Next month our son Amos will be marrying Lindsay; they will enter into the covenant of marriage and we will rejoice with them. I believe our Lord Jesus will also be rejoicing at this event because Amos and Lindsay have sought Him in their hopes, plans and dreams for their life together. And I know our Lord loves a wedding!
Consider this. God's Word starts out with a wedding in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. (Gen. 2) His Word ends with the wedding of the Lamb and His Bride. (Rev. 21) Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding (John 2) and He often used wedding language in His parables. All through scripture God speaks to us using this imagery. One of the reasons I believe our Lord used marriage language so often is that in its best most intimate form, our earthly marriages are to represent what it means to live in covenant relationship; our marriages are an earthly picture of His love for us as His betrothed. Because we live in a different time and culture than Jesus did, we may miss some of the beauty and imagery of His words as He spoke to those He loved. I'd like to share some of the customs of His day.
When a young man was ready to be married he and his father would meet with the woman they had chosen for him. Both fathers would negotiate a bride price, placing a certain value on the bride. Of course the more valuable the bride was considered to be and the more generous the groom wanted to be would be reflected in the price negotiated. When the price was agreed upon the prospective groom would drink from a cup of wine and offer it to his beloved. If the young woman accepted the cup and drank from it she was in effect saying, "Yes, I accept your offer; I will be your bride." At that moment the woman was referred to as one who was 'bought with a price' and though there would be an engagement period before the actual wedding feast, she was considered legally married. (Consider Mary & Joseph who were 'betrothed' when she was found to be with child and Joseph sought to quietly divorce her.) This acceptance of the offered cup was a binding covenant.
Typically what would happen next is that the young man would go back to his father's house to build on a place for him and his wife to dwell. In those days families lived in 'insulas' - connected dwellings around one common courtyard. When the young man went back to his father's house he would build on a place in which to bring his bride. We are familiar with Jesus' words to His disciples at the Last Supper when He told them He was going to be leaving them. They were troubled with that so He comforted them as a groom would comfort his betrothed and spoke these words: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places...I am going to prepare a place for you...I will come back and take you to be with Me..." (John 14) Wedding language.
In that same evening while they were eating Jesus "...took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying: Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many..." (Matt. 26) Wedding language. And when each of the disciples in turn took the cup and drank from it they were saying in a sense, just as a bride would: 'Yes, I will be married to you; I will enter into covenant with you.'
Soon after Jesus went out and paid the ultimate bride price. And we as His people are considered to be bought with a price. He has gone ahead, to His Father's house to prepare a place and we are engaged, betrothed to Him. We are in binding covenant and look forward to the wedding Feast of the Lamb and His Bride.
Yesterday at a bridal shower for Lindsay I presented her with an olivewood cup from Israel and told her these stories. I wanted to remind her how special the covenant relationship she and my son are entering into is to our Lord. He is the God of Covenant and their marriage in its best sense will be a witness of His relationship with us. The cup is a reminder of the importance and cost of that relationship. They will drink from it when they take communion together next month as they enter into covenant. And we will rejoice.
Really good stuff, Jeannie! Thanks. Perhaps I can incorporate some of this in their wedding meditation. How much would I have to pay you?!? :)
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Another example of wedding language in the Bible is "no one but the Father knows the day or the hour" (of the Lord's second coming). As I understand it, the custom was that the groom would prepare a place (adding on a wing to the father's house), and when the father said it was ready, the groom could go get his bride. The most romantic grooms would go get their brides in the middle of the night ("like a thief in the night"). The bride would know that the house was getting close to being ready, but wouldn't know when the groom's father would say, "go," and so would be waiting at any time for her groom to come get her. Goes along great with the romantic nature of our God like Beth Moore was talking about last week, don't you think?
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