"House Code" in the New Society (1)
Ephesians 5: 21-24 |
Introduction:
In
recent years, many Chinese films have won international acclaim. There is one group of
films, mostly directed by Zhang Yimou, such as To Live, Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell
my Concubine. The other group of films include Not One Less, Eat, Drink, Man and Woman,
and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In the first group we saw the oppression of women and
watching them caused us to feel sad for the Chinese women of a different era and angry
about their mistreatment. The women were oppressed and powerless. They were submissive,
and a sign of weakness. The second group depicts strong women. They are strong, they take the initiative, and
they are in control. We want to stand up and cheer for them. After hundreds of years of
oppression, they are finally liberated. In
this country, 20 or 30 years ago, the number of women students in Medicine and Engineer
are under 10%. But today, it is 40% or more. We welcome the recognition of equality
between men and women. However,
when we come to scripture passages like the one we read earlier, we become confused. How
are we to understand the instructions that wives are to submit to their husbands? How can
we turn the clock backward? Aren’t we suppose to be equal? To some, the meaning is as
clear as a glass of distilled water. But others view it as an outdated statement, having
no meaning and application to our modern day society. For those of us who believe that all
of scriptures are God inspired, we find it difficult to ignore a passage like this.
Sometimes we even feel somewhat embarrassed when we come to the reading of these verses.
So, what are we to do with it?
This
morning I want to take a slightly different approach to study with you the meaning of this
passage. I will place a little more emphasis on its cultural and textual context. And then
see what it means to us. I will attempt to bridge the gap between the first century world
and our modern day society.
I. ultural Context of wife’s submission.
In
the ancient Greek and Jewish culture, individuals were frequently grouped into: husbands
and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. How were women treated during that
first century? The information we have about women and attitudes towards them describes an
awful picture. For example, there was a saying, “women are the worst plague Zeus made”.
One Rabbi advised, “Do not talk much with a woman.” Another added, “not
even with one’s wife.” A part of Jewish men’s daily prayer, was “thank
God that I am not a woman.”
Women
were viewed as inferior and given little freedom. They received minimum education and
could not witness in the court. They couldn’t adopt children nor could they make a
contract or own property. Comparing to men, they were inferior, less intellectual, less
moral and often treated as source of sin.
In
those days, a respected woman was kept from the public. They often lived in one section of
the house. Their conversation with people outside was kept to a minimum. When married,
usually around 15 or 16, they took on their husbands’ religion. All their lives, they
were under the authority of fathers, husbands and male relatives. Half
way around the world, in China, it was the Han dynasty. Women’s roles were not much
different from the Greek and Jewish culture. All the way to the 19th and early
20th century, women in China were treated as second-class citizens. They were
treated as men’s property. They were the powerless and the oppressed.
II. Biblical context in the understanding of wife’s
submission.
In
that first century, women’s role and attitude towards them was awful. Then something
happened. With Jesus’ coming into the world, he ushered in a new era. On that cross,
he not only brought men close to God, to be reconciled to their creator, he also brought
men close to each other. There is the reconciliation with God and with each other. His
death and resurrection ushered in a new society of redeemed men and women. 1.
A new value system. In
this new society, there is now a new value system. Anyone who joins this new society will
also need to be changed to this new value. That is, human value in no longer based on one’s
gender or social status.
In
Gal 3:28, “There
is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. Here
there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or
free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
Do
we see what is happening here? In this new society, there was equality and equal dignity
between men and women, Jews and gentiles, masters and slaves. They were one in Jesus
Christ. This was not just theory, but men and women, Jews and gentiles, masters and
slaves, the powerful and the powerless actually met in the same room to worship God. This
was scandalous in that first century.
Therefore,
there was no lack of rumors about the Christians; for they were immoral and chaotic. They
were bent to disrupt or destroy the social order. They were the ones who turned the world
upside down.
Responding
to this, Paul wrote to the early churches about how to live as husbands and wives, parents
and children, masters and slaves. In Ephesians, Colossians and 1Peter there are similar
passages on this issue. They are known as the House Codes for the believers with a
two-fold purpose. One is instructions for Christians so they know how to live together in
this newly found freedom and equality. The other is for the non-Christians. In Titus 2:5,
to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their
husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” These house codes, including
wives submitting to their husbands were written so that it would not give the
non-Christians an opportunity to criticize the Christian families as being unruly and
chaotic.
With
this as our backdrop, let's take a closer look at the meaning of "wives submitting to
their husbands".
2.
Mutual submission.
In
Ephesians 5:18 Paul instructed the believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When one
is under the control of the Holy Spirit, its manifestation is observed in one’s
worship of God, fellowship with other believers and mutual submission in the Christian
community. This submission is most mind boggling in that first century. In that society,
only the powerless would submit to the powerful. For example, the citizens submitted to
the emperor, slaves to their masters and females to the male. But now, everyone is equal
and with the same dignity. Therefore they are to submit to one another.
The
word “submit” means to arrange
oneself under. Instead of being self-centered, one is to be humble and place himself under
another person. This submission is qualified by “out of reverence for Christ”.
That is as I submit to Christ, I also submit to the fellow believers. This submission is
not unlimited. No one is to submit him/herself to something that is contrary to God's
character.
Paul
then goes on to give 3 examples of such mutual submission: in husband and wife, parent and
child, and master and slave relationships. So the first example is husband and wife’s
mutual submission. 3.
Wife’s submission to her husband. In
vs 22, in the original language, the word submit is not even there. It literally says,
“you are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, to your husband….
For husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.”
Therefore
in the context of equality, dignity and mutual submission, the wives are instructed to
submit to their husbands. The wife is to let go of her self-centeredness and put herself
under her husband.
III. Modern day application of submission.
What
does this mean to us in the 21st century? 1.
The wrongful use of submission. This
is probably the most abused verse in the scripture. On the one hand we have those who
claim it as totally cultural, therefore it had no meaning for us today. On
the other side of the spectrum, there are those who feel that the husbands should always
make decisions and wives always obey. This verse is also used as justification for wives’
submission to violent and abusive husbands. In a 1989 study, it was noted that 18% of
wives in Christian homes experienced some form of abuse. And 5% experienced physical
abuse. To the abused wife, sometimes Christians, including ministers, would say, “you
need to be patient and obey your husband.” However, we want to remember that nowhere
in the Bible we are told to obey someone who hurts and puts our life in danger. 2.Husband
as the head of wife.
The
head means leadership and carries with it a sense of authority. Therefore in a family, the
husband is the head, the leader. This is certainly not foreign to the Jews, Romans and
Chinese. The man as the leader in a family is a well-recognized phenomenon in many parts
of the world. However, in ancient and modern society, the issue is not if the husband is
the head of the family, but what kind of headship he exhibits. In Zhang Yimou’s
films, men with power are described as harsh, unreasonable, selfish and tyrannical.
But
here in the Bible, in the new society, there is a new definition of this headship. The
head, the leader, is the one who is responsible for the well being of those under him. So
the husband, as the head of the family and wife, is responsible for his wife and children’s
well being. The biblical understanding of leadership is always in terms of servanthood.
The head is the servant.
How
do we look at the verse “husband is the head of wife just as Christ is the head of
the church”? How are we to compare the husband’s role to Christ’s? We are
to be clear that Christ is the lord of all, and the husband is not. Christ is the church’s
savior and the husband is not. The focus here is that just as Christ gave himself for the
well being of the church, so is the husband to give himself for his wife’s well
being.
How
about to submit in everything? Again, this word everything is to be understood in the
context of under Christ’s lordship. No one is to submit to anything that is contrary
to Christ’s teaching and character. Both husband and wife are under the lordship of
Christ. 3.Examples
of submission.
Now,
in reality how do we practice this submission?
First,
decisions are to be made by both husband and wife for unselfish reasons. Secondly, when
there is a disagreement, the husband does not necessarily have the deciding vote. One
partner may grant the other person’s choice. They may reject both options. One
partner may have to put his/her career on hold while the other person completes his/her
education. One partner may give up a satisfying job to enable the transfer to another job.
This is what mutual submission is all about. Certainly
this is the ideal situation; both husband and wife fearing God, being obedient and
submissive to his lordship. Both are growing spiritually. Out of this relationship with
Christ, they submit to one another. But
there are times when the husband may insist on a certain way. He may feel very strongly
about an issue. Or worst, he may be unreasonable. He is not willing to listen; is selfish
and only concerned with his own career plans and needs. In those difficult situations; if
it is not a matter of truth or error, the wife is to learn to submit to her husband
because of her submission and obedience to Christ. Without
this submission, the family will become a battleground between the spouses. It is a stage
for power struggle. You
see, in God's original creation, there was harmony between Adam and Eve. As a result of
sin, this harmony was broken. The husband and wife relationship became a constant power
struggle. But in the redeemed community, we are to restore this original harmony through
mutual submission. And there are times the wife may have to walk that extra mile to
restore harmony in the family life. Submission
is not a sign of weakness or inferiority. On the contrary, it is a sign of strength and
maturity. Out of my obedience to Jesus Christ, I am willing to forego my personal interest
and preference so that your needs, selfish they may be, can be met. So,
for this reason, there is the need to instruct the husbands. And for this reason, in this
passage, the major portion of instruction is directed to the husbands. Yes, they are the
leaders, but having come to know Christ, they are to redefine leadership according to
God's value system. In God's economy, headship is never meant to be a tyrant. In headship,
the leader is always understood in terms of being a servant. The leader is to be
responsible for the wife’s well being: physical, emotional and spiritual. And in
response, the wife is to submit to her husband as the church is to Christ.
Conclusion:
Stefan
Ulstein of Northwest College in Washington, in an interview with Zhang Yimou, mentioned to
Zhang about the oppression of women in his films. Zhang replied, “I am not saying the
Chinese people still act like the characters in Raise the Red Lantern, but, they still
think that way.” And may be because of this, in recent years there is a whole series
of Chinese movies that depict strong women. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, comparing
to the two female characters, Chou almost looked like a very passive person. Then we have
those capable and strong willed daughters in Eat, Drink, Man Woman. Or that tough young
substitute teacher in Not One Less. These are all strong and determined women. These
movies’ popularity seems to reflect the long history of women being undervalued in
the Chinese society, and therefore the long waited liberation.
In
such a context, we are told that submission, especially for women to men, is a sign of
weakness. When such perspectives are imposed on the scriptures, then we have a problem in
both understanding and applying God's word to our lives in this day and age. However, as we study God's word in the proper context, we will come to a very different conclusion. Biblically speaking, submission is never seen as a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it is a sign of maturity and strength. Christ was submissive even unto death. In God's world, men and women are of equal value and equal dignity. With this as the foundation, men and women in Christ are to submit to one another. We are to let go of our self interest and self-centeredness in order to meet each other’s needs. And there will be situations in a family where the wife will be asked to go one extra step, to submit to her husband. Not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. That by submitting to her husband, she is restoring the peace and harmony that was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. And above all, her submission to a husband who loves and cares, reflects a greater truth of how the church willingly submits to the Christ who loved and died for her.
Rev. William Hsueh Jun.03, 2001 Houston Chinese Church, Houston, Texas |
