Appendix 7 - A Galilean Wedding
Overview
There is no doubt that the Bible is its best commentary as the Holy Spirit has addressed every potential barrier, question, or any other reason a reader may have difficulty with when studying the text. Some may require more in-depth studying than others to find the answers, but they are there. In some cases extra-Biblical sources can be helpful to understand the background which, in turn, provides the reader greater comprehension. One subject that can benefit from non-Biblical writings is the subject of Jewish wedding traditions. While the Bible does refer to and describe Jewish weddings, there are some details regarding protocol (and the reasons for the protocols) that are not provided in Scripture. This appendix lesson will offer a brief look at a specific and unique regional wedding tradition, that of the weddings that took place in the region of Galilee during the time of Christ.
Why is that important? The gospel accounts (and other New Testament books) often spoke about weddings (see Matthew 1:18-25; 9:14-15; 19:4-6; 22:1-14; 24:36-25:13; Mark 2:18-20; Luke 5:33-35; 12:35-48; 14:7-11; John 2:1-11; 3:25-30; 14:1-4, 28-31; 2 Corinthians 11:1-2; Ephesians 5:22-33; Revelation 19:6-10; 21:1-3, 9-10; 22:7-20). Since Jesus did most of His teaching in the Galilee region, He would have used local traditions so that the people would be able to relate to and understand the lesson.
Galilean Wedding Timeline with Related Scripture
There appears to be several parallels between what Jesus and a few of the New Testament writers taught regarding various Jewish wedding protocols that were unique to those that lived in the Galilee region during the time of Jesus to that of the series of events preceding and leading into the period of the tribulation. The following is a brief description of each phase with Biblical references and notes to their application.
1. The father chooses the bride for his son. A covenant is signed by the two fathers.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16, emphasis added) “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love” (Ephesians 1:4, emphasis added) Even though there is a “free will” choice in either accepting or rejecting salvation through Jesus,[1] we see that the language used in Scripture often refers to being ‘elected’ or ‘chosen’. Just as the father chooses the bride, we read that believers are also referred to as being chosen.
2. During their early teens, the bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time (typically at a synagogue), where they will first be cleansed (separately submerged, called a ‘mikveh’) and then presented to God, family, and other witnesses under a Hoopah (a special canopy).
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17, emphasis added) Believers are cleansed and presented before God and witnesses during baptism. Both the groom (Jesus) and believer are baptized.
3. The father of the groom pays the previously agreed upon price for the bride.
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28, emphasis added) “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, emphasis added) “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (Ephesians 1:13-14, NLT, emphasis added) Jesus paid the price for our salvation when He lived a sinless life, suffered, died, and rose victoriously conquering death. Every believer has been bought by the blood of Jesus. As a collective of believers (the church), we become the ‘bride’ of Christ.
4. The groom will offer the bride bread and wine, if she accepts the covenant of marriage the bride will sip the wine and return the cup to the groom, who then sips from the same cup and says “I will not drink from the fruit of the vine until that day I drink it new with you in my father’s house”. Both the bride and the groom are now considered one, the period of betrothal begins.
“And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “ This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:20, emphasis added) “ I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29, emphasis added) “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “ This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25, emphasis added) On the night before He was crucified, Jesus shared a Seder meal with His disciples. During that meal He told them that He would not drink the fruit of the vine again until they were with Him at the wedding feast in heaven. The marriage covenant is finalized.
5. The groom leaves to prepare a place for his bride at his father’s house (typically by adding a room).
“ In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3, emphasis added) Jesus promised to go to His Father’s house to prepare a place for every believer.
6. During the time they are separated, the bride is to remain pure for her groom.
“Without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27, emphasis added) Believers are to always be ready and restrain from sinning.
7. Once the room is ready, the groom is to then wait for his father to tell him to go get his bride. This is one of the more unique features of a Galilean wedding that unlike nearly every other culture (including most other Jewish weddings) the wedding date remains unknown (making it a total surprise).
“ But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36, emphasis added) The Bible makes it clear that the date and time of Jesus’ return will be unknown to us. It will indeed be a complete surprise.
8. When the father decides it is time for the marriage to commence, he will wake up the groom in the middle of the night and tell him to go and get his bride. Horns are then blown to wake the townspeople as the groom makes his way to his bride. For this period the bride would have been going to bed wearing her wedding gown, along with her bridesmaids.
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44, emphasis added) “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, emphasis added) Believers are to remain vigilant while they wait for Jesus. According to Paul at the time of being “caught up” (Greek ‘harpagēsometha’, meaning to grab by force, the root word is ‘harpazō’ which in Latin is ‘rapturo’, the source of the word ‘rapture’)[2], the trumpet of God will be heard, signaling the beginning of the rapture.
9. The bridesmaids will light the way to the wedding with their oil lamps.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:1-13, emphasis added) In this parable Jesus not only explains the need to remain vigilant, He is calling our attention again to the fact that the rapture can occur at any time.
10. The groom will arrange for a hand-carried cart (often called a ‘litter’) to pick up and carry the bride to the groom’s home.
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, emphasis added) Just like the Galilean bride being lifted up in a litter, believers will be lifted up to meet Jesus in the air.
11. All those awaken by the horns join the procession. Every guest is given a white garment to wear (typically a robe) as they enter the wedding. Once the bride arrives, the wedding begins.
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:6-9, emphasis added) “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘ Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”” (Matthew 22:11-14, emphasis added) Everyone who has accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation will be given new garments of white (see also Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18; and Revelation 7:14), as He has cleansed them of their sins. Anyone trying to gain salvation any other way will not be allowed in heaven, nor will they be allowed to partake in the marriage feast, as they will be sent away to the outer darkness of hell forever.
12. When everyone has arrived at the wedding, the entrance door is shut and locked as no one can come or go for seven days and nights. The marriage feast begins.
“Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by. For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.” (Isaiah 26:20-21, emphasis added) “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10, emphasis added) Both Isaiah and Paul offers the insight that while believers are enjoying heaven and the marriage feast, they are being protected from God’s fury during the seven-year tribulation period on earth.
References
This appendix was inspired by the documentary "Before the Wrath" a film released in 2020 written and directed by Brent Miller Jr. The background research and references for the documentary and book "Before the Wrath" has been compiled by Jay R. McCarl in a document titled "The Wedding Discoveries" and is available free online at his website (www.jaymccarl.com) At the time of this publication "The Wedding Discoveries" was copyrighted in 2024 as a 144-page draft.[3]
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[1] See Appendix 3 - Election and Predestination
[2] See “The Introduction to the Olivet Discourse” located before the commentary of Matthew chapter 24.
[3] The Wedding Discoveries. (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2024, from https://jaymccarl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/references-active-draft-rev-4e280932-24-1.pdf