Friend of the Bridegroom

Friend of the Bridegroom

What comes to mind when you think of a wedding ceremony? Some of us might think of what is referred to, as a traditional formal wedding. With a Bride wearing a beautiful white dress and the groom wearing a nice suit or tuxedo. The bride would have picked a friend or family member to be her maid of honor. The groom would have picked his best friend or family member to be his best man. There may even be additional people involved who are referred to as bride’s maids or groomsman. Often there may be a color or two that the couple have chosen and the wedding party would wear or display these colors. Maybe your wedding thought is more non-traditional. The couple may wear something a little more casual. Something that they feel fits their personalities. Either way the best man and maid of honor will typically give a short speech and reveal characteristics or fond memories of their relationship with the wedding couple. In older Jewish customs the best man would be referred to as the Friend of the Bridegroom. And he was much more involved. He would be involved in arranging and conducting the marriage negotiations and preparations between the bride and the groom along with their families. Like our best man today he would share characteristics and inside knowledge of the groom with the wedding party. He also was a witness to the marriage and safe guarded the marriage contract. Which contained much more than just a marriage license. Jesus Christ had a friend of the bride groom. In this message we review who it was and some of the details that was shared about the bridegroom.