Brides of Christ

If the church is the bride of Christ, then Jesus is married to both Rachel and Leah—to the church he wants and to the church he has to take. Rachel is the wife he loves and thought he was getting, but he can’t have her without taking Leah, whom he doesn’t love and didn’t think he was marrying.

This metaphor from Jacob’s two wives in the Old Testament has obvious limitations for the contemporary context. But it can’t be dismissed just because we’re offended by the notion of two wives. Metaphorically speaking, every married person has two spouses. There’s the person you thought you were marrying and the stranger who came with that person. It’s a great description of how Jesus receives the church.

Paul was pretty clear about what Jesus expects of his bride. He’s looking for a church that will keep doing “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable” (Phil. 4:8). There are times when this is exactly what the church does. Every time the church throws itself into binding the wounds of the poor, taking risky steps toward justice, and proclaiming the grace of God, Jesus smiles like an old lover who remembers being smitten by the spouse of his dreams.