Christology Through Imagery
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
Thinking about Christ through the many images that are used to refer to Him, we have considered Christ and His saving work illustrated in images such as bread, lamb, light, shepherd, door, vine and cornerstone. This week we turn to the image of bridegroom. In biblical marriages there are two central figures, a bride and a bridegroom, with the bridegroom being set forth as one of the images for Christ and with His followers collectively being His bride. From our vantage point the bridegroom image has to do with Christ’s first coming, His present ministry and His future glory.
Centuries before Christ came, God introduced the marriage analogy in the prophetic hope He gave His people Israel through the prophet Hosea, saying, “It shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me ‘My Husband’” (Hosea 2:16) before adding, “I will betroth you to Me forever” (v. 19).
John the Baptist tapped into the marriage analogy in order to explain his own role in relation to Christ at His first coming.
John began with the straightforward clarification, “I am not the Christ,” before explaining, “I have been sent before Him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled” (John 3:28–29). Clearly, John meant his bridegroom analogy to be a reference to Christ with his own role like that of a best man who hears the bridegroom’s voice and announces the bridegroom’s coming.
Jesus later identified Himself as the divine bridegroom in His explanation why His disciples did not need to fast while He was with them (Matt. 9:15).
The analogy of marriage also serves to elaborate on Christ’s present relationship to and ministry on behalf of the church. For example, the Apostle Paul explained his own ministry by means of the betrothal of a bride to her groom, writing, “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). His explanation clearly pointed to Christ as the bridegroom for whom the Church is being prepared as His bride.
Christ’s present ministry in relation to the Church or to believers collectively is one of purifying the Church for presentation to Himself as the heavenly Bridegroom. Christ’s present ministry is one of loving us in order to “sanctify and cleanse” us so that we become “a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25–27).
To this end of a beautifully perfected bride, Christ gave Himself for the church. His sacrificial love continues in the ongoing cleansing and sanctifying work enabled by the Holy Spirit whom He sent. As believers, we are to see ourselves as part of the collective bride of Christ, being prepared for a future presentation to Him.
Marriage celebration
This glorious future is described in Revelation 19:7–9 as a marriage celebration in which the participants, Christ the heavenly bridegroom, and glorified believers as the perfectly prepared bride are forever joined: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready,” to which is added the benediction, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”
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