South Chad 14 Nov 2021

I used to work out from Leicester in a place called Syston, in fact I spent around 15 years there up to five days a week only returning home at weekend, and although I shared a lot in common with the people there, making some very good friends on the way, there were some differences, my accent for one.

Another thing I notices was the pies! What do I mean by this well in this area if we talk about pies, we tend to speak of Hollands pies or as I would say the best pies? In Leicester the pies are Pucka pies at the time I had never heard of them, and after trying them they didn’t take away my love of the Holland pie, in fact I took some down with me to try and convert these heathens to the proper pies.

What I am mean by this is that even though we are in the same country there are differences within areas, and in the time of Christ there would be different traditions in different areas, even though they were a Jewish nation there would be traditions within the regions.

When we look at the works of Jesus, we find that around 75% of his teaching and preaching took place in Galilee, he was from that area he would have had a Galilean accent and to some extent a Galilean culture.

He was Galilean and so were his disciples so his preaching would reflect the unique customs, and the ideas of the area, he used them in his parables using references that the listeners would be familiar with and understand.

For us with our 21st century knowledge to get to grips what Jesus said and how his original listeners would have understood him we need to try and put ourselves in the first century in Galilean mindset.

Scholars have pieced together a picture of family life of the time by studying the ruins of Korazin and other towns that lay near Capernaum and Bethsaida to gain an insight into the way of life. To discover how they lived.

Today we heard the gospel reading about a wedding that Jesus attended, I would like us to look together at the Wedding feast in Canna but think more about what leads up to this.

Firstly, there was the proposal if you like the engagement, there would firstly be a negotiation of the bride’s price, recognising that the bride would be precious to the family.

There would be a contract written up if you like a covenant between the couple, this would be read out in the town’s meeting place, a wedding would be a big event in the town and time of joy and excitement people would gather around to hear the proposal. Once this was read out the Groom would have a cup of wine which he held out to the bride to be in both hands.

Then silence as the people waited to see her reaction, because at this point, she could accept or reject this proposal. Her acceptance was confirmed when she drank from the cup, then the groom would do the same, this then sealed the covenant by the drinking from the same cup. This was called the CUP OF JOY. This part of the ceremony was called the “ketubah”

Just as Jesus does not force anyone to accept Him as Lord and Saviour, so the bride also, is not forced to marry her future Groom, unless she consents.

As the bride takes the drink the groom would say “You are now consecrated to me by the laws of Moses, and I will not drink again until we meet in my Father’s house.”

Where do we see Jesus use similar words to his followers?

At the last supper we find in Mark 14 v 24-25 he makes a very similar statement “And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

This statement would have been extremely clear to his disciples this was a marriage contract between Jesus himself and his disciples and for us today as his Church, it is the SEAL of the new covenant. There would have been no doubt in their minds what Jesus was proposing to them, and again as with the bride for them and for us, there is the choice of taking the wine or refusing it.

That I think puts a reflection on our own communion services?

When we take up the communion, we to are re-enforcing our commitment to the new covenant with Christ!

What follows next is that the bride and groom would go back to their own families betrothed to each other.

The preparation for the wedding then begins in earnest the building of an extension to his father’s house as tradition demands families would build onto their father’s house creating a courtyard in the centre with relatives all around, the groom gathers all the materials to prepares a room for his bride. He is responsible for all the preparations. This may take up to a year or more to get ready.

We can find Jesus, describing this in John’s Gospel 14-2, “I go to prepare a place for you”

He tells them he must leave 14:2-3 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

This promise echoes the groom’s preparation, again the disciples would understand and accept this so they would not question this, but would ask the question when will this happen?

When asked this question Jesus answered Mark 13 – 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

This again reflects the tradition the Groom prepares the room, and his father inspects it to ensure everything is right, then tells the son to prepare the feast. But the groom would have to eagerly wait for his father to say to him “Go get your Bride”

The son now needs to gather enough food and wine to last several days for all the guests.

During this time though the bride is not ideal she uses the dowery provided by the father of the groom to prepare herself for the wedding.

She and her bridesmaids seek out and purchase the things she needs to make her bridal gown from the dowery she has received, not like today where you can go and purchase one from a shop, they would need to seek out to buy pieces of the cloth sometimes waiting for visiting merchants to get the things required.

She would try too complete this as soon as possible to be ready for the groom, each night she would be clothed and ready just in case, with her bridesmaids or virgins alongside her.

Everything is now ready the groom waits for the father, who may come to him and say the words “Go get your Bride”

This usually happened in the middle of the night. The bridegroom would have a shofar that he would blow, like a trumpet and this would wake up the town’s people. They would have to also be anticipating his arrival and meet him outside, to be in the wedding procession. Once the Bridesmaids heard the shofar, they would have to make sure they had enough oil in their lamps to not only get the bride up quickly, but to last as they walked back to the Bride Groom’s Father’s house, in the dark, to help light the way.

This parable also speaks of a Galilean wedding.

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you I don’t know you.’

In the last verse of this parable, Jesus was connecting the dots with the parable, letting the disciples know that like in a Galilean wedding, they too had to be ready for when He would return for them, to take them to Heaven where He would be preparing a dwelling place for them.

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Tradition is that when the guests arrive the door are shut those who were to busy to get there in time would be shut out of the banquet, the ten virgins are a warning to all that even if we believe we need to be ready.

Some time ago Karon and I went to York for the weekend, and we decided at the last minute to visit the “Yorvik Centre.”

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived. and it was extremely busy.

Undaunted though we joined the queue and slowly moved towards the front, but as we got nearer someone came out and put the barrier across. The last visit was full, and they were now closed for the day.

Disappointed we resigned ourselves and walked away with several people who were also queuing behind us.

We were close but not close enough.

It didn’t matter if we were the first in line or last in line, we were close, but we were still outsiders.

We were close but not close enough.

There have been many over the years who have tried to predict the return of Christ, some causing people to fall away but it is not for us to know but the Father in heaven.

God has provided a dowery for each of us in the sacrifice of Jesus shedding his blood for our sins.

It is up to us to take the cup of the new covenant.

We too need to prepare ourselves to use the gift the dowery of the word and promise of Jesus, that he will return when we least expect it. That he will find us dressed and ready with the oil of his words in our lamps, so we will not stubble.

Lord, we thankyou for the gift of life you give us,

That it is our choice that we follow you.

That the dowery you gave by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Let us partake of the cup of joy and enjoy our bridegroom.

Amen

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