Christ Quote by C.S. Lewis
““The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church - read on - and give his life for her (Eph. V, 25). This headship, then, is most fully embodied not in the husband we should all wish to be but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion; whose wife receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is - in her own mere nature - least lovable. For the Church has not beauty but what the Bride-groom gives her; he does not find, but makes her, lovely. The chrism of this terrible coronation is to be seen not in the joys of any man's marriage but in its sorrows, in the sickness and sufferings of a good wife or the faults of a bad one, in his unwearying (never paraded) care or his inexhaustible forgiveness: forgiveness, not acquiescence. As Christ sees in the flawed, proud, fanatical or lukewarm Church on earth that Bride who will one day be without spot or wrinkle, and labours to produce the latter, so the husband whose headship is Christ-like (and he is allowed no other sort) never despairs. He is a King Cophetua who after twenty years still hopes that the beggar-girl will one day learn to speak the truth and wash behind her ears.””
About This Quote
The passage portrays marital headship as a Christ‑like sacrificial love, where the husband serves, forgives, and endures suffering for his wife, rather than dominating her.
In simple terms: Marital love as self‑sacrificial service.
True leadership mirrors Christ’s self‑sacrifice.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- Couples navigating marital conflict
- Spiritual counseling for marriage
- Teaching on Christian marriage
Key Concepts
Practical Applications
- Guiding marital counseling
- Sermons on Christian partnership
Questions to Reflect On
- How does a husband embody Christ‑like sacrifice without losing personal identity?
- What does true forgiveness look like in a marriage?