Have you ever wondered why Jesus so often spoke about weddings? Why He called Himself the Bridegroom? The answer lies in the breathtaking beauty of ancient Jewish wedding customs. These traditions paint such a vivid picture of God’s love for us that once you understand them, you’ll never read Scripture the same way again. Let’s embark on a journey through these customs that will transform your understanding of God’s passionate pursuit of His people and the glorious future that awaits us.

Biblical Insight

The stages of an ancient Jewish wedding were carefully orchestrated to tell a story of love, commitment, and anticipation. Each step mirrors the magnificent way Jesus pursues His bride, the Church:

Stage 1: The Father’s Choice (Shiddukhin)

• The father of the groom would select a bride for his son
• This reflects how God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
• The father would often send a trusted advocate to find the bride, just as the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus
• The advocate would speak of the father’s wealth and son’s character, painting a picture of the wonderful life awaiting the bride

Stage 2: The Bridal Price (Mohar)

• The groom’s father would pay a steep price for the bride
• Jesus paid the ultimate bride price with His own blood (1 Corinthians 6:20)
• This price demonstrated the bride’s immense value to the groom
• The higher the price, the more honored the bride. So just imagine for a moment, the honor of being purchased with the blood of God’s own one-of-a-kind Son!

Stage 3: The Betrothal (Kiddushin)

• The groom would offer the covenant cup of wine to the bride
• If she drank, she accepted his proposal, establishing a legally binding covenant
• This mirrors our communion cup, accepting Jesus’s new covenant (Luke 22:20)
• The groom would declare, “I will not drink of this cup again until I drink it new with you in my Father’s house (wedding day)”
• From this moment, the bride was considered ‘sanctified’ or ‘set apart’ = holy to him.

Stage 4: The Gifts (Mattan)

• The groom would give special gifts to his bride to remember him during their separation
• These gifts would help her prepare for the wedding and new life
• Jesus gave the gift of the Holy Spirit as our comfort and aid (John 14:26)
• The Holy Spirit who burns passionately in our hearts, is our engagement ring, guaranteeing our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Stage 5: The Preparation (Chuppah)

• The groom would return to his father’s house to prepare the bridal chamber
• This could take up to a year or more to complete
• Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many rooms… I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2-3)
• Only the father could declare when the preparations were complete
• This explains why Jesus said only the Father knows the day or hour of His return (Matthew 24:36)

Stage 6: The Return (Nissuin)

• The groom would come at midnight with a shout and trumpet blast
• His friends would cry “Behold, the bridegroom comes!”
• The bride had to be ready at any moment
• This parallels the catching away or rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Stage 7: The Marriage Supper

• The celebration would last seven days
• The consummation of the marriage covenant was always on the first day
• All guests wore wedding garments provided by the father
• The joy of marriage was and still is – truly unparalleled in Jewish life
• This pictures the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9)

The eighth stage is our new life in complete unity with Him. Eight in the Bible depicts new beginnings and this is where we return to the Earth to rule and reign with Him for a thousand years.

This will be an incredible adventure of biblical proportions, where both glorified humans (you and I) and yet to be glorified humans of the future will live as long as trees (Isaiah 65:21-24). We now know this to be true from John’s Revelation, because all our enemies including death itself are thrown into the lake of fire after the Millenium.

Once the Millennial reign is concluded, King Jesus offers this righteous Kingdom back to His Father and our Father, and the Father Himself comes down to live and walk with man fully. The Bible calls this the New Heavens and New Earth, the ultimate expression of our glorious hope and future with God.

Practical Wisdom

Understanding these customs should fill us with awe at God’s meticulous planning. Every detail of the ancient Jewish wedding points to Jesus’s relationship with us! We are not just casual acquaintances with God – we are His cherished bride, pursued with unstoppable love, purchased at an unimaginable price, and prepared for an eternal celebration.

This knowledge should transform how we live today. We are betrothed to the King of Kings! Like a bride in ancient times, we should be actively preparing ourselves, keeping our garments white, and watching expectantly for our Bridegroom’s return. When we sin, we can run to Him in repentance, knowing His blood has already paid for our restoration.

Clearing up Misunderstandings

Many believe the Church is simply an organization or a building. But Scripture reveals we are the bride of Christ – chosen, cherished, and destined for an eternal love story that makes every fairy tale pale in comparison.

Some think God is distant or angry with us. But these wedding customs reveal His heart of passionate love. What bridegroom, having paid an enormous bride price, would abandon his beloved? How much more secure are we, knowing Jesus paid with His own blood?

Conclusion

The ancient Jewish wedding customs reveal the greatest love story ever told – and you are part of it! Every time you read about Jesus as the Bridegroom, remember: He chose you, paid for you with His blood, gave you His Spirit, and is preparing an eternal home for you. Live in the joy of being His cherished bride, eagerly anticipating the moment when the trumpet sounds and our Heavenly Bridegroom appears to take us home.

Did You Know?

In ancient Jewish weddings, the bride would keep a lamp burning by her window every night, never knowing when her groom would come. She had to have enough oil to keep it burning until dawn. This tradition adds profound depth to Jesus’s parable of the ten virgins and their lamps (Matthew 25:1-13). It wasn’t just about having oil – it was about the bride’s passionate devotion to being ready at any moment for her beloved’s return!