“WILL HOU HAVE THIS MAN / WOMAN?”
Dorn Ridge, May 30, 2010
INTRODUCTION:
1.) Probably many here will be to a wedding sometime this year.
2.) Most of us attend one or more weddings each year.
3.) As we go to a wedding ceremony there is usually what is referred to as the “Declaration of Intent”.
A.) This is the point of the ceremony where a question is asked by which the bride and groom will declare to everyone what the purpose or intention is of meeting that day.
B.) Usually the question will be asked in the following manner: “will you have this woman to be your wife? Will you have this man to be your husband?
4.) Today, I want us to look at the Jewish marriage proposal.
A.) As we see the manner in which a groom would propose to his bride, I also want us to see the manner in which Christ proposed to His bride – The Church.
I. THE JEWISH BRIDE WAS USUALLY ASKED IF SHE WOULD BE WILLING TO MARRY THE GROOM.
1.) The Bible records examples of the bride’s consent being given for the marriage.
A.) Rebecca gave her permission before her marriage to Isaac.
aa.) Gen. 24:57-60
2.) In Jewish culture, there was a formal wedding proposal and response.
A.) There were some preliminary steps in the marriage process.
aa.) we have already seen of the selection of the bride.
ab.) After the bride had been selected, the father of the bride would look at a bride price which we examined last week.
ac.) Discussions among the Groom and the bride’s father would take place until an agreement could be reached on what was considered to be a fair price for the bride.
B.) The wedding proposal.
ba.) The wedding proposal was different than ours.
ba-1.) In our culture tradition states the man usually gets down on one knee and in a very special moment between him and the potential bride asks her to be his wife.
ba-2.) In the Jewish wedding proposal it was also a special moment, but those present would be the bride, groom, the parents of the bride, and possibly the parents of the groom.
bb.) The Jewish wedding proposal also involved a ritual, and traditions to follow.
bb-1.) The proposal centered around a glass of wine given to the bride from the groom.
bb-2.) The glass of wine he would give her was called the “Kiddush Cup” (Sanctification Cup)(or Cup of Setting apart for this new relationship.)
bb-3.) In front of the families, the groom would pour out this cup of wine for his bride and hold it up in his right hand to offer to his bride.
bb-3i.) When the groom offered this cup to his bride he was officially proposing to her and asking her to be his bride.
bb-3ii.) The bride at that point could either accept the glass of wine and drink from it, or refuse to take it from the groom.
bb-3iii.) Sometimes the bride might wait a few minutes before taking the wine in order to have the groom wait in suspense for an answer.
bb-3iii.) If the bride accepted the wine and drank it, she was officially accepting the wedding proposal of the groom and saying to him, “I will be your bride.”
II. THE CHURCH WAS ASKED IN A FORMAL WEDDING PROPOSAL TO BE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.
1.) Just hours before the crucifixion, Jesus asked the Apostles if they would be the bride of Christ.
A.) As You hear this statement, likely some of you are asking where you are getting this; I don’t remember any Scripture where Jesus proposed to the Church, or spoke to the Apostles asking them to be his bride.
B.) Like you, some of these thoughts were new concepts to me.
C.) You see when we look at the Scriptures we look at them from the perspective of Christians who have come to Christ from a Pagan or Gentile background.
D.) But when we approach Scripture from the perspective of the Jewish Christians we see a whole different perspective than we have been used to in our understanding of Scriptures.
da.) When we see it as the Jews did, we see not only The Word of God, but also the Jewish culture and how it seasoned our Scriptures.
db.) Jesus speaking, both from and to a Jewish audience presented ideas with even more symbolism than we would otherwise see from our culture when we look at Scripture.
2.) The formal Jewish wedding proposal was over a cup of wine.
A.) When Jews would observe the Passover feast there were four cups of wine used in the celebration of the Passover.
B.) The evening of the Crucifixion, Jesus observed the Passover feast with the Apostles.
C.) It was during this Passover Feast, probably after the third cup in the observance of the Passover, that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
ca.) Sometimes we look at Scripture and see Jesus take of the cup, and then after that the bread, and then the cup again.
ca-1.) It sounds confusing, and as though Jesus took of the cup twice, but we have to remember that in the Passover there were four cups of wine.
ca-2.) Luke 22:17,19-20
D.) In the Lord’s Supper Jesus used some words that were familiar to the Jewish people.
3.) The words Jesus used in instituting the Lord’s Supper have a double meaning.
A.) Gentile Christians.
aa.) We have always thought of these words as originating with Jesus, and only in reference to the Lord's Supper.
ab.) When we hear the words: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” the only context we are able to associate it with is that of the Lord’s Supper.
ab-1.) In some ways, our Gentile background has served as a hindrance to fully understanding and appreciating the value of what Jesus is saying in this passage of Scripture.
ab-2.) That is why I wanted to do this series of messages, so that we could gain a greater comprehension of parts of the Word of God through the eyes of Jewish Christians.
B.) Jewish Christians.
ba.) That first time the Apostles heard that statement Jesus was using in the Lord’s Supper the words were not new to them.
ba-1.) These words were well-known because they were part of the official marriage proposal that a groom would make to his bride.
bb.) A few minutes ago, I mentioned that the groom would offer the cup of wine to his bride, and that if she accepted it she would be accepting his marriage proposal.
bb-1.) As the groom held up that cup of wine in his right hand for the bride he would say the words: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.”
bb-2.) When Jesus established the Lord’s Supper he held up the glass of wine as a groom would hold it up for his bride, and by that action and words, Jesus asked the Apostles to be his bride.
4.) The words Jesus used in instituting the Lord’s Supper had a startling meaning.
A.) When the Apostles sat around the table that night with Jesus these words would have likely surprised them.
aa.) Every one of these men were familiar with these words but to be used in the context that Jesus was using them must have been really peculiar to hear.
B.) In the early Church when the Lord’s Supper was observed among Jewish Christians, these words of Christ would have caused the early Church to wonder every time they partook
of the Lord’s Supper. ba.) Jewish Christians would partake of the Lord’s Supper remembering the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ just as we do today. bb.) But every time those Jewish Christians partook of the Lord’s Supper they heard something else that gave another meaning to them as well.
bb-1.) Each time they would prepare to take of the fruit of the vine their minds went back to the wedding proposal when the groom would pass the cup to the bride.
bb-2) Jewish Christians would partake of the cup of wine they were fully realizing that by receiving the cup of wine they were saying to Jesus Christ Yes Lord, we will be your bride.
C.) When next we meet to partake of the Lord’s Supper yes we will remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
ca.) But may we also see the Lord’s supper with the added significance that the Jewish Christians would have experienced.
cb.) As we hear those words: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood may our hearts echo back with the same excitement and gladness of a woman when asked to be the bride of the man she loves.
cc.) May our answer to Christ be, Yes we will be your bride.
[This is a message I have written myself, but a great deal of the information included came from many sources on the internet, but I do not have references to who or where.]
