By Les Ferguson, Jr.
columnist

Last Wednesday night I skipped our church service – with permission. But I didn’t skip school, nor did I miss church.

Instead, I drove north to hear an old friend speak as a guest speaker at another church. I’m glad I did. First, it was a reunion of sorts. I hadn’t seen him in person for several years. Too many, actually. So that was good. But when he spoke, I was blessed to see something in the Scriptures that I had never seen or paid much attention to.

His lesson that night was about Jesus as the bridegroom. That is not a word we use much today. I recently wrote about a wedding I was privileged to attend. As far as I know, no one used the term bridegroom. I certainly never did, and I don’t think I ever have.

Until now.

When I was growing up, there was always a society section in the newspaper. It was full of engagement announcements, photos, and stories about recent weddings. The groom was most likely to be mentioned in some form, but the oohs and aahs were reserved for the bride or bride-to-be. You read about her dress, her bouquet, what her groomsmen were wearing, the wedding venue, and various other details.

In truth, except at a wedding where there had to be a bride and a groom, the groom was not that important.

It’s funny, but I’ve often told a groom-to-be that the upcoming wedding isn’t his. Maybe it’s not even the bride’s wedding – instead, it’s her mother’s time to shine.

But I digress.

In our modern Western culture, the focus is on the bride. She is the one who draws all the attention. As my friend reminded us last Wednesday night, the bride is resplendent in a dress that costs a small fortune, while the groom stands in a rented tuxedo, just like the friends standing next to him.

Things were different in Jesus’ day. The focus was on the groom. Remember the story of the bridesmaids in Matthew 25? Their sole purpose was to greet the groom when he arrived. Traditional theology correctly teaches that the groom is Jesus and the bride is his church.

In this scenario, the focus is less on the bride and more on the groom. I’m not telling you this because I want to change our western wedding culture. On the contrary, I want to emphasize that the groom’s wedding and the church are much more about Jesus.

As humans, we can be demanding and self-focused. Not so at Jesus’ wedding feast. It’s not about me, but about Him and His glory.

“Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lord.
Lamb! And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9 NIV)