7 Things Weddings and Easter have in common

During his time on earth, Jesus attended several feasts, weddings included. Infact, he so loved weddings that his first recorded miracle was that of turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. This wasn’t just any wine, the best human taste buds could fathom at the time. 

Weddings or marriage feasts are not only a recurring theme throughout Jesus’s life here on earth but apparently will also be in the life to come that he resurrected to give believers.

John in Revelations 19 records a vision of what he suggests believers will experience;

6 “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!

    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and be glad

    and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

    and his bride has made herself ready.

8 Fine linen, bright and clean,

    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”

And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelations 19;6-9(NIV)

In other words, for all the weddings there are on earth, there is that wedding that all of us celebrating the resurrection this Easter season should look forward to- the wedding feast of the Lamb.

But what does Easter and wedding feasts have in common? Plenty! Here are a few we have observed from the weddings we have witnessed over the years.

1. Celebration

As Christians across at the globe gather to celebrate the resurrection that offers them a path to Heaven, we -at Nyom Planet cannot help but reflect on the various wedding celebrations we have witnessed over the years. Couples usually join their guests in dancing, eating and feasting to celebrate the bliss that their lives will be ever after the vows. Both Easter and weddings are about celebration.

The central figure of Easter, Jesus Christ is said to have sacrificed his own life that all those who put their faith in him would enjoy fellowship with him. Isn’t this what exactly a bride and groom do on their wedding day? The groom abandons ‘the gang’ with its endless adventures while the bride gives up the fantasies of her sorority to entwine her life with her groom, all in the hope that they would enjoy their marital bliss for as long as they live. Sacrifice is at the center of weddings as it is at Easter.

3. Faith

Just like Christ could not guarantee that his sacrifice would not be abused by those for whom it was made, both the bride and groom through their marital vows take a step of faith in which they entrust their lives to each other. Their faith becomes the foundation of their marriage and in celebrating their wedding, each is simply saying, ‘I have faith that you to will stay with me for the rest of my life no matter what life throws at us.’  

Easter just like weddings is a great pointer towards faith, first by Christ who sacrificed his life in faith that folks would believe in him and secondly by those who believe in his resurrection as the basis of their faith. 

4. Forgiveness

A wedding kick-starts a life of perpetual forgiveness. If two people hurt, injure and sin against each other, it’s a couple who commit to living together. The proximity to each other does not only unite the couple for good but also for evil and inevitably this friction caused by two bodies rubbing against each other becomes the hallmark of any real marriage. This makes forgiveness the oil that greases the souls to prevent them from catching fire. Forgiveness is the fragrance that brings back smiles in the room when gloom threatens to build a castle.  Forgiveness makes a feuding couple share their bed again, eat at the same table, and go out of the house hand in hand again.

Easter remains the greatest symbol of forgiveness in Christianity. At Easter, Jesus did not only say, ‘it is finished’, he added, “…I am preparing room for you to come live with me forever.” 

5. Rest 

Easter is a period of rest for many believers both metaphorically and literally. It’s perhaps the only time in the year where most people go home for four consecutive days without feeling guilty. It gives an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. But also it reminds all those whose burdens seem too heavy that at Calvary where Jesus died, he carried all burdens unto himself that believers may enter his rest and find peace for their souls. Weddings are also the place where a couple seals who they will find their rest with for the rest of their lives. 

6. Betrayal

You have all seen the memes that come around Easter where Judas Iscariot is painted the villain of the season by not only kissing his master like a brother but by using the kiss as a symbol of betrayal. Easter reminds couples that when the priest says, ‘…you may now kiss the bride’, he or she is not saying that all your problems have been kissed away. On the contrary, like Easter, that kiss may be what seals your fate for the remaining years of your life. Couples will betray each other quite often unintentionally and sometimes very intentionally. Easter reminds us that not all kisses mean ‘happily ever after!’ 

7. Love

Easter like a wedding is perhaps the highest showcase for love. At their wedding, the groom tells the world which is represented by the invited guests, that in his search through the universe, he has found only the bride present gives his life meaning. And that nothing should ever stand between him and his bride. 

At Easter, Christ told his believers that they were worth dying for and that his love compelled him to die and save them from the eternal damnation to come.  

Happy Easter to you all from the team here. Share with us in the comments below how you intend to celebrate it.

 Cover photo credit: easy weddings