HARRISON BUTKER: Right or Wrong?
In light of the recent Harrison Butker uproar, it seems like a good time to review the role of husband-and-wife relationships. Butker, a Super Bowl placekicker for the KC Chiefs, delivered a commencement address to the Benedictine Catholic college graduates. His speech was faith-based as you would imagine at a Catholic college. Harrison Butker is a devout Christian with a devout Christian wife, both are principled in the word of God. He endured an extreme amount of criticism for his so-called chauvinist attitude. So, let's see if he was right or wrong according to the Bible “Then the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he had removed it, and made the rib into a woman, and brought her to the man “This is it!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own bone and flesh! Her name is ‘woman’ because she was taken out of a man.” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife in such a way that the two become one person.” (Gen. 2:21-24) There is certainly no lack of equality in these verses, the woman is portrayed as equal to the man on all levels. The principle here is that a house divided cannot stand. Men and women have different and varied aptitudes, when they marry, they are to take advantage of each other’s unique abilities. In this way, femininity and masculinity combine to produce a more level individual. It looks like Butker was right on so far.
Jesus made a compelling statement for a successful home in two sentences. “If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. (Mark 3:24-25) Jesus is setting the ground rules for a contented home. To comply with His advice both husband and wife must agree on the roles they’ve been given. So, what are their roles in a happy contented marriage? Husbands and wives are asked to honor each other in love and devotion by submitting to each other. “Honor Christ by submitting to each other. Wives must submit to their husband’s leadership like they submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of his body the Church. (He gave his very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So, wives willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ. And you husbands, show your wives the same kind of love as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her. That is how husbands should treat their wives, loving them as parts of themselves. “A man must leave his father and mother when he marries so that he can be perfectly joined to his wife, and the two shall be one.” (Eph. 5: 21-31) A marriage will not work unless the husband and wife honor their roles. The principle here is that both husband and wife should treat each other as though they are of one mind and one spirit working out all disagreements. Harrison Butker is right again.
An honorable woman should never feel inferior to a man. She accepts his leadership willfully. “If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems! Her husband can trust her, and she will richly satisfy his needs. She will not hinder him but help him all her life.” Butker praised his wife for putting his family first, he used only a few paragraphs describing their relationship the rest of the time he spent addressing church issues. The criticism came from those who took exception to the terms “homemaker and housewife”. The woman in this example is called virtuous and is extremely productive. “She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plans the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her own hands. She is energetic, a hard worker, and watches for bargains. She works far into the night! She sews for the poor and generously helps those in need. She has no fear of winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says. She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is never lazy. Her children stand and bless her; so does her husband. He praises her with these words: “There are many fine women in the world, but you are the best of them all!” (Prov. 31”10-31) This fine woman was certainly not abused nor oppressed she was first a homemaker and then a productive businesswoman. Her husband and children loved her dearly because she put them first. Harrison Butker was right on all counts!
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