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DJ Tanner thinks the Bible has it right.
I love it when I read something that makes me question
whether what I assume to be true, really is truth. It’s kind of like Columbus
and his crew sailing into the horizon, kind of unsure if they would fall of the
edge of the world, but having just enough confidence in the round earth theory
that they just go for it.
I’ve been studying the book of Ephesians and read this.
“21 Honor Christ
by submitting to each other. 22 You wives must submit to
your husbands’ leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord.”
This flies in the face of everything we believe in as a
culture. Every race/gender/faith/sexual orientation… we’re all equal. To
introduce any kind of hierarchy is wrong. It would be a regression to the time
when groups of people were slaves or didn’t have rights.
It’s just wrong.
I believe in a God that loves us all equally and makes no
distinction between race, gender or anything. He doesn’t even require us to be
good people. He loves us all the same.
So when I read these verses I go – “hmmmm. What’s this all
about?” Either the Bible got it wrong, or maybe I got it wrong.
Seems to me here that submission isn’t about winning or
losing. It’s not about creating a hierarchy. It seems to be more about trusting
another to take care of us. Reading the rest of that chapter talks all about
husbands loving wives like Jesus loved us… sacrificing everything for our
benefit. And all of it is underscored by the first part calling us to submit to
one another.
When do relationships work best – when one partner wants to
call all the shots, or when we mutually try to see if from our partners’ point
of view? Every argument a couple has can be easily diffused if we simply allow
the other to win. When we try to exercise our “right”, the relationships almost
always suffers.
So maybe this whole submission thing is less about who is
the leader, and more about doing whatever it takes to make our partner feel
loved and important.
Reminds me of the words of Jesus – anyone who wants to lead
must become the servant of all. A quick read of that makes it feel
upside/backwards as well.
Then again maybe not.
Columbus never did fall off the edge of the world. He
allowed the truth to change the way he lived.
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