Jesus the Bridegroom Jn. 3: 29 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

John the Baptist called himself the friend of the bridegroom in Jn 3:29, when he was referring to Jesus Christ.  In Matt 25:1-10, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ returns like a bridegroom coming to his marriage.  The sun typifies Jesus Christ (Mal 4:2) and the sun is a picture of a bridegroom in Ps 19:4-5.  What is the significance of the connection between Jesus Christ and a bridegroom?

In fact, Jesus Christ is a groom and the church is his bride according to Eph 5:23-32.  When we trust Jesus, our old man dies, freeing us to marry the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 7:1-4).  Therefore, characteristics of a groom fit Jesus Christ exceedingly well.  That is, by studying things concerning grooms, you and I can learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ.

• A man offers his love to a woman, in hopes of her becoming his bride. So, Jesus Christ offers his love to us (Jn 15:13; 1 Jn 4:19).
• There is great joy when a woman accepts the proposal of her groom to be. So, there is great joy in the presence of the angels of God when we accept Jesus’ proposal (Lk 15:7, 10).
• The groom loves his bride, so Jesus loves the church (Eph 5:25-29).
• A groom will sacrifice things to have his bride. So, Jesus Christ gave up heaven to humble himself as a man that he might have us (Phil 2:5-8).
• The groom writes his bride frequently when they are apart. Likewise, Jesus has written us and expects us to read his letter (Jn 14:23).
• A royal groom gives his bride jewelry and a crown. Likewise, Jesus, the King of kings, has offered us jewels and crowns (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Thes 2:19, etc).
• The bridegroom prepares a place for the couple to live following their marriage. So, Jesus has prepared a place for us to live after our marriage (Jn 14:1-6; Rev 21).
• A bridegroom supplies the needs of his bride, so Jesus supplies our needs (Phil 4:19).
• The bride must submit to her bridegroom, so we must submit to Jesus (Eph 5:22-24).
• A bridegroom should give his bride a good and worthy name. Likewise, Jesus gives us a name that is above every name (Phil 2:9, Acts 4:12).
• As the bridegroom delights in the companionship of his bride, so Jesus desires fellowship with us (1 Jn 1:3-7).
• A faithful bridegroom will not leave his bride, so Jesus never leaves us (Heb 13:5).

When you think on these things, you will, perhaps, come up with more similarities between Jesus and a bridegroom.  Suffice it to say that with all of these parallels, you can easily see why John the Baptist called himself the friend of the bridegroom.  For more information, see the Sunday school lesson from Matthew 9:14-17.