“For
this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:31-32 NKJV
On
several occasions in the past I have had the opportunity to share something
with other believers during small groups or Sunday School classes when studying
Paul’s letters to the churches. It might
not be an earth shattering revelation but I have enjoyed seeing the look on
peoples’ faces when I explain what I am thinking, and it goes something like
this. If you have ever participated in a
study of Paul’s writings with others in a group setting, and discussed among
yourselves just what Paul was trying to say, you are doing exactly what the
church members did in Paul’s day when they received his letters.
If
you think about it in that light, does it not make sense that when the members
first read the letter there were differing opinions about just what point Paul
was trying to make? I am sure there were
some very spirited discussions, along with the perplexed looks when Paul said
something which at first glance did not seem to make a lot of sense. When it comes to the “mystery” of the Church,
and it’s special relationship with Christ, I believe there was probably quite a
lot of discussion considering that Paul spent much of his time teaching and
clarifying questions on that subject.
Something
that I discovered about this relationship, however, came only after I had spent
several years focusing on eschatology and the future of the Church, and studied
the writings and commentaries written by Jewish scholars. Why Jewish?
Simply because they, like the believers in the early churches Paul wrote
to, had an advantage that most of us in the west simply do not, and that is the
understanding and familiarity with the steps and procedures of a Jewish
wedding. As I began to study and learn
more about the complexities surrounding this celebration, I began to understand
exactly why Paul chose to explain the relationship between Christ and the
Church in this way.
Many
of you may already be familiar with what I am talking about, but for those who
may not be, I will take a little time today to explain why Paul, inspired by
God, uses the picture of a Jewish wedding and the traditions which accompany it
to illustrate where we, as the body of Christ, finds ourselves today.
Choosing
the Bride.
“You
did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father
in My name He may give you. John
15:16 NKJV
Jesus
chose those who believe to become His bride, the Church. All who respond to His invitation become
members of the body of believers known as the Church and are referred to by
Paul as the bride of Christ.
For I
am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2
Corinthians 11:2 NKJV
Paul
here assumes the position of the father of the bride and explains that the
Church has been betrothed to Christ, and as the father, he is concerned with
how the Church conducts itself while waiting for the wedding.
Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV
Paying
the Bride Price.
After
choosing the bride, in Jewish culture a price to recompense the family had to
be agreed upon. Jesus paid that price by
dying for His bride on the cross.
So when
Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His
head, He gave up His spirit. John
19:30 NKJV
The
phrase “It is finished!” is the Greek word “teleo”, which not only means to bring to a close, but also to pay
a tribute or price. As the bride of
Christ, the Church was paid for by the blood of Jesus.
Building
the Home.
“In My
Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. John
14:2 NKJV
After
choosing a bride, and agreeing to a price, the future bridegroom goes away to
build the house in which he and his bride will live. He cannot return until the home is completed,
and his father inspects it and declares it ready for habitation. When complete and given permission, the
bridegroom will return for his bride.
During this time, the bride is to watch and wait because she has no idea
how long it will take or when her bridegroom will return.
The
Return for the Bride.
“And 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 NKJV
“And at
midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet
him!’ Matthew 25:6 NKJV
For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
After
receiving permission to fetch his bride from his father, the bridegroom comes
with a shout and the blowing of a ram’s horn.
It usually would occur at midnight, and he would call out for his bride
to join him for the ceremony. When Paul
tells us in his letter to the Thessalonian church that Jesus will return in the
clouds and call for the Church to join Him, it mirrors this tradition
perfectly. At some future date, known
only by God the Father, Jesus will receive permission to return for His bride,
the Church, and He will call out with a shout and a trumpet blast, for us to
join Him in the air.
In
the time when the bridegroom is away preparing their future home, the bride is
busy preparing herself to be, as Paul states, “not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing”. I have
mentioned often in the past my personal experiences watching my daughters
prepare to meet their bridegrooms, and describing the lengthy, arduous
process. The question all believers
should continually ask themselves is how hard are we preparing to meet our Lord
when He returns for us? Are we striving
to serve and clothe ourselves in righteousness, or are we more concerned with
the world around us and the cares of this life?
My prayer is that the Church focuses on being the best bride she can be,
especially considering the price the bridegroom paid for her.
Keep
watching.
