Christ Unites Himself to His Bride by Grace

Epiphany 2| John 2:1-11| January 18, 2025

In Matthew chapter 15, Pharisees and scribes criticize Jesus’ disciples for not ceremonially washing their hands according to the traditions of the elders. Jesus rebuked them in turn for exalting their traditions above the commandments of God. He then goes on to teach an important lesson about sin. He says that it is not the food that goes into the body that makes a person unclean, but what comes out of the body that defiles a person. He says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:19-20) And because sin is something that comes from inside of us, Jesus also teaches something about the Law. The Law is incapable of removing sin from us, because the Law does not change our hearts, but merely commands us. And so, the Law is incapable of uniting us to God.

And this same lesson is shown in our Gospel lesson, where we find Jesus at a wedding in Cana that had run out of wine. There were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification. These six stone water jars represent the Law. The Law was given to Moses on stone tablets. Six represents the work of the Law. God created the world in six days, but rested on the seventh. Likewise, God commanded Israel to work six days, but to rest on the seventh. These six stone jars represent the labor without the seventh day of rest. And so, the work of the Law is never complete, because the Law never grants rest. The water was meant for cleansing the outside of the people. But sin resides in the heart. So, the Law fails to cleanse the heart.

It is not that the Law is bad or worthless. The Law is both good and useful. Yet, the Law only commands works to be done. And if you are unwilling or incapable of doing the work, no matter how good of a work the Law commands, the Law cannot help you complete it. You need a change of heart to do the good that the Law requires. And so, Jesus changes the water into wine. He changes the stone jars from vessels for outward cleansing to vessels giving drink to gladden the hearts of men (Psalm 104:15). While the water only splashed the outside of the wedding guests, the wine entered their bodies and changed their heart and way of thinking. So, as the stone water jars represented the Law, the jars of wine now represent the Gospel. The Law is incapable of changing the heart, but the Gospel enters where sin resides, and changes it. It washes away sin, and changes the thinking and feeling of the heart.

With this miracle, Jesus manifested His glory to His disciples, and His disciples believed in Him. And so, we learn that Jesus’ glory is manifested not by the Law, which threatens and terrifies and puts you to work, but by the Gospel, which shows God’s mercy, kindness, and grace. And as Jesus performed this first of His miracles at a wedding, this miracle shows us that Christ unites Himself with His bride not with threats of the Law, but with the heart-changing grace of the Gospel.

The Law has much to say about marriage. This makes sense. God instituted marriage in the garden of Eden, before the fall into sin. It is His first institution from which all other orders flow and from which the crown of his creation, mankind, flourishes. The Law simply reveals God’s will by commanding us what to do. And since, God values marriage so highly, the Law has a lot to command us concerning this sacred estate. Yet, God would not have needed to command anything regarding marriage had it not been for sin. Scripture says that the Law was added because of transgressions (Galatians 3:19). Had mankind not fallen into sin, so that people seek to destroy marriage instead of honor it, God would not have needed to make laws regarding it. But St. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1, “the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.” (vss. 9-10)

The Law commands only good regarding marriage. It forbids fornication, which is sex outside of marriage, and all other forms of sexual immorality, including homosexuality and lustful eyes. The Law forbids adultery and divorce. Rather, the Law commands that husband and wife be faithful to each other, the wife submitting to her husband and the husband loving and sacrificing himself for his wife. All these are good things, which are blessings to husband, wife, and children. Yet, however good these commands are, they do not change the heart. These commands do not make a husband love his wife or a wife respect her husband. Rather, these commands expose our sin and only prevent certain outward breaking of the law.

And so, it works with God’s marriage to His people. His commandments did not change the hearts of His people. They did not make them faithful. Rather, they exposed their sin again and again. And so, the Law fails to unite us to Christ, because it fails to change our hearts. Rather, it exposes our sin. Yet, Christ succeeds in uniting Himself to His bride the Church by showing grace and mercy to her. Jesus is the Bridegroom. The Church is His bride. The Church becomes the bride of Christ when she believes in Him. The Church is the community of the faithful, who believe and trust in Christ. Jesus’ disciples believed in Him when Jesus manifested His glory by showing mercy and kindness in turning water into wine. And the entire Church believes and trusts in Jesus because Jesus manifested His glory by showing mercy and kindness for us on the cross.

Jesus told His mother that His hour had not yet come. Normally in Scripture, when Jesus refers to His hour, He refers to the time of His passion for our sins (John 12:23). And so, Jesus turning water into wine foreshadows His passion. Water is turned into wine through violence. Grapes take in the water from the ground, and then are crushed until their juice bleeds out to make wine. And so, Christ Jesus was crushed for our iniquities on the cross and His blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. That is Jesus’ glory. Not in punishing sinners. Not in killing the wicked. But in showing mercy and kindness to us.

And so, through Jesus’ passion on the cross, He has made for us the best wine, the Gospel, which promises forgiveness of sins, mercy, and salvation to all who believe in Christ. This is how Jesus unites Himself to His bride. This is how He wins her heart. The Gospel, which is the good news that Christ laid down His life for His bride, so that He might wash her and cleanse her of every sin, so that He may present Her without blemish, spot, or wrinkle.

And so, Christians are united to Christ not by their works, but through faith in God’s grace through Christ. Baptism is not a work we do, but a work of God, which joins us to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection so that we may be saved through faith. The Lord’s Supper is not a mere ordinance, but a Husband graciously giving Himself to His bride. It is wedding meal prepared exclusively for the Church, so that she may be united to her husband. The preaching of the Gospel moves the heart, loosening stone and bringing to life what was dead. So, is the Church today, the congregation of believers, is united to her Bridegroom Christ.

And so, we see a connection between the Third and the Sixth Commandments. The Third Commandment is “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” Which means, “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” We do that primarily when we come to church and hear the preaching of the Gospel. The Sixth Commandment is, “You shall not commit adultery.” Which means, “We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and descent life in what we say and do and husband and wife love and honor each other.” These two commandments are similar, because they both command faithfulness. The Third Commandment commands faithfulness to God. The Sixth Commandment commands faithfulness to your spouse.

Yet, what we’ve learned is that faithfulness does not come from the commands of the Law, because the Law does not change your heart. Rather, faithfulness comes through the grace of the Gospel, which changes a person’s heart. So, while the threats of the Law may prevent a person from committing adultery or expose him as an adulterer, it is the love for his bride that keeps him faithful in his heart. And while a nagging pastor or the threat to be removed from the membership rolls may push someone to attend the Divine Service, it is faith in Christ and the benefits of His means of grace that draw sinners to willingly come and worship Him, gladly hearing and learning His Word.

And so, our understanding of marriage and our understanding of the Church and Christ are very much related. The perfect marriage is that of Christ with His bride the Church. He loves her as His own body. No one hates his own body, but cares and nourishes it. When your body is sick or hurt, you do not get angry with it, but you seek to help it get better. And so is Christ with His bride. His bride is made up of sinners, whom He has redeemed. He does not seek to expose their sin, but to cover it up and forgive it. And so, husbands have a great example to love their wives and seek what is best for them in body and soul, to lead them, bringing them to worship and lead them in prayer. Likewise, no body resents its own head, but submits to the head and expects the head to act in its best interest. And so, does the Church submit to Christ, expecting only good from Him. And so, the Church teaches wives to respect their own husbands for Christ’s sake.

A faithful husband and faithful wife do not disagree with the laws regarding marriage. But they do not treat each other rightly because of the Law’s threats, but because they love one another. They do not live together, embrace each other, and care for each other because of the threats of the Law. They do so, because it is their heart’s joy and desire to do so. And so, it is with Christians and worshipping Christ. In church, where we lay down our sins before Jesus and receive His grace, where we hear His gracious Word and even eat and drink His body and blood, we enjoy the marital bliss of Christ and His Church. Here we drink of the heavenly wine Christ has procured for us through His bitter suffering and death, which changes our hearts and makes them glad. Yes, we have the command not to despise preaching, but to gladly hear and learn His Word. But as husband and wife do not need a command to embrace each other, so neither do Christians need a command to worship and receive grace and forgiveness from their Lord Christ. Rather, with changed hearts they rush to meet Him.

Hasten as a bride to meet Him,

And with loving rev’rence greet Him.

For with words of life immortal

He is knocking at your portal.

Open wide the gates before Him.

Saying, as you there adore Him:

Grant, Lord, that I now receive You,

That I never more will leave You. Amen.