Picture of the Real Thing

My youngest son Joe was married on Saturday. It was such a happy day, filled with love, hope, and laughter. My new daughter-in-law Liz glowed, looking like a model from the cover of Bride Magazine. Joe stood handsome and confident in his white tux. The happiness in both their hearts was obvious as they turned to face the audience and were announced as husband and wife. They make a beautiful couple. I couldn’t have felt prouder.

Weddings are used in Scripture to picture the church’s relationship to Jesus Christ. To know how very appropriate this is, it is helpful to look at first century Jewish wedding tradition. Everything began when the prospective bridegroom came to the home of the bride to request her hand in marriage. If all went as planned, a gift was presented to the father, then he and the groom made a legally binding betrothal agreement. The bridegroom then returned home to his father’s house to make preparations for the day he would bring his bride home to begin their life together. He would build a room on or finish a space in his father’s house that would be for them to live. The bride to be, in the meantime, did not know when the bridegroom would appear to take her home. While she was in waiting mode, she did what she could to make herself beautiful and to prepare to be a good wife.

Finally, the bridegroom had all in ready. His father gave permission and sent the bridegroom out to get his bride. The bridegroom marched through the town in a procession, including friends, musicians, and singers, and appeared at the door of his beloved. He whisked her away to her their new home. There they stayed in private to consummate the marriage. After an appropriate amount of time, the bride and groom made their public appearance as man and wife. A wedding banquet was given in their honor. There the bridegroom proudly showed off his beautiful bride.

Jesus compared the relationship of the Church to Him with a bride and her bridegroom. He called Himself the bridegroom in Matthew 9:15. He also told a parable of ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to appear in Matthew 25. The bridegroom was taking a long time to come. All of the virgins got drowsy and eventually fell asleep. Finally, at midnight, the bridegroom came knocking at the door. You can imagine the flurry of activity inside the house when the newly awakened women realized it was the moment of truth. Some had come prepared for a night arrival and had oil in their lamps. Some did not. The latter were left behind, running out to find a merchant at that ungodly hour who could give them what they needed. The wise and prepared women, however, were free to follow the bridegroom to the marriage feast. When the foolish, unprepared women finally showed up, the door was shut to them. It was too late.

Jesus told this story during a message He preached telling about His future return. He warned the disciples that the precise time was unknown to all but the Father. It would be easy to become complacent and lose sight of the day that would change everything. “But be sure of this,” He warned His disciples, “that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

We, as the Church, are in our earthly home awaiting the long-desired arrival of our Bridegroom. The arrangements have already been made by our Father– the Bridegroom paid the price to make us His. After completing that earthly mission, He went home to His Father’s house to make preparations for His bride’s arrival to her new home. He promised the disciples, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3)

Of course, the bride wants to make herself beautiful for the Big Day. So we yield ourselves to the Spirit living in us. We cultivate attitudes and actions that reflect our status as the bride of Christ. These “beauty treatments” serve to make us display the kind of beauty that is valued by the Bridegroom. And one glorious day, our hearts will pound with excitement and joy when we hear the voice of our Bridegroom calling us home.

“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk on wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:15-18