During the time Jesus walked the earth, the concept of marriage was approached quite differently. It was primarily seen as a legal arrangement. When a young man wished to wed a young woman, he would first seek out her parents, presenting them with a formal marriage contract to initiate the union.

Upon entering the home, the parents would engage in light conversation, and at the right moment, the groom would reveal the purpose of his visit. He would propose a bride price for the woman he wished to marry, a figure that would be negotiated and ultimately agreed upon by her father. This price was seen by the father as compensation for the years of care and resources invested in raising his daughter. Typically, the father would negotiate for the highest amount he believed the groom could manage. Once both sides reached a satisfactory agreement, the union was symbolically solidified as the groom and his future bride shared a cup of wine, marking the beginning of their marital covenant.

After partaking in the ceremonial cup of wine, the groom would fulfill his obligation by paying the agreed sum to the bride’s father. Following this, he would address the bride with the words, “I am now going to prepare a place for you.” Subsequently, the groom would return to his father’s residence to commence the construction of a bridal chamber intended for their honeymoon. This could involve either the creation of a modest dwelling apart from his father’s home or the renovation of a room within the family house.

The bridal chamber needed to be stunning and could take as long as a year to complete. It also had to be filled with enough supplies to last a week, as that was the duration of the honeymoon. The groom’s father would determine when the chamber was satisfactory, inspecting it periodically without rushing the process.

Like most young men, if the groom was to judge when the bridal chamber was ready he would be so eager to finish it that it could very well look like a shack.  So now and then the father would take his time looking it over and make sure everything was just right.

The bride was also busy during this time of waiting. With help from her mother, sisters, and friends, she would prepare her “trousseau”, her clothing, linens, and everything she would need when the groom came to get her. 

The bride would always have a lamp filled with oil in case the groom came at night. She had to be ready to travel at a moment’s notice.  During the time she was waiting she was referred to as being, “consecrated”, or “set apart” and “bought with a price”.  When she left home to go to the market or to draw water, she would always wear a veil to indicate to others that she was spoken for and soon-to-be-wed. 

During the time of preparation, the bride would gather her sisters and bridesmaids and together they would wait for the groom to come. They would all have oil lamps ready because the groom could come at any hour of the day or night so they would all wait at the bride’s home every night.

Back at the bridal chamber the groom would be hammering away and checking with his father hoping it was good enough to go get his bride. When neighbors would walk by and ask, “When’s the big day?” the groom would answer, “Only my father knows that”.

Finally, the day would come when the bridal chamber would meet the father’s expectations and he would approve it. The groom would gather some of his friends to go with him to get the bride. It was meant to be a surprise as if he was stealing her away.

Meanwhile, the bride would be watching and waiting with her veil and wedding dress nearby, and her lamp full of oil. 

The groom didn’t want to surprise the bride and catch her unprepared. So as the party of young men got close enough to her house one of the men would shout. When the bride and bridesmaids heard the shout, they knew the groom would be coming through the door to sweep her off her feet. She only had time to get her lamp & clothes for the honeymoon. Her attendants had to be ready too. They had to have their lamps filled with oil and wicks trimmed because no one would try to walk on that rocky ground without a lamp.

Upon reaching the house, the groom would charge through the door, pick up the bride, and carry her away. The bride’s father and the rest of the family, although excited, would look the other way as if nothing had happened.  But the bridesmaids would follow behind the groom and bride. 

As the wedding party would travel through the village people would hear them shouting and see the lamps and know it was a wedding. But they wouldn’t know who the bride was because she would be wearing the veil over her face.  In a few weeks, the bride & groom would be coming back that way again. The bride would have the veil removed at that time and everyone would recognize the bride and groom.

Meanwhile, the groom and bride have reached their destination and the groom takes the bride into the bridal chamber. They go inside and close the door. This is their wedding night and no one else is allowed inside. The honeymoon will last for 7 days.

The wedding party would wait outside. They can’t celebrate until the marriage is consummated. That was the Jewish law. The two had to become one through the act of intercourse and then they were considered legally married. The friend of the groom, or the best man, would wait just outside the door and listen for the groom to tell him the marriage had been consummated and the friend would tell the rest of the wedding party. The celebration would begin and last the rest of the week.

At the end of the week, the couple would come out of the chamber and everyone would join in a large marriage feast or supper. Today we would call it a wedding reception.

The Analogy of the Wedding Ceremony and the Christian’s Relationship with The Lord:

The marriage contract: Just as marriage is a Blood Covenant, when we accept Jesus as Lord & Savior, we are entering a Blood Covenant relationship with Him. It’s a contract that is sealed in His Blood. The contract is outlined in Jer. 31:30-35. It is even dated: in verse 36.

The Cup of Wine: At communion, we take the bread & juice. The grape juice represents the Blood of Jesus. Communion is an affirmation or declaration that we are still in Covenant with Him. We are still receptive to His blessings. The broken bread represents His Body that was broken for us for our healing, physical and spiritual.  Healing from Him is one of the blessings we are entitled to through Covenant.

The Price is paid: How much did our Bridegroom pay for us? Back in those days a lot of men probably returned home to their father and said, “Do you realize how they want for her?”.  

In the same way, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His Father, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, it’s too big a price to pay!” But Jesus trusted His Father’s judgment and said, “Nevertheless, not what I want but what You want. I’ll pay the price”.

Prepare a place for you: When the groom left to go home and build a bridal chamber, he would tell his bride, “I’m going to prepare a place for you”.  In John 14:1-3, Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”. 

We’re in the waiting period. We’re consecrated. During this time, we are getting ready for the Groom to come. Our lamp should be filled with oil, the Holy Spirit. Our veil is the way we live. When others see how we handle problems with prayer and peace of mind they ask, “Who is this? Why are they so different? What do they have that I don’t?”

The Coming of the Groom for His Bride: 1 Thessalonians. 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

When the Lord comes, we must be ready. Matthew 25:2-4 tells about the 10 virgins who had lamps and were waiting for the groom to come. 5 were ready and had their lamps filled with oil. 5 were foolish and had let their lamps run out of oil. They asked the other five for oil, but they only had enough for themselves. The 5 foolish virgins went to buy more oil but verse 6 says, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” verse 10: ” … and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ” Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”  Jesus then added, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”.

What are we supposed to be watching for?  We should be watching the signs of the times. The signs have never been greater, more frequent or more certain than they are today.

The Bridal Chamber: We will be taken up to Heaven. II Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in His body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

This is our honeymoon with the Lord. This is called the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Bema Seat. It is when we go before the Lord and He removes His Brides’ veil. It will be a time that we really become “intimate” with Him. He will already know everything about us, but it will be the beginning of our really knowing Him.

He will review our life with us from the time we became saved until the time of the Rapture. He will talk with us and reward us for our good acts. (1 Cor. 3:11-13) He’ll also remind us of the things that we should have done but neglected to do. That will mean taking rewards away.

Then after 7 years of honeymoon, the Groom Jesus will tell His friend the marriage has been consummated.

In John 3:28-29, John the Baptist speaks, “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. ²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”

Who is the Best Man of the wedding between Jesus and His Bride? John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus and the forerunner of Jesus. It could very well be that John the Baptist will announce to the heavenly hosts that the Marriage is complete.

The Marriage Supper: Rev. 19:7-8, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

After the supper we will leave the Father’s house in heaven and come to earth where Jesus will set up His Kingdom.  We will live with Him here on earth for 1000 years and then the earth will be purged of sin by fire. There will be a new Heaven and New Earth and we’ll live with Jesus for eternity.