A Wonderful, Non-Eternal Bond

The other day I received a wedding invitation from an old friend from my days at Penn State, inviting us to share in the joy of the happy parents by witnessing their children united 'in the eternal bond of matrimony.'

When I read this, I was reminded of the words of Jesus in Mark 12:25. He had been asked a question about a woman who had been married to many men because she had been widowed. Whose wife would she be in the resurrection? Jesus told them,

"When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."

In other words, while I was delighted to receive this invitation in the mail, it is not quite accurate. Marriage is a wonderful gift, but it is not eternal. That is why the traditional vows pledge faithfulness 'until death do us part', and why Paul allowed widows to remarry (1 Corinthians 7). When death happens, the marital bond is over. Michelle Lazarus will not be my wife in the resurrection, because our union is only a picture pointing to the eternal, marital bond that exists between Jesus and His Church.

The ultimate purpose for marriage in this life is to bear witness to the extraordinary covenant-love that exists between Jesus and His bride, the Church. And, as John Piper says, "In the resurrection, the pointer vanishes into the perfection of that glory." There is no need for the picture that earthly marriages are when Jesus, the Bridegroom, comes and dwells with His people on the New Earth.

All that to say, I was grateful to receive that wedding invitation for a few reasons. First, I am thrilled for the friend who is getting married in a few months. But second, I was thankful for the reminder that my marriage to Michelle is not eternal, but rather is a pointer to the eternal bond of love that exists between Jesus and the Church.

Which means I better get busy loving my wife today; she won't be my wife forever. And I won't get a do-over in the resurrection.