The Bridegroom of Blood

UV 773/10,000 The Bridegroom of Blood He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. John 3 v 29 In this uni-verse, John first describes his cousin Jesus as the Bridegroom. He states that he himself was like the best man or the friend of the bridegroom. The church consisting of the body of believers is the bride of Christ. Hence, we too are anointed on account of our being connected by faith with the Anointed One of God-Jesus. Jacob obtained his wife Rachel by seven years of labour. Recently, the Lord revealed Himself as “ the Bridegroom of Blood” implying that He obtained us by His blood or His sacrificial death and even today covers us with His blood so that we are acceptable in holiness to the Father in heaven. The role of the bridegroom is to protect, to provide, to bless and to cherish. Jesus does this vis- a- vis the believers. What He has accomplished on the cross and what He accomplishes daily in our lives is the source of our security and prosperity for eternity. John’ s joy was derived in hearing the voice of His friend, Jesus. Similarly, our joy should not be stimuli-driven or based on our circumstances but it is anchored in hearing the Word or the voice of Jesus speaking to us daily. We must take time to hear Him. We find our fulfilment of joy in hearing His voice and understanding or applying His Word to our lives. The Bridegroom of Blood, Jesus communicates His love for His bride, the church through His Word. Scripture says that as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, God shall rejoice over you. However, God is not subject to the “honeymoon effect” of romantic love wherein it falls back to ground zero, for His love remains steadfast and unchanging. There is a chapter in the Bible describing the perfect wife but there is no chapter about the perfect husband. The reason is that the whole Bible is a love letter from the perfect Husband. As scripture says, “ Thy Maker is thy Husband.” The implication of this uni-verse is that our relationship with the Lord is more intimate, deeper and lasting than the greatest of human relationships, namely our relationship with our spouses. We need to rejoice in the Lord for this reason all the time and not only in favourable circumstances or when things are going our way. The word “ rejoice” is a verb that means that we should all the time actively find reasons to be glad in the presence of the Lord. Nehemiah only once wore a sad look on his face when he went into the king’ s presence in order to communicate his sorrow to him and to obtain permission to re-build the walls of Jerusalem. We can be sad for a reason but always joyful in all seasons for we find our joy in the Lord. Joy in the Lord is a sacred emotion that flows from deep down in our heart but it also reflects its bright shadow on our face. It saturates our attitude. It overflows from our words and have a contagious effect on those around us. It is evident in our tone of voice, body language and in our step and gait. Prateep V Philip