Wine and Wedding Promises

Written by Julie

On April 1, 2020

I learned something interesting today.

When a Jewish man proposed to a woman, he would pass a cup of wine to her. Her drinking of the wine signified that she accepted the proposal, and they were engaged. With the wine and proposal and everything came some promises or a new covenant: he promised to prepare a place for her and to return to take her home with him and to take care of her; she promised to faithfully wait and stay prepared.

In Luke 22, we read of the last supper Jesus had with His disciples before the cross. It was the time of Passover, remembering when God “passed over” the homes with blood on the doorposts but killed the firstborn sons in the homes without, and the Jews’ release from Egypt’s rule afterwards. Jesus and His disciples commemorated this event together, but Jesus did some things that weren’t traditional.

…[Jesus] took the cup after the meal and said, “This cup is the new covenant by my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:20 (CEB)

Cup of wine, new covenant–this was a marriage proposal, y’all! Jesus was telling His disciples and all followers after: “I want you to be Mine, I’m going to prepare a place for you, I’ll return to take you home with Me; and I want you to faithfully wait for Me and be ready to go as soon as I come back.”

It was up to them whether or not the proposal would be accepted. It was their choice whether or not to keep up their end of the promise.

And it’s the same for us.

Will we accept Jesus’ proposal? More than that, will we stay faithful? Will we remain prepared, ready to leave? Will we keep our eyes and ears open, eagerly waiting for His arrival?

Marriage is not all up to one person. It takes effort from both people to make it work. Jesus is doing His work: He died for us, making a way for us to be with Him; He’s getting our homes ready; He’s taking care of us, loving us; and He will come back, maybe sooner than we think. Are we–are you, am I–doing our part?

		
Julie

Julie

Hi, I'm Julie, a 18-year-old lover of books, music, and Jesus. I'm a senior in high school (Abeka Academy) and have been blogging for three years. I also co-publish a digital magazine called Priceless geared toward teen girls. My desire is to use my words to glorify my Saviour and to encourage you in your walk with God. I'd love to hear from you!

You May Also Like…

Good God and Good Gifts

Good God and Good Gifts

His goodness sweeps over me like a tidal wave and I am drowned, I am overwhelmed, I am washed new and clean, I am refilled. I am dying and resurrecting.

Spring Is Coming

Spring Is Coming

We spoke in Sunday school of Job, of how he knew that his Redeemer lived and would come and would reign and would make all things new and right.

Christmas, Storms, and No Fear

Christmas, Storms, and No Fear

Life is full of so many different storms.
But because of God–because of Christ’s coming–we don’t have to fear.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Matt
Matt
3 years ago

I never heard it explained quite like that. What a beautiful picture!