Often the solution to a mystery is not resolved until a key or subtle discovery is made. Frequently, it can be the most obvious thing and is maybe why it had been overlooked. A key to understanding the Bible is the fact that Jesus and the majority of His disciples were Galilean, except for Judas. But what mystery does that resolve?
“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46)
What did Nathanael mean by that?
Galileans stood out from the rest of Israel, they didn’t blend in well. The region was viewed as remote, away from the center of Judaism in Jerusalem, not known for any form of cultural sophistication. As one author wrote,“The province [of Galilee] is spoken of as having been, at that period, one of the most obscure and despised of the Roman empire; and Nazareth has the misfortune of being represented as then an insignificant village, whose inhabitants were ignorant and even immoral.” (Galilee in the time of Christ, Selah Merrill, 1885)
In the eyes of the more educated and urban Jews, the Galileans would have been judged as ignorant at best and perhaps as simple-minded sinners at worst. But Jesus of Nazareth spoke to the disciples in the Galilean vernacular, using their cultural idioms.
One of the most prominent of Galilean customs and used most consistently throughout His ministry was the Galilean wedding which differed notably from the standard Jewish wedding at that time. The Galilean nuances spoke volumes to the early Church, they understood what Jesus spoke, but over the span of 2,000 years these key understandings have been lost to so many of the pulpits today.
The three “C’s” of Bible weddings were: Contract, Consummation and Celebration. We see these reflected in Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah in Genesis 24 and in Jacob’s marriage to Leah and then to Rachel in Genesis 29.
The ancient Jewish Wedding practice began with the Marriage Covenant or Contract. It was known as the “Ketubbah.” When a young man desired to marry a young woman in ancient Israel, the first step would be the establishment of a marriage contract that would be paid by the father of the groom. The groom would present the contract to the young woman and her father at the young woman’s home and described the terms under which he would propose marriage. The most important part of the contract was the bride price, that is the price that the young man was willing to pay to marry the young woman. The payment was to be made to the young woman’s father in exchange for his permission to marry.
But in ancient Galilee there was a unique practice that concluded the contract: The Cup. If the bride price was agreeable to the young woman’s father, the young man would pour a glass of wine for the young woman. If the young woman drank the wine, it would indicate her acceptance of the proposal. At this point the young man and young woman would be betrothed. (note Paul’s verb in 2nd Corinthians 11:2) The marriage was official, the only difference was that the marriage was not yet consummated. A typical betrothal period was 1-2 years and during this time the bride and bridegroom would each be preparing for the wedding and would not see each other.
Jesus fulfilled this Galilean bridegroom practice at the Last Supper. As Jesus poured wine for His disciples His words described the significance of the cup in representing the bride price for the marriage contract: “The He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:28-29) The disciples drank of the cup, thus accepting the contract.
At Communion, as we drink the cup and eat of the bread, we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and look forward to His return. We remember the price He paid for the forgiveness of our sins and guarantee of our eternal life through Him. The price He paid, giving His life for us, can also be seen as the bride price. The cup signifies the acceptance of His terms as bridegroom.
Prior to the wedding and still a practice for many Jewish women today, the bride would partake in a Mikveh, or cleansing bath. Mikveh is the same Hebrew word used for baptism. After His ascension, the Mikveh, or baptism that Jesus provides for His bride is baptism of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion, while He was eating with them, He gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father has promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4)
Another Galilean practice was for the bridegroom to send special gifts to the bride during the long betrothal period reminding her of his love and appreciation for her. The gifts that Jesus gave us are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus described this gift in John 14:26: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you and will remind you of everything I had said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Stage Two of the Jewish wedding was the Consummation of the marriage, known as “The Chuppah.” Once the ketubbah was signed, the couple did not have sex until the groom fulfilled his financial obligations to the father of the bride. When the father consented to the groom and the bridal price was paid, he was allowed to come to the home of the bride and consummate the marriage in her own house. The groom would set a date for the chuppah, notifying the bride in order that she could prepare their wedding room. Afterwards, he would lead her in a ceremonial procession to a wedding feast at his house. But the Galilean custom was quite different!
In Galilean ruins (i.e. Korazim) what we find are insulas – clusters of buildings where extended families lived together. In Jesus’ time, families usually lived in clusters of buildings called insulas. These clusters were built around a central courtyard. Grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts all lived and interacted together in the insula.
As sons married, they added to the insula. After asking a girl to marry him, the son would return to his village and build new rooms onto his father’s home. The son, anxious to be married, waited for the day when his father declared that the building was complete. Then he could finally marry his bride and bring her to their new home.
Just as a bridegroom would have told his bride that he would go to prepare a place for her, so Jesus told His disciples: “…In my Father’s house are many rooms or mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 13:1-3) In ancient Galilee, the bridegroom could get his bride only after his father approved the date. Similarly, Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)
In Galilean custom, while the bridegroom was preparing the wedding chamber, the bride was considered to be consecrated, set apart or “bought with a price.” If she went out, she would wear a veil so other would know she was betrothed. During this time, she prepared herself for the marriage. She didn’t know when the groom would come for her and it was normal that she would station members of her family or her bridesmaids to be looking out for the groom’s approach. Since bridegrooms typically came for their brides in the middle of the night, to “steal them away” (the groom would often come like a ‘thief in the night’, often around the midnight hour), the bride would have to have her lamp and her belongings ready at all times. Her sisters and bridesmaids would also be waiting, keeping their lamps trimmed in anticipation of the late night festivities and the approach of the bridegroom.
When the Galilean bridegroom’s father deemed the wedding chamber ready, he would tell his son that all was ready and to go and fetch his bride. The bridegroom would abduct his bride secretly, like a thief in the night and take her to the wedding chamber. As the bridegroom and his best friends approached the bride’s home, he would shout and blow the shofar (ram’s horn trumpet) so that she had some warning to gather her belongings to take into the wedding chamber. Inside the bride’s house it was electric and exhilarating, a moment of jubilant joy as the house awakened for the day of fulfillment had arrived. The bridegroom and his friends would come into the bride’s house and get the bride and her bridesmaids and take them to the groom’s father’s house.
Just as the bridegroom would come for the bride in the middle of the night, with a shout and the sound of the shofar, so the Lord will come for us. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words. Now, brothers, about time and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)
Upon returning to his father’s house or property, the bridegroom would take his bride to the wedding chamber where they would spend seven days. Interestingly, on that first night the bridegroom’s friend would wait outside the door of the wedding chamber. When the marriage was consummated, the bridegroom would tell his friend through the door, and the friend would announce it to the assembled guests announcing the Celebration. The guests and family would celebrate for seven days until the bride and bridegroom emerged from the wedding chamber. At that time the groom would bring his wife out and introduce her to the community.
The Galilean wedding model is the template that Jesus uses to describe the Rapture of the Church. The seven days symbolize the 7 Year Tribulation in which the Church as the Bride of Christ is in heaven. It is a pre-millennial, pre-tribulation Rapture, and the early Church, understanding the Galilean vernacular, knew this. But by the 3rd century A.D. different prophetic interpretations began to develop that have filtered forward to this day.
The Galilean key has been lost to many pulpits today and sadly, it is reflected in recent polling data obtained from 1,000 Protestant pastors in the United States. Lifeway Research has found that approximately 30% of the Church does not even believe in a literal Rapture, which is stunning. The phrase “blessed hope” that Paul wrote about extensively does not even register for many Christians today. If you would like to review their polling data, click HERE.
As most of us would observe, we live in fast and heady times. If ever there was a time to rediscover our “Galilean roots” it would be today.
Sources: Ray Vander Laan, Dr. Chuck Missler, Steve Rudd, Brent Miller, Jr.