The phrase
"feeds and cares for" is very important to understand,
so that we see the beautiful comparison between Christ feeding and
caring for His church (which is His bride, and which is His body)
and a husband feeding and caring for his own body, which now
includes his wife.
The words "feeds" and "cares for" are
also translated "nourishes" and "cherishes"
in the New King James Version of the Bible.
"Feeds" or "nourishes" comes from the
Greek word ektrepho. It is found only here, and in
Ephesians 6:4. There it is used for bringing up
children. Thayer defines it: "1. "to
nourish up to maturity;' then universally "to
nourish' (as here in Ephesians 5:29).
2. "to nurture, bring up' (as in Ephesians
6:4)." It suggests the idea of a husband caring
tenderly for his wife, as a mother might care for her
child.
"Cares for" or "cherishes" is the
Greek verb thalpo. It literally means "keep
warm," and so figuratively "cherish,
comfort." Thayer writes: "Like the Latin
foveo, the meaning here is "to cherish' with
tender love, "to foster' with tender care."
The word is found only here and in 1 Thessalonians
2:7.
Thus, Paul gives the ideal relationship between a husband and
wife, and can't help but make a comparison to Christ and His
bride, which is His body, the church. We who belong to Christ
are His body, and He tenderly nourishes us up to maturity so that
we are brought up, or grow up, in Him. All of this is done
with tender love and care, as He is continually fostering us,
continually watching over our progress and continually teaching,
training, leading, guiding, praising, encouraging, and disciplining
us along every step of the Way home to the Father:
Hebrews 13:5-6: "Keep your lives
free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?'"
Revelation 19:7-8: "'Let us
rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of
the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine
linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine
linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"
What
happens to those who would NOT be fed/nourished or cared
for/cherished by Christ? What is their nourishment?
What care do they receive?
Matthew 23:37-39: [Jesus said,] "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those
sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were
not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.
For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say,
'Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the
Lord.'"
Hebrews 10:26-31: "If we
deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge
of the Truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful
expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the
enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How
much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who
has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an
unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who
has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him Who said,
'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again,
'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a
dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God."
2 Peter 2:20-22: "If they have
escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are
worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It
would have been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs
on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the
proverbs are true: 'A dog returns to its vomit,' and,
'A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the
mud.'"
