The bride did everything wrong. Again and again, she brought grief to her husband. He was the perfect spouse, but she willfully offended him by her public unfaithfulness.

The marriage came to the point of breaking up. On several occasions communication between the two stopped completely. The husband refused to talk to his bride for long periods of time, hoping she would again long for his voice and his company. But each time contact was reestablished only to be quickly broken off again.

The husband longed for the intimacy he had pledged to his wife. He did not cause the rift, but he knew that as the head of the marriage he was responsible for restoring the union.

Finally, he carried out his ultimate plan of love. He assumed the role of a servant and entered his bride's home in order to restore the marriage. Because he was dressed like a servant, his bride didn't recognize him. But he humbly went about his work of restoring the marriage. He did all the things that his bride refused to do. He exhibited perfect faithfulness in matters where she had been unfaithful. And when she was tried and found guilty of her many crimes, he willingly substituted himself to the executioner.

Acknowledging roles

This is the story of a real marriage--the marriage of Christ to his bride, the church. This bridegroom-bride picture appears over and over on the pages of Scripture. It shows us how we break our own relationship with our Savior and how he renews our trust in his faithfulness. But beyond its application to all sinners, Jesus' servant role toward his church is also the motive and model for our roles as husband and wife.

The very idea of assuming a humble role rankles the secular mind. Yet God's greatest act of love asked Jesus to do just that. We are amazed to learn that Jesus did not take on this role as an obligation or duty. Rather, his love for his bride moved him to accept his role willingly. Jesus said, "I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:15, 18).

How and why Jesus brought us back to God is key to all good human relationships. There is no unity in families unless children and parents honor their distinct roles. There will be no peace in the workplace if the roles of employees and supervisors are ignored. Society devolves into anarchy when the line between rulers and citizens is obliterated. Even our antiauthoritarian society seems to have some respect for these role distinctions.

Ignoring roles