29th March 2023

Good news for all

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
(Isaiah 25:6-9 ESV)

The Bible begins by describing God’s creation of the universe. It continues by sandwiching the whole of human history between two marriages: beginning with the marriage of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:24-25), and ending in the book of Revelation with the marriage of Jesus and his church at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The gospel of John gives seven signs so that the reader might believe Jesus is the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name (John 20:31). The first sign was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, at a marriage ceremony at Cana in Galilee, where he turned water into fine wine (John 2:1-11).

This miracle can be interpreted at various levels. Some see this sign at a wedding as a taste of what was to come at the marriage supper of the Lamb, which, in turn, gives a foretaste of the ultimate reality of what ‘life in his name’ in the fullness of God’s kingdom will be like. 

This was the beginning of the fulfilment of what was prophesied in Isaiah chapter 25 given in the header scripture. These illustrate the abundance and inclusiveness of God’s grace and mercy, made available to all humanity through Jesus Christ. It pictures a wedding feast of rich food and well-aged fine wine. It is a time when the covering or veil will be removed from all peoples. The veil is a symbol of mourning and suffering in the world and is also a metaphor for spiritual blindness. God will remove spiritual blindness from all peoples: all will know God (Jeremiah 31:34). Death will finally be conquered and, in his love, God is pictured as personally wiping away all our tears (Revelation 21:4).

Today Christians wait for the second coming of Jesus but in the meantime, we are called to play our part in announcing: ‘Behold this is our God’, and invite others, along with ourselves to ‘Be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’

Prayer
Father, help us to spread the good news of your grace and salvation that extends to the whole of humanity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Study by Eddie Marsh

 

About the writer:
Eddie Marsh attends the Sheffield congregation of Grace Communion International.

Local congregation:
Please email the local congregational contact (see below) for information about the Sheffield congregation’s meeting venue and time. 

Local congregational contact:
Email: sheffield@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church’