When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, it was “the archetypal sign,” by which He “manifested his glory” (John 2:11). It pointed to His coming “hour,” when He was lifted up on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world (John 2:4; 12:23–32). The cross and resurrection of Jesus is the consummation of the eternal marriage between Christ (the bridegroom) and the Church (His bride), for “as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you,” (Isaiah 62:5, ESV) and it is from the cross that Jesus proclaims, “It is finished!” (John 19:30, ESV) The cross and resurrection of Jesus is the sign and seal of God’s love for us, and the forgiveness which flows from this is the very lifeblood of the Church; that is why the Lord’s Supper, in particular—where Christ physically distributes that forgiveness—is the very center of the Christian life, and of the marriages that reflect the eternal union between us and our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.