Whose Standard?

When I read the following word I smile, and wonder if Paul chuckled to himself, as he wrote them.

As the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything (Eph 5:24).

Most church leaders would say that Paul is setting a high standard for women. They must do everything that their husbands command.

When teaching on this passage, they seldom comment on how well the church obeys Jesus. The answer would be “sporadically”. Most churches do their own thing. They follow the distinctives and beliefs of their denomination. They seek Jesus guidance when things go wrong, but most the time, the leaders know what needs to be done.

So if wives were to submit to their husbands like the church submits to Jesus, they would obey him occasionally, but most of the time they would do their own thing.

The standard is much higher for husbands, as Jesus gave his life for his church, yet allows it do what it likes most of the time.