Jesus has invited us into something far greater than simply believing in Him and going through the motions of faith. We have been invited into a relationship with Him that ultimately leads to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Using the imagery of an ancient Jewish wedding, we are reminded that our relationship with Christ is not only about where we are today, but about where the story is going. Jesus is the Bridegroom, the Church is His bride, and there is coming a day when He will return to take His bride home.
The first part of the Jewish wedding was the betrothal, when the groom offered the cup and the bride had a choice to accept it. Jesus gave us a beautiful picture of this when He shared the cup with His disciples at the Last Supper. Before offering His cup to them, Jesus Himself was willing to drink the cup of suffering in the garden, surrendering His own will to the Father. In the same way, following Jesus begins with our own “yes” to Him. We receive His sacrifice, give ourselves to Him, and enter into a new life.
After the betrothal came a season of separation and preparation. The groom would return to his father's house to prepare a place for his bride, while she prepared herself for their wedding. Jesus gives us the same picture in John 14 when He promises that He is going to prepare a place for us and will come again to take us to Himself. We are living in that season now. Jesus has gone to the Father, and we are waiting for the day when He returns.
That waiting, however, is not meant to be passive. Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, who were waiting for the bridegroom. The foolish virgins allowed themselves to run out of oil, while the wise ones were prepared for however long the wait might last. The problem was not simply that the bridegroom took a long time. They lost their sense of expectancy. They became drowsy, complacent, and unprepared.
The same danger exists for us. When we stop expecting Jesus to return, we can slowly lose sight of our purpose. We become comfortable, distracted, and busy with things that pull our affection away from Christ. But God has given us the Holy Spirit as our source of spiritual fuel. We need to continually be filled so that our lives remain a light to the world and a testimony of Jesus while we wait for Him.
The good news is that preparation does not mean living in fear of never being good enough. We will encounter things that stain our lives, but Jesus invites us back to the table. Like David, we can repent, be washed, and return to worship. God is concerned with the condition of our hearts and our relationship with Him, not simply an outward appearance of religion.
Our lives should therefore be marked by anticipation. We are waiting for a Bridegroom who is coming for His bride, and our response should be, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” Raising our expectations means lifting our eyes beyond the distractions of the present and remembering what is ahead. We have been invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb, and the hope of that day gives us reason to remain faithful, stay filled with the Holy Spirit, guard our hearts, and live ready for His return.
