strives to meet the Lord daily in prayer, adoration and service. It is not the solitary intimacy of the bedroom alone that binds a couple, but the often ordinary times spent together at the table, sharing a household task, loving all the other's relatives (because they do), or shopping for groceries, her new suit or a new car. There is no substitute for frequency and constancy in maintaining a good marriage. A husband who spends his time in interests (work or recreation) that leaves no time for his wife opens the door to separation and divorce. A woman whose romance novels satisfy her desire for intimacy opens the door to infidelity. The apostle remarks, "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does." Reflecting on these passages, and again on the words of Paul about a good marriage, where he says, "I take it to mean Christ and the church," we are cautioned to avoid lifestyles that leave no time for Jesus, where our busyness distances us from Him. Instead, we should be reminded that we need to draw closer to Him every day. Here's where the Word of God opened before our eyes and worship experiences every week or more often can deepen our closeness to the Lord.
