Jesus The Bridegroom

But John wasn’t unhappy at all. He reminded his disciples that he’d told them that he wasn’t the Christ. Then he said something very mysterious. He said, ‘The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.’

John had been reading his Bible. He knew that in the Old Testament, God was the bridegroom and God’s people were the bride. John also understood that Jesus was the Son of God. Somehow, John understood that now, Jesus had taken on the role of being bridegroom.

But what did John mean when he said, ‘The one who has the bride is the bridegroom’?

Here’s an analogy which might make it clearer.

How would you spot the groom at a wedding? Before the wedding starts, he’s the guy at the front on the right. He might be dressed in a top hat and tails. But then, the bride arrives. She’s wearing a beautiful white dress. She walks down the aisle and stands next to the groom. Maybe she holds his hand. She looks at him and gazes at him and he looks at her and gazes at her. They’re glued to each other.

You recognize the groom by the fact that he has the bride.

In Israel in Jesus’ day there were Israelites who were true Israelites. They were faithful to God. They were the bride. So, it wasn’t at all surprising that when the bridegroom appeared, they made a beeline for him. Jesus had the bride. That meant he was the bridegroom.

Was John sad about the fact that people were leaving him and going to Jesus? Of course not! It wasn’t a competition! John understood that his role was to be the friend of the bridegroom. The bridegroom had come, the bride was going to him, and John couldn’t be more delighted.

Let’s go on to the third passage. It’s Revelation 19:6-7. God had given the apostle John a vision of the future. John describes what he saw:

‘Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, 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…”’

A marriage is about to take place!

A couple of verses on, an angel comments, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’ [19:9].

A wedding has to have a reception! What will that be like, given that God is hosting it? I’m sure it will be amazing!

Finally, one chapter before the end of the Bible, an angel calls to John and says, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb’ [Revelation 21:9]. I take this to mean that the church, the Bride, is now the wife of the Lamb.

The climax of the Bible, the point of the whole story, is that Jesus ends up married to his people. That’s what it’s all been about.

What are we going to take away from this?

There is no title of Jesus which communicates Jesus’ love for us more clearly than the title, ‘Jesus the bridegroom.’

Jesus is offering us the most amazing relationship. It’s one in which we don’t simply relate to him as teacher or lord or friend or brother. It’s one in which we, the church, relate to Jesus as husband. The best picture of the steadfast love, the faithfulness, the ‘forever’ nature of the relationship which Jesus is inviting us into is a marriage.