Most of us may want to get married at some point in our life. Some of us might have dreamt of it from our childhood and waiting for a prince charming. For us Christians it does not end there; it does not even end with marring a perfect guy. It is much more than we imagine.
Every Jewish wedding (most wedding celebration) has 3 important stages
- Betrothal (Engagement)
- Wedding Preparation
- Wedding feast
Betrothal is an engagement where you make a formal announcement to agreeing to marry a person. In Genesis 21:18 Jacob agrees to marry Rachel, and he also agrees to work for her father Laban for 7 years for her. Now we are also betrothed to Jesus when we accepted him to be our savior. Jesus paid a huge ransom for us. 1 Peter 1:18 says “HE paid a ransom to save us from the empty life we inherited from Adam and it was not paid with mere gold or silver which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” Like Jacob in old testament, Jesus also had to pay a price for his beloved – His life. In Isaiah 43:1 it says “DON’T BE AFRAID FOR I HAVE RANSOMED YOU, I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME AND YOU ARE MINE.”
What happens after 2 people are engaged? Now is the preparation time. As per the Jewish custom the groom has to go and prepare a house for himself before he takes the women to be his wife. Also, the wedding feast will have lots of food and wine which they need to prepare. During this time the bride faithfully waits for her bridegroom; eagerly waiting for him. Now all those who have accepted Jesus as savior has to prepare by judging themselves and wait faithfully for our bridegroom to come. In John 14:2 Jesus tells his disciples “I am going to prepare a place for you“. Jesus went to heaven to prepare a place for us (His bride), so we can be with Him always. So, what does a bride have to do? Like it says in Matthew 25:4″ The wise virgins took oil in flask along with their lamps”. Oil represents love and Holy Spirit. We must be filled with Holy Spirit daily to love the Lord from the bottom of our hearts with pure devotion and wait upon him. Matthew 24:42 says” We must be on alert and faithful for we actually do not know when the Lord is coming”. So be faithful in the things he has given us. Over come the evil sin while we have the opportunity, do good and be humble and then one day it will be announced that the groom is coming and on that day we need to be ready to go with him. The Lord is not slow about His promise of coming as it says in 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” So, don’t ever think He is late but He is always on time so when the time comes be ready with your garments.
Finally the last celebration is the wedding feast when the bridegroom comes and the bride is ready in her best clothes and looks beautiful. In Rev 19:7,8 it says ” His bride has made herself ready“. How has she made herself ready? She judges and sanctifies herself day after day that is how she is ready and she takes every opportunity to do good to others, this is her own righteousness. Verse 8 says” It was given to her to cloth herself in fine linen, bright & clean“. How can we ever be clean before this holy God? Only by the blood of Christ, so we must accept the righteousness of God to cloth us. With all this done the bridegroom “Jesus” comes in all glory to receive his bride “Church”.
Not everyone who has startd the to be His bride will enter into the marriage. Some stop at being betrothed, some in preparation stage. On the wedding feast all who look and take part at the wedding will see things which ” No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor 2:9. The eyes of the bride will constantly be upon her bridegroom who loved her even when she was a wretched sinner and transformed her into a beautiful person with his love. She will look upon Him with an aw and admiration and a sigh that the wait is over and she is where she always belonged at home in His arms.
I pray God will give me grace till my journey to be His bride is complete.
Journey with Christ 