Marriage of Yeshua and Miriam

CHAPTER 18

Yeshua marries Miriam of Magdala shortly after his eighteenth birthday, in the town of Cana of Galilee, at the house of his father’s brother, Ethan, which is witnessed by many respected friends and family.

 1 As was the custom, shortly after Yeshua passed his eighteenth birthday, he was married to Miriam of Magdala, a virgin of the tribe of Judah, to whom he had been engaged for two years, having met her during a visit to Jerusalem for the Passover feast three years previous.

 2 She came from a wealthy family of good report from the city of Bethany, but due to one of her father’s interests as a procurer of fish, they maintained a villa in Magdala, near Lake Gennesaret just beyond the baths at Tiberias, where she spent much of her life with her family. Yeshua had occasion to visit her four times during their engagement, and she visited him, in the company of her parents, on two occasions in Nazareth.

 3 They were engaged in their hearts the very first day they saw each other near the temple, and from the first moments, they exhibited a great affection for one another that was not customary among men and women.

 4 In the beginning, her parents were not in favor of the marriage, considering that Yeshua was only a poor carpenter from the destitute town of Nazareth. Nevertheless, to appease the anger of their eldest daughter, who was very headstrong, they agreed to allow Yeshua to visit at their home and reluctantly traveled to Nazareth with Miriam to visit Yeshua’s family.

 5 When they visited Nazareth and heard with their ears his teachings and saw with their eyes the reverence in which he was held by his kinsfolk and friends, they understood that God was with him, and thereafter, they approved of the marriage and willingly betrothed their daughter to Yeshua, a man they knew was called of God to a high and holy calling.

 6 Now the marriage of Yeshua and Miriam occurred on the fourth day of the week, in the town of Cana of Galilee, at the house of Ethan, a brother of Yosef, who assumed the responsibilities of the groom’s father.

 7 Miriam’s extended family and many friends journeyed up from Bethany and from Magdala and Tiberias, and Yeshua’s mother Miryam as well as his brothers and sisters and many kinsfolk and friends of childhood attended from Nazareth.

 8 The families of Yeshua and Miriam were both well respected in the region, and upon the evening, a large processional of townsfolk and kinsfolk and friends of both families proceeded through the town to escort the bride and groom to the marriage ceremony with many candles and torches, accompanied with much singing, dancing, and joy.

 9 Miriam’s father and mother walked with her to the groom’s tent, and exceeding was the joy, which shone from their faces.

 10 And Miriam was covered from head to foot in a flowing veil, woven by her, with golden threads, and she wore great amounts of flowers in strings about her neck.

 11 When Miriam was given to Yeshua and wed to him beneath the canopy, he gave her a gold coin to represent his commitment to her and said unto her, “Miriam, my heart sings and my spirit rejoices, for you are my eternal companion with whom I will create.”

 12 And Miriam replied to Yeshua, looking steadfastly into his eyes, “I will never leave you, my Lord. Your light will always guide my paths. And with you I will create.”

 13 As the sacrament was concluded, there was a rumble in the heavens and the very Earth shook from its power, and many bowed their heads or knelt to the ground in reverence or fear, but Yeshua and Miriam remained standing, holding each other’s hands and looking into each other’s eyes; and it would seem to be that they were unaware of the commotion about them.

 14 As the people rose to their feet, Yeshua and Miriam turned to them, and Yeshua said unto them, “On Earth as in the heavens, man is not without woman, nor woman without man in the light of Elohim.

 15 “And of this, I bear witness to my friends and family and all the world that upon this day, we have fulfilled the desires of Elohim and of our hearts; and upon that fulfillment have the windows of Heaven been opened, for we now see the greater blessings that await the man and woman united in love and in God.

 16 Verily, with our eyes now open, we see the wonder before us; so marvelous it is that we had not even imagined."