Ephesians 5:27. that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
5:28. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
The recurring theme of the passage from Ephesians 5:21-33 is that we need to model the marriage relationship after Christ. There is a direct comparason with Jesus as the head, and the body of Christians as his body. The husband is the head, with the wife as the body. Jesus holds the position of respect and honor while the body submits to doing as the head orders. The wife is the body that responds as the husband orders. Jesus loves the body, cares for it, cleans it, and provides to keep it healthy. The husband also needs to tend to the needs of his wife to keep her cared for, cleansed and healthy.
Now for the big question. Why?
It’s simple, to show off and be proud of it. Jesus wants his church, or body of believers, to be a thing that makes him proud to present. Literally ‘present’ means to ‘stand next to’. Jesus wants his body to be stain free, wrinkle free, freshly washed, fluffed and buffed. A finely tuned instrument that is well maintained and taken care of.
Husbands, can you say that about your own wife? Why not? Guess whose fault that is. Here’s a hint, look in the mirror. Your body is busy each day being the life support system for you, the head. When was the last time you took care of your body, that means your wife. If you love yourself, start by taking care of her first. Throttle back, pull off at the next off ramp of life, and do whatever it takes to tune up, maintain and restore your wife.
It’s time to show your wife the same attention that Jesus gives to his body, the church. He wants to be proud to stand by his church. Make that the exact same goal that you have for your wife.