The Stain Remover

As I prepare for one of my good friend’s weddings—and by prepare, I mean go to the store, rent a suit, and leave—I can’t help but think of another wedding: the one that is to come. Christ, the Bridegroom, and we, the Church, His bride (Revelation 19:7–9).

We are clothed not in our own works or righteousness, but in His. Unstained and unblemished—only because of the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).

Today is Good Friday. A day when we remember that prophetic sacrifice. The day when the Groom shed His blood for His bride (Isaiah 53:5).

There is a deep symbolism in the weddings of earth that reflects the wedding that is to come. A wedding is not just a covenant between a man and a woman—it is a covenant before and with God. God is to be the center of every marriage. The groom is called to represent Christ: to lead, to sacrifice, to protect, and to love (Ephesians 5:25).

At weddings, the groom often wears black. Black—a shade that absorbs all colors. And in this, I see a striking image of Christ. The One who absorbed all sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The bride, on the other hand, wears white. A symbol of purity. A new beginning. Peace. And rightly so—so much care is given to the dress. Imagine the panic if, just before the ceremony, it was torn or stained. No one would wait around. They’d rush to the tailor or the dry cleaner. Because the wedding is soon.

And yet, how many of us are living as though there’s no urgency?

Jesus once told a parable about ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise, keeping their lamps full. Five were foolish, letting the oil run out. When the groom arrived, they weren't ready. They begged for oil—but it was too late (Matthew 25:1–13).

How many of us, instead of seeking restoration, instead of running to the One who can cleanse and prepare us, remain stuck in shame? Wallowing in despair, delaying the return to our First Love (Revelation 2:4–5)?

The wedding has not yet come. But you and I don’t know the day nor the hour (Matthew 24:36).

Would you not rather be found ready? Would you not rather rush to the One who tailors righteousness, who removes every stain, who makes all things new?