The Lord’s Table (Revelation 19:1-10)
The Lord’s Wedding Table (Devin H. Dunn)
Revelation 19:1–10
Big Idea: If a Christian knows his future is glorious, he can live differently right now, with great hope. Christians are looking forward to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
When we know what is coming, it changes how we live now. Christians know that a wedding is coming—the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Lord’s Table not only looks backward to Christ’s death and speaks to our present communion with him; it looks forward to the day when Christ returns and redemption is finally complete.
The Bible tells one great story: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Each week, Christian worship rehearses that story. God calls us to himself, we recognize and confess our sin, we hear the good news of redemption in Christ, and at the Table we anticipate the consummation still to come. We proclaim the Lord’s death “until he comes.”
Revelation 19 shows us that coming day through three central characters: the prostitute, the Lamb, and the bride.
1. The Prostitute
Babylon is pictured as a prostitute who has corrupted the world and opposed God. But the image is not merely about the evil “out there.” It describes us. Humanity was created for God, yet we have given ourselves to countless other lovers, searching in created things for the satisfaction only our Creator can provide.
Sin, then, is more than breaking the commands of a king. It is infidelity against the God who desires our love. Like the woman at the well moving from one relationship to another, we continually lower our buckets into wells that cannot satisfy us. We need the true Bridegroom who offers living water.
But this creates a problem: if we are the unfaithful prostitute, how could we possibly become Christ’s beautiful bride? The answer is found at the center of the passage.
2. The Lamb
Between the prostitute and the bride stands the Lamb.
Jesus is called the Lamb because the Bridegroom does not merely choose his bride—he gives his life for her. The transformation of sinners into saints requires redemption, and the price of that redemption is the blood of Christ.
The Bridegroom knows everything about his bride—every sin, every failure, every act of unfaithfulness—and still chooses her. He calls her out of the world, pays the price for her redemption, forgives her, cleanses her, and makes her his own.
This marriage cost the Groom his life.
When the church finally sees Christ on that wedding day, we will see him as the Lamb who was slain, forever bearing the marks of our redemption. We will know that we did not deserve him, yet he loved us and purchased us for himself.
3. The Bride
The prostitute has become the bride.
Revelation describes her clothed in fine linen, bright and pure. Her beauty is not something she earned. It was granted to her. Christ’s sacrifice cleanses his people, and then the redeemed lives of his saints adorn the bride in preparation for her Groom. We are not purchased by good works, but we are purchased for good works.
Then comes the invitation:
“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
The gospel is the Bridegroom’s wedding invitation. Jesus does not reluctantly permit sinners into his celebration. He invites them. And astonishingly, the Lamb who gave himself for his bride is also the Lord who welcomes and serves his guests at the feast.
The invitations have gone out. The question is whether we have responded.
For those who belong to Christ, the Lord’s Table is therefore a meal filled with hope. We eat remembering the Lamb who died for us, rejoicing that we have been made his bride, and anticipating the day when faith becomes sight and we sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The Table is a foretaste of the wedding feast to come. Because we know our future is glorious, we can live differently now—with holiness, hope, and joyful anticipation.
Questions for reflection:
How does knowing that “a wedding is coming” change the way you should live right now? What would look different if you lived with greater anticipation of Christ’s return?
Where are you currently looking for satisfaction apart from God? What “other lovers” are you tempted to believe will finally satisfy you?
Do you tend to think of sin primarily as breaking God’s rules, or as being unfaithful to a God who loves you? How does the picture of spiritual infidelity change the seriousness of sin?
When you think about standing before Christ, do you primarily think about what you have done for him or what the Lamb has done for you? How does the gospel give you confidence about that coming day?
Revelation says the bride’s fine linen includes “the righteous deeds of the saints.” If Christ has saved you for good works, what might he be calling you to do faithfully right now?
What does the Lord’s Table mean differently when you see it as a foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb? What should you be remembering, celebrating, and anticipating when you take communion?
Have you responded to Christ’s invitation personally? If the gospel is an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb, have you truly said “yes” to the Bridegroom?
Who in your life still needs to hear the invitation? Who could you intentionally invite toward Jesus this week?