A common problem when coming to Scripture is that one comes with the pattern of one’s own culture firmly imprinted.[1] This blocks/inhibits our ability to understand Scriptural pattern and precept in its proper context. This becomes more evident when one has traveled, and read stories, and has seen how other cultures have frequently misheard, or misinterpreted.

I once heard the story of a certain people who were originally convinced that the event of Jesus healing the paralytic lowered through the roof actually contained two miracles. Their second miracle was that of Jesus healing the paralytic (physically and spiritually) the miracle that we all recognize. Their first miracle, the one that was due to their misinterpretation of the cultural context, was that of the paralytic’s four friends being able to stand on the roof. It seems, that in their culture, roofs were so steeply pitched that it would be all one man could do to cling to the rooftop… it would be humanly impossible for four men carrying a stretcher to stand on the rooftop, dig a hole and lower some one down through it.... thus it must have been a miracle!

A similar misinterpretation, albeit more subtle, occurs when our culture looks at the verses concerning betrothal (espousal) and marriage, or even verses containing the words 'husband' and 'wife'. Our culture over the years has arrived at a cultural pattern of betrothal and marriage that differs significantly from the biblical pattern and even that of many other cultures in the world today, and our use of words reflects our pattern. Our society has taken the betrothal vows and brought them up in time to the very day of marriage; with the result that the most time that a modern couple could be said to be ‘betrothed’ (and yet not married) would be during the drive from the church to the hotel. And even then the couples would probably be surprised if anyone was to mention this to them.

We have replaced the former concept of a ‘betrothal period’ with ‘engagement’. The differences between these two are subtle, but rather serious. We the Church of God are currently betrothed to Christ. We have been pledged to Christ our husband with an everlasting oath by God the Father. We did not initiate this process, God did.

We are not ‘engaged’ to Christ. To be engaged in our modern culture is to be ‘planning on something’. You and the other person have gotten together, thought about it, and decided that marriage is probably a good idea.

This is not our relationship with Christ, God the Father before the earth was formed, decided upon our inevitable marriage to Christ and has throughout history been working inexorably toward that purpose.

Jesus prayed: