This article may not be the most profound one ever written on marriage, but sometimes the simplest things are the most memorable. Jesus used simple illustrations in His teaching to present profound truths. He spoke of flowers, fish, seeds, soil, birds, and even bread to convey sublime realities. 

So also, it is hoped that the simple connections between a good marriage and a simple sandwich, such as peanut butter and jelly, will be helpful and memorable. Going forward, whenever you partake of this particular sandwich, perhaps you will remember the illustrations presented here.

Bread is foundational to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich

A sandwich is not a sandwich without some type of bread. Whether wheat or white, gluten-free or whole grain, bread of some sort is essential to the very nature of a sandwich. So also, any strong marriage must be built upon the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our identity as husband and wife is laid upon the foundation of Jesus Himself.

Peanut butter and jelly each have an individual identity

Peanut butter does not become jelly when the two ingredients are united. In this sandwich, peanut butter is still peanut butter, and jelly is still jelly. Both are derived from the fruit of a plant. Peanuts come from a variety of legumes. Jelly comes from whatever berries or fruits are selected. As a sandwich, each element still retains its own identity, its own flavor, and its own uniqueness. So also, a husband and a wife joined in holy matrimony are still individuals in the sight of God, never ceasing to be who they innately are.

Peanut butter and jelly are better together than alone

Most people will readily acknowledge that peanut butter alone would lack sweetness just as jelly alone would lack substance. It is that peculiar mixture of salty and sweet and nutty and fruity that gives the peanut butter and jelly sandwich the appeal that attracts children and adults alike. Together, the ingredients are more flavorful and enhanced than each one would be alone. Similarly, in a divinely appointed marriage, husbands and wives can become and accomplish far more together than they ever could by themselves.

Peanut butter and jelly are transformed by pressure in order to be more useful

Both peanut butter and jelly must be rendered into a new form in order to be united and spread on slices of bread and made into a sandwich. The peanuts must be ground. The berries must be crushed and cooked down to yield their sweetness. So also, a bride and groom who come to the marriage altar must each die to self in order to live unto God and one another.

When a part of the sandwich is dropped, it seems that the messy side inevitably will land face down!

It is one of those mysteries of life. Whenever we are making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and accidentally drop one side of it, that bread slice always seems to land with the sticky side downward! A scientist may attribute this to gravity pulling the heavier side toward the floor. But a simpler answer acknowledges that in a fallen world, tragedies happen. So it is in marriages: troubles will come, and there will be sticky messes to clean up. 

Once joined together, peanut butter and jelly cannot be separated

Have you ever tried to separate peanut butter from jelly once the two slices of bread are joined together as a sandwich? It is impossible to do without destroying the sandwich! The same is true in marriage—two lives are joined together to become “one flesh” in an inseparable union.