The First Miracle

Bridegroom

Synopsis

A man who is to be married or who has just got married. In the NT Jesus Christ is portrayed as a bridegroom and the church as his bride.

The bridegroom and the wedding ceremony

The bridegroom wore special clothing

Is 61:10

Isaiah 61:10 (NCV) — 10 The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God. He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels.

The bridegroom took part in the procession to the bride’s home

See also Mt 25:1–12

Matthew 25:1–12 (NCV) — 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn. 4 The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars. 5 Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep. 6 “At midnight someone cried out, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!’ 7 Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8 But the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 The wise bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked. 11 “Later the others came back and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door to let us in.’ 12 But the bridegroom answered, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t want to know you.’

The bridegroom had a group of companions

Jdg 14:10–11

Judges 14:10–11 (NCV) — 10 Samson’s father went down to see the Philistine woman. And Samson gave a feast, as was the custom for the bridegroom. 11 When the people saw him, they sent thirty friends to be with him.

The bridegroom had a special friend as an attendant

Jn 3:29

John 3:29 (NCV) — 29 The bride belongs only to the bridegroom. But the friend who helps the bridegroom stands by and listens to him. He is thrilled that he gets to hear the bridegroom’s voice. In the same way, I am really happy.

See also Jdg 14:20–15:2; Jn 2:7–10 The “master of the banquet” was probably the friend who attended the bridegroom.

Judges 14:20–15:2 (NCV) — 20 And Samson’s wife was given to his best man. 1 At the time of the wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife, taking a young goat with him. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room,” but her father would not let him go in. 2 He said to Samson, “I thought you really hated your wife, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more beautiful. Take her instead.”

John 2:7–10 (NCV) — 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled the jars to the top. 8 Then he said to them, “Now take some out and give it to the master of the feast.” So they took the water to the master. 9 When he tasted it, the water had become wine. He did not know where the wine came from, but the servants who had brought the water knew. The master of the wedding called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “People always serve the best wine first. Later, after the guests have been drinking awhile, they serve the cheaper wine. But you have saved the best wine till now.”

The bridegroom was sometimes responsible for giving the wedding banquet

Jdg 14:10

Judges 14:10 (NCV) — 10 Samson’s father went down to see the Philistine woman. And Samson gave a feast, as was the custom for the bridegroom.

See also Jn 2:9–10

John 2:9–10 (NCV) — 9 When he tasted it, the water had become wine. He did not know where the wine came from, but the servants who had brought the water knew. The master of the wedding called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “People always serve the best wine first. Later, after the guests have been drinking awhile, they serve the cheaper wine. But you have saved the best wine till now.”

The bridegroom led his bride to a specially prepared bridal chamber

Joe 2:16

Joel 2:16 (NCV) — 16 Bring the people together and make the meeting holy for the Lord. Bring together the elders, as well as the children, and even babies that still feed at their mothers’ breasts. The bridegroom should come from his room, the bride from her bedroom.

See also Ps 19:4–5

Psalm 19:4–5 (NCV) — 4 But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth. The sky is like a home for the sun. 5 The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his bedroom. It rejoices like an athlete eager to run a race.

Bridegrooms were associated with happiness and rejoicing

Je 7:34

Jeremiah 7:34 (NCV) — 34 I will end the happy sounds of the bride and bridegroom. There will be no happy sounds in the cities of Judah or in the streets of Jerusalem, because the land will become an empty desert!

See also Is 62:5; Je 16:9; Je 25:10; Je 33:11; Re 18:23

Isaiah 62:5 (NCV) — 5 As a young man marries a woman, so your children will marry your land. As a man rejoices over his new wife, so your God will rejoice over you.

Jeremiah 16:9 (NCV) — 9 because this is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: I will soon stop the sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms in this place. This will happen during your lifetime.

Jeremiah 25:10 (NCV) — 10 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and happiness, the sounds of brides and bridegrooms, and the sound of people grinding meal. And I will take away the light of the lamp.

Jeremiah 33:11 (NCV) — 11 There will be sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing to the Temple of the Lord their offerings of thanks to the Lord. They will say, ‘Praise the Lord All-Powerful, because the Lord is good! His love continues forever!’ They will say this because I will again do good things for Judah, as I did in the beginning,” says the Lord.

Revelation 18:23 (NCV) — 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great people, and all the nations were tricked by your magic.

Bridegrooms were excused from military service and certain other duties

Dt 24:5

Deuteronomy 24:5 (NCV) — 5 A man who has just married must not be sent to war or be given any other duty. He should be free to stay home for a year to make his new wife happy.

See also Dt 20:1–7

Deuteronomy 20:1–7 (NCV) — 1 When you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an army that is bigger than yours, don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 The priest must come and speak to the army before you go into battle. 3 He will say, “Listen, Israel! Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Don’t lose your courage or be afraid. Don’t panic or be frightened, 4 because the Lord your God goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies and to save you.” 5 The officers should say to the army, “Has anyone built a new house but not given it to God? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would get to give his house to God. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would enjoy his vineyard. 7 Is any man engaged to a woman and not yet married to her? He may go home, because he might die in battle and someone else would marry her.”

Jesus Christ is portrayed as a bridegroom

Mt 9:14–15 Jesus Christ refers to himself as the bridegroom.

Matthew 9:14–15 (NCV) — 14 Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast for a certain time, but your followers don’t?” 15 Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

See also Eph 5:22–33

Ephesians 5:22–33 (NCV) — 22 Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church. 24 As the church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it 26 to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27 He died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other wrong thing in it. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church, 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 The Scripture says, “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.” 32 That secret is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and a wife must respect her husband.

The future coming of Jesus Christ compared to the sudden arrival of the bridegroom

Mt 25:1–10

Matthew 25:1–10 (NCV) — 1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to wait for the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The five foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn. 4 The wise bridesmaids took their lamps and more oil in jars. 5 Because the bridegroom was late, they became sleepy and went to sleep. 6 “At midnight someone cried out, ‘The bridegroom is coming! Come and meet him!’ 7 Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready. 8 But the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 The wise bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough for all of us. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “So while the five foolish bridesmaids went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was closed and locked.