HE TARRIES

HE TARRIES

Now the Bridegroom says to His beloved in verses 11-13 of Chapter 2 in the Song of Songs: “For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone: the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away”. This passage shows the long-suffering of our divine Bridegroom. He tarries behind the wall for a pretty long time. He just reminds you of the time already lost in His tarrying. Maybe, he has been waiting over an unduly long time for you to rise up and come away. Here, while reminding, the Divine Author just touches, in a superb manner, the seasons that passed away, and the seasonal changes brought about in the kingdoms of animals and plants, instead of rebuking you in plain and harsh words for your inordinate delay. It is like a loving mother telling a parable to her young child, pointing at the various objects around him, in order to impress upon him her advice rather than rebuking him in plain words. This is the height of our Shepherd’s motherly love for us. In the gospels, we can see that our loving Lord teaches us through many parables so as to make us easily understand the truths. Let us read the poetic mind of the divine Author. Gone is the winter. Also the rain is over and gone. Oh, now approaches the spring with colorful and fragrant flowers appearing on the earth, with the time of the singing of birds at hand and with the voice of the turtle being heard in our land. Then the Author portrays the fig tree putting forth her green figs as also the vines with the tender grape giving a good smell. He thus poetically reminds us of the time already lost, and of the blessings already lost, as we have not been able to rise up and come away.

The passage of various seasons is a portent pointer to the time factor in the life of the bride. And the seasonal changes in the kingdoms of animals and of plants are a reminder of the need for newness in her life and of the inheritance of new blessings from God by her. The Bridegroom again exhorts the bride in verse 13: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away”. This is a constant exhortation out of love by the Bridegroom.

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