Matthew 19: What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

This is the marriage supper of the lamb. Here at this table, Jesus our Lord and Husband, our Lordly Husband, meets with us to communion with us, and gives Himself to us. At this table, we are all bride, and Jesus is the husband. At this table, we enjoy intimate fellowship with our Lord, and are made one flesh with Him.

As the marriage supper of the lamb, this table calls us to faithfulness. We are the bride, and commune with our husband at this table, and that means that we are called to leave everything behind and cleave to Him, as He has left His Father’s house to cleave to us. This table calls us to follow Jesus through everything, whatever hatred and hostility and persecution we might face from the world. We are the bride of Jesus, and we are not to separate what God has joined together.

As the marriage supper of the lamb, this table is also a model for our own marriages. At this table, Jesus the divine Husband, lays Himself out for the life of His bride, and that is a model for husbands to give themselves, expend themselves, sweat out their life’s blood, offer their flesh and blood for their wives.

At this table, we the bride receive our Husband and His gifts with thanksgiving and joy. At this table, we the bride rejoice that we have such a Husband, and give thanks. And that is a model for wives to receive their husbands and return the gift of honor and love.

This table sets the pattern of Christian marriage, the pattern of husband’s gift and wife’s return, the pattern of husband’s self-offering and wife’s receptiveness, of the husband’s love and the wife’s joyous respectful love.

And the exhortation of this table is, Go and do likewise.