The Traditional Jewish Marriage and its Relationship
To the Promise of Christ’s Return
Scripture Reading
Matthew 26: 27, 28 – “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Introduction
What do the scriptures mean when it refers to the Church as the “Bride of Christ”? Why do the scriptures call Christ the “Bridegroom”? And what promise does the communion hold for us as the Bride?
The disciples understood what Jesus was saying at the Last Supper that day because they understood the Model for the Traditional Jewish Wedding. For us to fully understand Christ’s promise today, and the promise of the New Covenant, we have to understand what the scriptures are saying. And to do this, we need to understand the Traditional Jewish Marriage Practices of Christ’s time.
This sermon will go over the steps involved in a Traditional Jewish Marriage, and in parallel, show how Jesus has fulfilled His promise of the wedding, and how He will fulfill the wedding in complete when He returns for His bride.
Step 1 – Ketubah – The Marriage Contract
The man must leave his fathers home and go to the home of the woman to offer his Marriage contract or Ketubah in Hebrew. There he would negotiate “bride price” or Mohar. The bride price was often high because women were regarded as an expense instead of an asset, mostly because they could not tend or till the fields or work outside of the home to bring in an income. The bride price was to compensate the father for the cost of raising the daughter. The higher the bride price paid, showed just how valuable the bride was to the groom. This gave honor to the family, bride and groom if the bride price was extremely high because this showed just how valuable the bride was to the groom.
We know that Christ left His fathers house in Heaven to come here to the bride’s house, earth.
We also know that the bride price was His blood and crucifixion.
1 Corinthians 6:20 – “For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Peter 1:18, 19 – “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
Acts 20:28 – “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.”
What higher price could one pay? How valuable are we to our groom? What more could have been paid than ones life?
In Jewish tradition, the man would then pour a glass of wine and give it to the woman. If she accepted his contract, she would drink of the cup which would seal the contract making it complete and legally binding. Although there was no consummation or physical union between the two yet, they were regarded as husband and wife from this moment on. She was considered to be “consecrated”, “set apart”, or sanctified exclusively unto the husband.
Matthew 1:18, 19 – “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”
We see clearly in Matthew that no physical union had taken place between Joseph and Mary, yet scripture refers to Joseph as “Her husband”.
Jesus came to the bride’s home, leaving his fathers home. He set the bride price with His blood, and to seal the contract in order to set us, the Church, the Bride apart, sanctifying us, He poured the wine, and we drank, accepting His contract.
Matthew 26:27, 28 – “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
This is the New Testament. This is the New Covenant. We drank the wine accepting His contract, His bride price for us. And we now belong to Him. We are set apart, sanctified. Exclusively Christ’s own! Not when we die, nor at the rapture, or later when we get to Heaven, NOW. We are His RIGHT NOW! We belong to Him right now!
That is, if you have accepted His offer, His Contract. The New Covenant.
Step 2 – The Period of Separation
After the covenant or contract had been established, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a place for His new bride, a bridal chamber in his father’s house where the bride and groom could be together.
John 14:1-3 – “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Neither the bride nor groom knew WHEN the groom would return for the bride because the bridal chamber that he was preparing for his bride had to be approved of by his father.
Mark 13:31-34 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.”
And like so, the bride would watch for her husbands return, anxiously, keeping the oil in her lamp full in case he came at night. Watching and longing for his return, while preparing herself for her future with him. All this time learning the ways of the married so as to give her husband the best marriage that she possibly could.
Are we waiting anxiously for His return? Have we been preparing ourselves for our future with Him? Are we ready for Him to come at any time? How will He find us? What will we be doing when He comes? Will we be faithfully looking and waiting for His return, or perhaps forgetting Him we turn to something else?
During this period of time apart from the bride, the groom would be preparing this place. This was typically built in his father’s house. The chamber had to be beautiful because the bride and groom were to spend seven days there. The chamber had to be built to the father’s specifications. The groom could go for the bride ONLY when his father gave his final approval of the bridal chambers.
Step 3 – Gifts for the Bride
It is Jewish tradition for the groom to send gifts to the bride so she will see his appreciation and love for her and to remind her of his future coming. The contract is complete, and they are already married. It’s not a matter of IF he’s coming for her, just a matter of WHEN.
Jesus gave us gifts as well during this period of separation.
John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Romans 12:6 – “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;”
We are given the Holy Spirit to bring into remembrance Christ’s teachings. And the Holy Spirit gives us Spiritual Gifts to edify and grow the Church, or bride, so that we may be preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ and the eternity we will be spending with Him!
Step 4 – Mikveh – The Cleansing Bath
During the time of separation, the bride would partake in a cleansing bath called a Mikveh. This is the same Hebrew word that is used for Baptism. To this day in Judaism, the bride cannot marry without the Mikveh.
The cleansing bath that Christ has provided for His bride during this time of separation is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4, 5 – “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Step 5 – The Bridegroom Comes for His Bride
When the groom’s father had approved of the bridal chambers, he would go and abduct the bride secretly with her bridesmaids. This was usually done at night. But before he would arrive at her house, he would give a shout and blow the shofar (or Ram’s horn) to give her notice so she could grab her things for the seven week stay in the bridal chamber. She did not know when he was going to come, but she knew he was coming! Coming to take her to the bridal chambers for seven days of feasting and celebrations!
Just as the groom came for his bride in the night without warning, so is the way Christ will come for us.
1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 – “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Just as the groom came for the bride with a shout and a trumpet, so shall Christ come for us.
It’s not a matter of IF He will come; the question is WHEN will He come? Only the Father in Heaven knows. Are you ready? Have you accepted Christ’s contract? Do you agree with the bride price? How much does Christ love you?
