And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)
Something that strikes me consistently when I read the resurrection account in the Gospels is how THICK the disciples were!
Jesus Told Them!
The Son of God walked among them for three years, tutoring them personally on the Kingdom of God. But not until they had cowered through the days He spent in the tomb, and He began to appear to groups of them after His resurrection did they remember (Luke 24:8) the many, many times He had foretold in their presence that He would have to suffer, die, and rise again to fulfill the scriptures. (John 2, Matt 12, 16, 17, 20, 27…)
But while the disciples forgot, guess who remembered? The Lord’s enemies! They told Pilate about it.
Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, “After three days I am to rise again.” (Matt 27:63)
The glorious outcome of the crucifixion should not have been a surprise to the disciples. Did they need to spend those days and nights crushed in despair?
Jesus Told Us…
But every time I point a finger at the disciples, three point back at me. They had the Living Word walking among them; I have the Holy Spirit indwelling me, Praise God. Yet how many times and in how many ways do I plug my ears to His still, small voice? How often do I choose to dwell in my own mental paradigm of anxiety or despair or disgruntlement instead?
How many times and in many ways do I plug my ears to His still, small voice? How often do I choose to dwell in my own mental paradigm of anxiety or despair or disgruntlement instead? – via @lthompsonbooks Click To TweetWhen He walked our world the first time, Jesus made it very clear He would come again. And He told us how awful things would look before He did.
There are many prophetic passages I could cite, and no doubt you’ve heard them. But one of His most poignant pronouncements came on the night He was betrayed. This somewhat dry description of the ancient Jewish betrothal process:
When a young man desired to marry a young woman in ancient Israel, he would prepare a contract or covenant to present to the young woman and her father at the young woman’s home….
The most important part of the contract was the bride price… If the bride price was agreeable to the young woman’s father, the young man would pour a glass of wine for the young woman. If the young woman drank the wine, it would indicate her acceptance….
Ketubah ( Jewish wedding contract), c. 1740 | Brooklyn Museum
…leads us to a beautiful picture. Jesus at the Last Supper, offering the New Covenant to His disciples:
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matt 26:28)
Jesus’s phrase here reflects a bridegroom offering the covenant of marriage with the Betrothal Cup, and also disclosing the bride price—His own life on the cross.
Blessing cup and unleavened bread set for Jewish Passover Seder supper. Jesus’ last supper was a Passover Seder (Luke 22:8).
When the disciples drank from the cup, they ratified the covenant.
Jesus' words over the cup at the Last Supper reflect a bridegroom offering the covenant of marriage with the Betrothal Cup, and also disclosing the bride price—His own life on the cross. – via @lthompsonbooks Click To TweetThe betrothal in ancient Israel was legally binding. The bride was “bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:20). From that hour, she would go about veiled to signal she was formally off the market.
Then what? The betrothal period would typically last a year or two. The bride and groom would not see each other again until the wedding, when they would drink the next ritual cup, the Wedding Cup, together. That’s why Jesus said,
I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. (Matt 26:29)
He was anticipating drinking the Wedding Cup with His bride at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9).
They both had preparations to make during this prolonged period of separation. But the groom’s job was bigger.
…The bridegroom would prepare a wedding chamber for the honeymoon. This chamber was typically built in the bridegroom’s father’s house or on his father’s property. The wedding chamber had to be a beautiful place to bring the bride. The bride and groom were to spend seven days there.
So that makes it clear why Jesus said:
In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you…. I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)
Get Your Glam On
How was the bride to prepare?
- Partake of a Mikveh, a ritual cleansing bath in “living” (running) water.
- Prepare to be “snatched”! Invest in lovely raiment and cosmetics. Have her belongings ready to grab when she hears the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) announce that her bridegroom is coming for her at last. Keep her lamp in trim!
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Jewish Bride’s Adornment for a Wedding in Morocco, 19th Century | Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme
Those who follow Jesus are the beautiful bride He bought with a price. And such a price! But, to quote the ditty from Frozen, we’re “a bit of a fixer-upper”!
For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev 19:7-8)
As the signs of the end times arise around us, are we playing the part of the blameless bride (Eph 5:26-27), eagerly preparing our bright raiment for our long-awaited Groom?
The waves are swelling around us, and it’s easy to focus on the water, lose our perspective on Jesus and start to sink. Don’t do it! Look up, at your heavenly Groom, and remember the amazing privilege we enjoy. We get to watch God’s plan come to fruition in our day!
Are we playing the part of the blameless bride (Eph 5:26-27), eagerly preparing for our long-awaited Groom? The waves are swelling. It’s easy to focus on the water, lose our perspective on Jesus & start to sink. Don't do it!… Click To Tweet(For a stunning dramatization of these ancient wedding traditions, you might check out the Before the Wrath DVD*–you’ll find the movie trailer here. For more thoughts on Jesus as our Heavenly Bridegroom, and the fascinating way His long absence maps to Jewish wedding traditions and the Jewish Feasts, you might check out this post.)
Array yourself. Your bridal canopy awaits!
*Amazon affiliate link. I may earn an associate’s fee on selected purchases.
Linda Thompson stepped back from a corporate career that spanned continents to write what she loves—stories of unstoppable faith. Her debut novel, The Plum Blooms in Winter, is an O.C.W. Cascade Award winner and a finalist for several prestigious awards: Christy and Carol Awards, plus the International Book Award in two categories. Linda writes from the sun-drenched Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, a third-generation airline pilot who doubles as her Chief Military Research Officer, one mostly-grown-up kid, and a small platoon of housecats. When Linda isn’t writing, you’ll find her rollerblading—yes, that does make her a throwback!—enjoying their first grandchild, or taking in a majestic desert moonrise.
He made aviation history in WWII’s daring Doolittle Raid. Now he’s downed and on the run.
She wants to bury a knife in him. Can her victim offer redemption instead?
“A taut, crisp debut achievement that colorfully evokes the Pacific theater of WWII. Start this one forewarned: it’s a stay-up-all-night read.” –Jerry B. Jenkins, 21-time New York Times bestselling author
Winner, 2019 Cascade Award |
Finalist, 2019 Christy and Carol Awards |
Inspired by Actual Events
1942. Pilot Dave Delham revels at the success of his historic Japanese bombing mission. Until he’s caught and endures years of torture at the hands of cruel captors. Despairing that he’ll survive, Dave vows if he escapes, he’ll answer God’s call on his life.
Osaka, Japan, 1948. Miyako Matsuura longs to restore her family’s shattered honor. After watching her little brother die in a horrific American air raid, she was reduced to selling her body to survive. When the pilot whose bomb stole her brother’s life returns as a missionary, her thirst for revenge consumes her.
Two damaged people race along a collision course that could bring eternal change. Can Dave and Miyako transform their tragic histories and surrender to forgiveness and faith?
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Linda Thompson