The Picture :

In the very first chapter of the book of the Old Testament, this is said in Genesis 1, verses 27 and 28: “So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

In Genesis, chapter 2, verses 21 to 24: “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

This has to do with the realization of God that there is a dimension of life, even in the Garden of Eden, that is not full and complete without both the man and the woman in the marriage and in the home. Yes, I know that there are people who choose not to be married, and they are true and genuine children of God. They are not second-class citizens of the kingdom. But the usual idea is that of a man and woman, who fall in love with each other, who decide that they want to devote themselves exclusively to each other, and so they come to be married, and they spend their days together in love, in joy, and in the bond that should be closer than any bond that exists in this world, save [except] the bond with God Himself.

Now, the Jewish people knew a great deal about that. If you will study the Old Testament and look and some of the summary material about it, you will find that they developed several procedures in marriage. There was, first, the engagement. The engagement was usually arranged by the parents, particularly the fathers. The reason for this arrangement by the fathers, or a marriage maker, was to preserve the purity of the bloodline so that the Jewish nation would have a pure line of descent. The parents, or the matchmaker, would be sure to understand the pedigree of the boy and the girl. This might be entered into at an early age. And, as the years would go by, these young people would come to know about each other—if they lived in the same village, this was accomplished more easily; but if not, there would be periodical discussions about the intended husband or wife, and that was the engagement.

Secondly was the betrothal. The betrothal occurred at the time of people getting married, sometimes into the mid- or later teens. In the betrothal, there would be a feasting and a ceremony almost like a wedding. In this betrothal, a wedding agreement would be reached; it would be written and placed in the hands of a marriage maker, or sometimes the friend of the bridegroom. This agreement was binding. It could not be broken except by divorce that was according to biblical teaching. If the husband-to-be should die, the girl was regarded as a widow. Very, very crucial was the betrothal.

And then, the marriage proper. This would usually occur about a year after the betrothal. It was a time of great joy. Most of the people of the village would be invited. There would be a procession from the home of the bride as she and the groom moved to the house of the bridegroom. There would be celebration; there would be dancing and joy and a happy occasion. When the bride and the groom arrived at his home, the bride would be placed in seclusion. On the next day, the marriage would be contracted. And then, they would retire for the evening to the marriage chamber. The rest of the week would be spent in celebration, usually a great feast. The couple would hold court. They would be praised and encouraged and receive gifts. It was, all in all, a most festive and joyous occasion.

The Application:

Now, these well-known practices lie behind what is said concerning the church as the bride of Christ. Now, some passages:

In Romans 7, and verse 4, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him Who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” Married! Married unto Christ. The imagery of marriage, the church, the bride—clearly alluded to in this passage.

Another passage. In Ephesians, chapter 5, beginning with verse 25 and going through verse 27, notice these words: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; 26 That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, 27 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Notice first of all that Christ “loved the church.” He loved it enough that He died that the church might come to be. How many people do you know who would die for you? How many? How many people would you die for? O, I’m not talking about just talking; I mean really DIE for somebody. I dare say I do not know many who would die for me. Now, Jesus “loved the church.”