Matthew 10:37-39 (NIV) 37 “Anyone
who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who
loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever
does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever
finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will
find it.
Ephesians
5:21-22, 31-32 (NRSV) 21 Be subject to one another out of
reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as
you are to the Lord 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 31‘For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and
the two will become one flesh.’ 32This is a great mystery, and I am
applying it to Christ and the church.
The Scriptures give us many family values to guide us in
making decisions regarding the relationships in our households. They talk about
permanence in marriage, about open communication in marriage and of speaking
the truth in love, about the value of discipline. But, is there a core value
that could be an even stronger guide for us? Yes, there is. It is the core
value proclaimed and practiced by Jesus and applied to the family. It has to do
with putting God first. Paul applies this guide for the family when he says
be subject to one another out of
reverence for Christ. Mutual subjection is the core value. Mutual
subjection is serving one another out of respect for and obedience to Jesus
Christ. Mutual subjection is the way we do the life of Christ in our families.
The
responsibility of mutual submission was frowned on in Jesus day, and it is now.
There is an image about being submissive that we still resist. The
responsibility of mutual submission was revolutionary then, and it is now. Even
if we are willing to practice mutual submission in our family, many of us are
not sure just how to do it. It is so contradictory to the pulse of our feelings
and to the pressures of our culture. Mutual submission cannot, should not, and
will not be practiced apart from Jesus Christ. We do not understand submission
apart from Christ. We do not have the wisdom or the power to practice
subjection apart from Him. Jesus rejected the power and prestige that was so
popular in His day. He served men and gave them the humility they needed. He
served women and gave them the sense of worth that was rightfully theirs. He
served children and affirmed their value as children.
Submission
flavors all of the other values given to us as Christians. There is a
difference in nice love and submissive love. There is a difference between
being authoritative and being an authoritarian. Servant authority offers power
and authority and responsibility to others. Have you felt the power and healing
that mutual submission gives to a family? Living out this value of mutual
submission is a life long challenge, and it is accomplished by a strange
mixture of hard work and miracles of undeserved grace. The value of mutual
submission becomes real by practice, and comes as a gift.
From a
sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope October 22, 1995
© Rhonda
Hinkle Mitchell (Broyles)
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