This week I got the privilege to officiate the my first marriage , so I’ve been thinking about marriage. Back in 1999, Julia Roberts starred in a movie called ‘Runaway Bride’, where she played the part of a woman who was notorious for fleeing before she got to the altar. It is a fiancé’s worst fear, being deserted by the one you love. But when it comes down to it, it’s the story of the Bible.
Throughout the Bible God is the loving husband, and we are the runaway bride. Looking elsewhere for love, we have deserted the one who is faithful and true. The prophet Hosea paints this portrait as the prophet’s life mirrors the relationship God has with his people. Hosea takes an unfaithful wife and is constantly called by God to pursue her.
It’s no wonder that Paul picks up the imagery of a loving husband when he describes the work of Jesus in Ephesians 5: 25 – 27:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
For those of us who are husbands, it’s easy to see how far we fall short. For our wives, it’s even easier. Praise God that Jesus is the faithful husband to a runaway bride!
Adam.