God’s Love Story

Josh Spoelstra

The New Covenant ([Re]Marriage) Foretold

Hosea 2.18aα, 19-20 Jeremiah 31.31, 33b, 34b

‘In that day I will make a [new] covenant for them … I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.

‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. …I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. …For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’

(RE)MARRIAGERelationship Restored–Redeemed

The New Covenant Terms

“it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2.8-10).

Jesus ≈ Bridegroom

‘Teacher, you remember the man who was with you on the east side of the Jordan, the one you spoke about? Well, he is baptizing now, and everyone is going to him! John answered, ‘No one can have anything unless God gives it. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him. …

Jesus ≈ Bridegroom

The bridegroom is the one to whom the bride belongs; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This is how my own happiness is made complete. He must become more important while I become less important. (John 3.26-30)

Jesus ≈ Bridegroom

‘How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast’ (Matthew 9.14-15).

The New Covenant ([Re]Marriage)

Luke 22.19-20 Hebrews 9.15

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Jewish Wedding Tradition

• The two betrothal blessings, one over wine and one over the act of betrothal that will follow, are recited by a rabbi. The rabbi does not drink the wine, but gives the goblet to the groom and then to the bride, for each to take a sip.

• Upon completion of the blessings, of which the first is the benediction over wine, the couple drinks from the wine goblet” (Greenberg, JES 22/1 [1985] 10-11).

The Last Supper

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. …After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’ (Luke 22.14, 17-20)

Marriage

Jewish Wedding Tradition The Last Supper

Blessings + cup of wine

marriage contract

Blessings + cup of wine

Cup of wine

Jesus’ body as bread

Cup of wine representing the New Covenant

The Wedding Banquet

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ And again they shouted: ‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.’ …

The Wedding Banquet

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: ‘Amen, Hallelujah!’ Then a voice came from the throne, saying: ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!’ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. ...

The Wedding Banquet

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.’ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’ (Revelation 19.1-9)

The Wedding Banquet

• The Bridegroom– The Lamb

• Passover lamb (Exodus 12)

• Suffering Servant ≈ lamb (Isaiah 53)

• Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1)

The Wedding Banquet

• The Bride– Not the great prostitute

• “[God] has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries” (19.2b)

• “The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever’” (19.3b).

The Wedding Banquet

• The Bride– Is the righteous

• “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints) (19.8).

– “the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (19.7b).

“Fine linens, bright and clean, were given her to wear” (19.8a)

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! …Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you’ (Zechariah 3.1-4).

“Fine linens, bright and clean, were given her to wear” (19.8a)“the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 22.11-13).

“a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev 21.2)

Zechariah 3 Matthew 22 Revelation 19

Removal of “filthy clothes” and donning of clean, “rich garments”

Was not clad in proper “wedding clothes”

“Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)”

Lamb of God

and

Bride of Christ

Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!