Ephesians 5:28-33
28 So husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.
So also ought husbands to love their wives.” Christ loved the church, so also ought husbands to love their wives. Paul says that husbands ought to love their wives. This word ought stresses a moral obligation to love their own wives as Christ loves the church. Notice that as with the exhortation to the wives to be submissive, so also here the command is unconditional. Paul gives us an example of how husbands should love their wives: just as much as they love their own bodies—just as much as they love themselves. This gives husbands a practical way to gauge the authenticity of their love for their wives: are they caring for their wives’ needs in a way comparable to how they care for themselves? “
Paul then states in the latter part of verse 28 that the one who loves his own wife loves himself—quoting Gen 2:24 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. which states that the husband and wife are one flesh. Eph 5:25-28 calls husbands to a high standard of love that mirrors Christ’s sacrificial love for the church. We are called to a Christ-like love. It is a love that seeks the spiritual well-being and growth of the wife, aiming to present her holy and blameless before God.
5:29 “For no one ever hates his own flesh
Paul becomes even more personal. He makes a categorical denial by saying “no one ever” in this context—a pretty strong term.
but he nurtures and takes tender care of it. The word means “to bring up from childhood, rear up—as a parent raises up and nurtures a child. The second word here is “to comfort, cherish, warm.” –taking tender care of it. In 1 Thess 2:7 where Paul states that he was gentle among them like a nurse or mother taking care of her own children. It’s the same idea here. “To care” or “to take tender care of” in the same way that a man cares for his own body, even with all its imperfections. True love that sacrifices for the loved one. Husbands sacrifice for their wives.
just as Christ also does the church
just as also Christ does the church. Just as it is natural for man not to hate his own flesh but to nurture and take care of it, so it is also the natural thing for Christ to nurture and take care of his body, the church. He redeemed it Eph (1:7–10 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.; Not only are we saved, redeemed by Him, but He sent His Holy Spirit, so that we are sealed in Him (1:13–14 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [p]believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Not only that Jesus has empowered the Church. Remember that the Head of the Church is Christ Himself, and because He has been raised in power, we who are His body have a claim on He who is above all. We have His power to accomplish whatever He wants us to complete in His name. Eph 1:19–23 19 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. As we get to know Christ more and more in relationship with Him, we are more filled , with God’s fullness Eph 3:19 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. And, since he has placed so many different, diverse people into one body, He has seen fit to give the body members gifts so that we can serve one another in the power of the Holy Spirit, and accomplish the work that He has given each of us to do. Eph 4:7–13 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Thereforeit says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive the captives, And He gave gifts to people.”… 11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; And, because He love the Church, He gave Himself for Her, and sanctified her by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Eph 5:25–27 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
30 because we are parts of His body
because we are members of his body. Paul mentioned that the church is Christ’s body (1:22–23; 5:23), but now saying “we”, he makes it more personal, saying that we all, together are parts of His body, the Church. The use of this term demonstrates the close-knit relationship of the members with Christ. Also, he body on Earth acts as Jesus’ hands and feet on earth, His representatives, and also the means by which He continues to accomplish the Will of the Father on Earth. So, we continue Jesus’ earthly ministry by cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He tells us the Will of the Father to accomplish the Work that He has for us to do. The verse literally says that we are out of his flesh and out of his bones”. And, this makes sense. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles, including the two that he had met on the road to Emaus, saying in Luke 24:39-40 39 See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you plainly see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. Notice that he says flesh and bone—no blood. Remember that the life is in the blood, and that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. His blood had been shed for all mankind at the cross, so that our sins could be forgiven, so we could be redeemed, saved. So, no more blood. Similarly, since the Church is redeemed and now is His Bride, we are flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone—and will have bodies like His one day—flesh and bone, but no blood needed, because we will be eternal! And, so this is the mystery that Paul is presenting—that we will be like Christ, in the same kind of Body that He has when we get to heaven. That’s why Paul can quote Genesis 2:24 saying 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
The injunction for the man is to leave his father and mother and be united to his wife. In classical times it could mean “to leave behind,” “forsake, abandon,”5 or “This means that the two must stop leaning on parents, and lean on each other—it’s absolutely necessary in a marriage. The second word means “to glue, cement,” as the welding of two metals together “joined” as people, one to another.
32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
A mystery is something that was kept secret by God, but is now being revealed. This view of Christ and the Church in resurrected bodies was not something that could be easly understood before the New Testament, and the resurrection. In 1 Cor 6 Paul explains that believers are the body of Christ (v. 15).
33 Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to love his own wife the same as himself
It is not commanded that a person is to love himself or herself in order to love another. Love of self is a natural instinct. The husband is to love his wife as himself even with all her imperfections in the same way Christ loves the church. Christ demonstrated his love for the church by giving himself for her in order to present her to himself glorious.
, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.–The wife is addressed in the singular, which, as stated earlier, may be in order to emphasize individual responsibility. It is interesting to note that while there was a repeat for the husband to love his wife, there is no repeat for the wife to submit to her husband but she should respect her husband. Wives are to submit to their husbands as the church does to Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.