Author: Gary Witcher
Company: none

Jesus: Husband

     In the Old Testament God sometimes refers to His relationship with the Jews as a marriage.
     "For your husband is your Maker," we read in Isaiah 54:5-6, "whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth.
     "For the Lord has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected."
     "Behold, days are coming," God declares in Jeremiah 31:31-32, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them."
     It is because of this relationship that God often refers to the spiritual unfaithfulness of the Jews as "adultery" or "harlotry."
     "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers," God says to Moses in Deuteronomy 31:16; "and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them."
     "And yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them," Judges 2:17 says of the Israelites.
     "And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away," God points out in Jeremiah 3:8-10, "I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also.
     "And it came about because of the lightness of her harlotry, that she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.  And yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception."
     In fact, the theme of the entire book of Hosea is based on this relationship between God and His people.
     Knowing that God considered His association with the Israelites to be like a marriage helps us understand certain passages in the Bible.  For example, we see why Jesus refers to the Jews as "an adulterous generation" in verses such as Matthew 12:39 and 16:4.
     And we can also see why the Lord describes Himself as "a jealous God."  Jealousy has a negative connotation unless we understand the point that God is trying to make.  He is simply trying to help His people understand how much He wants their true devotion and how much it hurts Him when He does not receive it.
     "You shall not worship them or serve them," God says in Exodus 20:5 of idols; "for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."
     "For you shall not worship any other god," Exodus 34:14 orders, "for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
     Since the relationship between God and His people is compared to a marriage, it is no surprise to find the same idea used for the association between Jesus and His followers.
     "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?" Jesus comments in Matthew 9:15 in response to criticism of His disciples.  "But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and they will fast."
     Matthew chapter 25 begins with a parable about ten virgins who are waiting to attend a marriage feast.  Five are described as being wise because they bring enough oil for their lamps.  The other five are called foolish since they run out of oil.  In this story, the bridegroom is Jesus and the bride His kingdom.
     The picture of the kingdom, or the church, as the bride of Christ is not uncommon in the New Testament.
     "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him," Revelation 19:7 urges, "for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
     "Come here," an angel instructs John in Revelation 21:9, "I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
     "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy," Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:2; "for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin."
     Ephesians 5:22-33 contains one of the New Testament's important discussions of the relationship between husband and wife.
     "This mystery is great," Paul concludes in verse 32 of this passage; "but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church."
     Jesus is the groom, and the church is His bride.

     We have seen that Jesus is the groom, and that the church is the bride.  Let's take a closer look to see what we can learn about this bride.
     As we have already read in 2 Corinthians 11:2, this bride is to present herself as a pure virgin.
     "And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean," Revelation 19:8 notes; "for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
     Revelation 21:2 adds something else to the description of the bride.
     "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem," John describes in this verse, "coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband."
     So the church is to protect her purity.  And she is to adorn herself properly for her Husband.  In 1 Peter 3:1-5 we find a discussion of the proper adornment for a Christian wife.  It is evident from this passage that God and the world do not find beauty in the same things.
     "And let not your adornment be external only - braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, and putting on dresses," we read in verses three and four; "but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."
     Take just a moment to reflect on the picture of the church which is painted by most of the religious world.  Does it involve rejecting compromising and polluting influences in order to maintain the purity of the bride of Christ, or does it consist of giving in to every man-made idea that comes along?  Does it stress the "imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit," or does it place a great deal of emphasis on elaborate buildings and showy ceremonies?
     Since we have a groom and a bride, we should ask ourselves about the marriage.  As was mentioned, Ephesians 5:22-33 tells how God expects for a marriage to function.
     According to verse 24 the wife is to be subject to her husband.  Can we honestly say that most of the religious bodies in the world today are subjecting themselves only to Christ and His teaching?
     According to verse 26 the church is sanctified by Jesus.
     As we learn from Hebrews 10:10, members of the church are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 9:13-14 informs us that we are purified and sanctified through the blood of Christ.  When do we encounter the body of Jesus?  When do we encounter the blood of Jesus?  It must be at the cross.  When do we encounter the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus?  Romans 6:3-11 states that it is when we are immersed with Him in baptism.
     Ephesians 5:27 notes that the church must present herself without spot or wrinkle, adding that she should be holy and blameless.  Verse 29 points out that the wife is to be nourished by the husband.  And verse 31 stresses that she must sever all other ties in order to be joined only to her husband.  As before, apply these points to the church as presented by most of the religious world.
     We have a groom.  We have a bride.  We have a marriage.  Have you received your invitation to take part in this marriage?  It's not something you will want to miss.
     "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men," Revelation 21:3-4 says of the bride, "and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
     "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come,'" Revelation 22:17 invites.  "And let the one who hears say, 'Come.'"
     Yes, we all have received the invitation to this marriage.  The invitation is the Bible, the word of God, the truth which sets us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)