Good Morning Friends,
Today’s passage in Revelation is of John’s vision of the marriage of the Lamb…Jesus. And it dawns on me this morning that the path from now until Pentecost can be compared, in good Trinitarian fashion, to the preparation necessary for each of the three parts of a first century Jewish wedding. So, I have added scripture to amplify what we may miss in the isolated reading to capture the fullness of the message. And as you read the scripture contemplate that you are about to attend such a wedding feast and consider what you need to do to prepare yourself based on the role you are planning on playing in the event. Note that the wedding customs in the time of Christ had three major parts. First, was a marriage contract signed by the parents of the bride and the bridegroom, and the parents of the bridegroom or the bridegroom himself would pay a dowry to the bride or her parents. This began what was called the betrothal period—what we would today call the engagement. This period was the one Joseph and Mary were in when Mary was found to be with child. The second step in the process usually occurred a year later, when the bridegroom, accompanied by his male friends, went to the house of the bride at midnight, creating a torchlight parade through the streets. The bride would know in advance this was going to take place, and so she would be ready with her maidens, and they would all join the parade and end up at the bridegroom’s home. This custom is reflected in the parable of the ten virgins. The third phase was the marriage supper itself, which might go on for days, as illustrated by the wedding at Cana. What John’s vision in Revelation pictures is the wedding feast of the Lamb like the wedding at Cana. The implication is that the first phase has already taken place. The first phase was completed on earth when each individual believer placed his or her faith in Christ as Savior. The dowry paid to the bridegroom’s parent (God the Father) would be the blood of Christ shed on the Bride’s behalf. The Church on earth today, then, is “betrothed” to Christ, and, like the wise virgins in the parable, all believers should be watching and waiting for the appearance of the Bridegroom. Are You Ready For The Wedding Feast?
Scripture: On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John 2:1-11 (NRSV)
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for his judgements are true and just; he has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ Once more they said,’Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her for ever and ever.’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who is seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ And from the throne came a voice saying, ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.’ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’
Revelation 19:1-10 (NRSV)
‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”
Matthew 25:1-12 (NRSV)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:25-32 (NRSV)
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John 2:1-11 (NRSV)
Message: The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is going to be married and that the bride is the Church and the Saints, and the marriage supper is going to take place only when the Father determines that the time is right. John invites us to take what we know about getting ready for a wedding and connects it to the wedding that will end all weddings. In Revelation we see the goal of our faith and we see Christ’s final victory over evil. The message of Revelation is “Jesus wins!” And so it also reminds us that in the end we will win if we prepare. The message is meant to lift our spirits and restore our hope in what is yet unseen. Obviously, the things that people do to get ready for this vary depending on what part they envision having in the wedding. Weddings are times to have fun and celebrate the bond of unity and commitment. They are events that are to mark the importance of family and community.
If you have ever participated in or planned a wedding, you know that a lot has to go into the preparation. But first century weddings in the Jewish culture were more extensive than we might imagine. They were not a day or two but an extended event at which the whole family and community participated. It was a much bigger deal than most modern weddings and more like a royal marriage celebration. So, imagine for a moment the great magnitude of the scale of the marriage of Jesus and the Church. As you begin to answer the today’s question, I want you to first think about being ready to be a guest and then what is necessary to be a bride. Friends, you, and I can only be ready for the wedding if Jesus has prepared us…cleans us up and dresses us in purity. Through his power and by his grace we need to stay ready for the time when God comes to claim us as His own.
And So, The things that people do to get ready for a wedding vary depending on what part they envision the event to be. Weddings obviously are times to have fun and celebrate the bond of unity and commitment. They are events that are to mark the importance of family and community.
If you have ever participated in or planned a wedding, you know that a lot must go into the preparation. But first century weddings in the Jewish culture were more extensive than we might imagine. They were not a day or two but an extended event at which the whole family and community participated. It was a much bigger deal than most modern weddings and more like a royal marriage celebration. Now what is really interesting here is that the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is going to be married and that the bride is the Called-Out Assembly of Believers and the Saints, and the marriage supper is going to take place only when the Father determines that the time is right but also in a way when we remember Jesus and but ultimately and most important when Jesus remembers us. John, in the story of the wedding at Cana invites us to take what we know about getting ready for a wedding and connects it to the wedding that will end all weddings. He connects the Last Supper with the Eucharist and the wine with Jesus’ blood at the cross and the hope of Christ’s second coming. The beauty is that in it all we see Jesus becoming the Savior of the world in our collective communion in this age and the age to come, but also for us as individuals in our specific needs now. In Revelation the story is woven together so we might see the goal of our faith and commit to the cause of glorifying Christ in our small victories over sin as well as contemplating the celebration of Christ’s final victory over evil. As you begin to answer the today’s question for yourself, I want you to first think about being ready to be a guest and then what is necessary to be a bride. Friends, you, and I can only be ready for the wedding if Jesus has prepared us…cleans us up and dresses us in purity. Through his power and by his grace we need to stay ready for the time when God comes to claim us as His own.
Pray that we accept the invitation to the wedding feast. Pray that the Holy Spirit has prepared us for the wedding. Pray we bring our needs to Jesus. Pray we break with customs and save the best for last. Pray we have a more personal relationship with Christ. Pray we rejoice in the transformation of frowns into smiles…of fears into hope…of sorrow into joy. Pray we experience the joy of the abundance of new wine in Jesus. Pray we experience a Jesus that turns sin into grace and death into life. Pray we experience the joy of God’s love knowing it will always be more than we will ever need. Pray that in living for Jesus we learn to love Him. Pray that we leave behind sin so we can follow Christ to a new home. Pray we are prepared through our experiences and relationships here now. Pray we are dressed in our wedding clothes of purity ready for the banquet. Pray we understand the grace, submission, and love of Christian marriage.
Pray that we do not resist the Spirit of God. Pray we do not ridicule the Holy Spirit that has been placed in us as a down payment for our redemption. Pray we resolve to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Pray we realize that our reward is based on what we can accomplish in this life in and through the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray we share the mysteries of love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 