In the midst of a thousand and one tasks, I have dropped in on a few scenes from the movie, Braveheart, as it has played in our living room. Within a few moments of watching one of those scenes I remembered why I could never buy that movie...when I watched the burial of William Wallace's young bride. It breaks my heart every time I see it. Other movies have the same effect on me. The
first time I watched Patch Adams, I turned it off midway through when the lead woman was killed.
These heartrending scenes remind what men are called to with the women they love (or will love--chin up, seminarians :)). We are told in Ephesians 5 that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves His Church. Men are not to be like Adam, who did not protect his wife from the serpent in the Garden, which thus led to her downfall.
The covenant of marriage is perhaps the greatest living, walking demonstration of the glory of God in a broken world suffering between the first and second coming of Christ. When men and women enter into this covenant and its stipulations (cf. Eph. 5), they are committing themselves to an imperfect living-out of the great love of Christ and His bride, the Church. When men sacrifice themselves for their wives, the world is given a blurry glimpse of our Lord. When women devote themselves to their husbands, the world is given a splintered view of a life devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that in Scripture, non-believing husbands are shown to come to Christ because of devoted, Christian wives?
When God placed Eve alongside Adam in the Garden, the responsibility and privilege was given to man of all ages to care for his female counterpart. This is a responsibility and privilege that man must embrace! All people will suffer in this sin-shadowed world. Men must do their best to shelter women from the effects of evil and will not always succeed at this task. This is inevitable. What is unacceptable, however, is when Christian men become a party to the suffering experienced by the women they love. This is a sin against God's creation mandate and covenant command to reflect Christ.
Men, grow a pair and get out there and be men! Christ suffered a cross for the sin of mankind--the least we can do is go and suffer whatever sword threatens the women in our lives!
first time I watched Patch Adams, I turned it off midway through when the lead woman was killed.These heartrending scenes remind what men are called to with the women they love (or will love--chin up, seminarians :)). We are told in Ephesians 5 that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves His Church. Men are not to be like Adam, who did not protect his wife from the serpent in the Garden, which thus led to her downfall.
The covenant of marriage is perhaps the greatest living, walking demonstration of the glory of God in a broken world suffering between the first and second coming of Christ. When men and women enter into this covenant and its stipulations (cf. Eph. 5), they are committing themselves to an imperfect living-out of the great love of Christ and His bride, the Church. When men sacrifice themselves for their wives, the world is given a blurry glimpse of our Lord. When women devote themselves to their husbands, the world is given a splintered view of a life devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that in Scripture, non-believing husbands are shown to come to Christ because of devoted, Christian wives?
When God placed Eve alongside Adam in the Garden, the responsibility and privilege was given to man of all ages to care for his female counterpart. This is a responsibility and privilege that man must embrace! All people will suffer in this sin-shadowed world. Men must do their best to shelter women from the effects of evil and will not always succeed at this task. This is inevitable. What is unacceptable, however, is when Christian men become a party to the suffering experienced by the women they love. This is a sin against God's creation mandate and covenant command to reflect Christ.
Men, grow a pair and get out there and be men! Christ suffered a cross for the sin of mankind--the least we can do is go and suffer whatever sword threatens the women in our lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment