Christ as Bridegroom to His People in the New Testament
In Jn. 1, the words “In the beginning” and “The Word” and “Life” and “Light” and “Darkness” deliberately invoke our memory of Genesis 1, because our Creator is about to become our Redeemer. And so, John deliberately uses the imagery of God’s action in Creation to introduce the imagery of His action in Redemption and marital union with redeemed man. Hahn states: “The Old Covenant fashioned in the beginning is about to be renewed in a powerful new way. “v 14—“The word became flesh and ‘dwelt’ among us” (from the Greek for “tabernacled” among us).

In Jn. 1:29,35,43; 2:1, we see reference to a succession of days, with each verse starting with the words, “the next day,” “the next day,” “the next day,” and finally, “on the third day” (which counting from the first reference, is the seventh day). This is a clear reference to the seven days of Creation in Genesis. The marriage in Cana, therefore, was on the seventh day, where Jesus, the Lamb of God, comes to a marriage feast. Continuing to follow the Genesis motif, Jesus comes on the seventh day to usher in the new Creation at a marriage feast. Jesus, the new Adam, and Mary, the new Eve, are the only ones identified at the marriage feast in Cana. There, Jesus calls his mother “woman,” which rather than being a rude way of talking to her is instead a reference back to the “woman” or Eve in Genesis.

Jesus uses six stone jars of water that were used for ceremonial washing (Take note that in Num. 19:11 12, ceremonial washing for uncleanness had to be done with water and had to take place on the third and seventh day).

Notice also in the miracle at Cana account in John 2, that Jesus associated providing wine with “His hour” (In Jn. 2:4—When Mary seemed to be asking him to provide wine for the guests, He replied, “My hour has not yet come”). When was Jesus’ “hour”? In John’s gospel, Jesus’ “hour” is the moment of His death on the Cross. Here, Mary’s request generates a symbolic down payment on that. He transforms water meant for the Jewish rites of purification. (It is very interesting to note that the term used in the Septuagint of that water in Numbers 19 is literally “baptizmois”). Scott Hahn says:

The baptismal water of the Old Covenant ritual of purification is what Jesus decides to use to provide the best wine at the wedding feast. All of this prefigures what He expected to deliver when His “hour” came.

John is trying to get us to see that there is a mystical marriage getting ready to take place that we should be able to see spiritually through this ordinary and mundane marriage [at Cana].

He continues the idea in Jn. 3, where John the Baptist talks about Jesus as the Bridegroom (v 29).

The best wine, the wine of the New Covenant, has been saved until last, given to us in the marriage supper of the Lamb.


In Jn. 2, we have the marriage supper at Cana. In Jn. 3, we have Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus about baptism—being born of water and Spirit. This is followed by John the Baptist talking about Jesus as the Bridegroom—making an apparent association between baptism and marriage.

Next, in Eph. 5:26, Paul refers to Christ cleansing the church by the washing with water (referring to baptism) through the word. Baptism, therefore, not only brings about the new birth, it also brings about the marriage with Christ.

In Eph. 5:32, Paul says that he is referring to a profound mystery, which is Christ and the Church. Mysterion—oath—magnum sacramentum (Latin). The one true and everlasting marriage covenant is the one between Christ and the Church. A priest [in his office] represents Christ the Bridegroom before His Bride. (See also Rom 6 & 7 for a correlation between baptism and marriage.)

In Jn. 4, after Jesus has been described as the Bridegroom, He meets the Samaritan woman at the well (where in the Old Testament, marriage encounters occurred—where Jacob’s and Isaac’s wives were found—a place of betrothal).

He tells her that she has had five husbands and the one she is with is not her own. Dr. Hahn believes that this represents the going after other gods or husbands that Israel had done. And in saying, “the one you’re with now is not your own” Hahn says that the force of the Greek indicates that Jesus is referring to Himself. Hosea was the last prophet to speak to Samaria, and had said, (in 2 Kings 17), because of her idolatries, she was going to get five different Baals or false husbands. Thus the one she was with, Jesus, was not her own husband, because she was a Samaritan and thus cut off from Israel.

Our sexuality is a type and shadow of something far greater and more glorious. It images the sacrificial love of God in Christ, giving Himself to us (through the instrumentality of bread and wine) in a representation of that one sacrifice on the Cross.

Hahn notes: Therefore . . . . .

Sex is not good. Campbell’s Soup is Good—Uumm good. Sex is not great. Kelloggs Frosted Flakes are great. Sex is holy. Sex is sacred. Our sexuality has been made by God to surpass what is merely good, or great. Nothing in the natural order is so holy. When the two become one, they become three in one. Sex is holy. Therefore it must only be expressed in covenant. It is a sacramental sign that points to a supernatural reality that far surpasses anything in the marital covenant in earth.

Fulfillment sexually does not occur merely when expressed in genital intercourse—it occurs when you become a husband and a father (or wife and mother). That is the real meaning of sex, masculinity or maleness, just as becoming a wife or a mother is the meaning and fulfillment of femaleness.