Ephesians 5:28-30 NASB95
So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; [29] for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, [30] because we are of His flesh and of His bones.
People often quote these verses to share about the nature of marriage, and those truths are certainly there, but even more powerfully, these verses have something to say about our union with Christ. Verse 29 says that no one has ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church. Paul declares that we are the flesh of Christ. In other words, we are His body, and verse 30 clearly declares this great mystery by saying that we are of His flesh and of His bones. We are one with Jesus. We are part of who he is. I read this statement lately, “How do we care for a wounded body part? We nurse it, bandage it, protect it, give it time to heal. That body part isn’t just a close friend; it is part of us. So with Christ and believers. We are part of Him.”
I have been home recovering from pretty big surgery, and my sister and brother-in-law have been staying with me for a week helping to nurse me back to health. I don’t tell people that my sister is taking care of my heart, or my legs, or my wounds, though she has been doing all of that. I simply tell people that my sister is taking care of me, and in saying that, I’m including all the body parts that need to be cared for.
All that is to say, we are one with Christ in the most incredibly real and yet mystical way. If you were to ask me in my recovery how I am doing then my response might very well be, “I am in Christ, and He is doing quite well.” What I mean by that is that Jesus is my life and He is not emotionally traumatized, or depressed, or fearful about what is going on. I cannot separate how I am and how He is. Now, of course, I can tell you about my physical recovery and the different stages of healing and soreness, and challenges, but at the core of who I am, in my heart of hearts, “as He is in this world, so am I.” 1 John 4:17.
By the way, I’m not writing this to give you an update on how I’m doing, but to give you an update on how all of you in Christ should be doing regardless of the situation you find yourself in. When someone asks you how you are doing, the grid through which see ourselves and our situation should be “how is Jesus doing in me.” Whatever the answer to that question is, it becomes the place of faith from which you live. Of course, there is nothing wrong with answering specific questions about specific details in the situation that you’re living, but when you hear the question, “how are you doing,” you can answer from Christ. By the way, if He is your life, then every life situation in all the details belongs to Him also. It is part of His story now.
In closing, though, let me passionately declare, “Thank God for big sisters.”