Why St. John the Baptist is called “Friend of the Bridegroom”

Among the many titles of St. John the Baptist, "Friend of the Bridegroom" is one that comes directly from the gospels and summarizes his role.

The Bible is often called a love letter to humanity, and woven throughout its pages are various marital images that describe the people of God as the bride and Jesus as the Bridegroom.

St. John Paul II wrote about this spousal imagery in his Letter to Families, helping to shed some light on this biblical language:

Engaged in conversation with John’s disciples one day, Jesus speaks of a wedding invitation and the presence of the bridegroom among the guests: “the Bridegroom is with them” (Mt 9:15). In this way he indicated the fulfillment in his own person of the image of God the Bridegroom, which had already been used in the Old Testament, in order to reveal fully the mystery of God as the mystery of Love.

He further adds, “By describing himself as a ‘Bridegroom,’ Jesus reveals the essence of God and confirms his immense love for mankind.”

Salvation history is a story a love, a story where God pursues us and knocks at our door, hoping to be let in.

Friend of the Bridegroom

St. John the Baptist explicitly calls Jesus the Bridegroom and identifies himself as his friend:

John answered, “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:27-30

Even Jesus uses this imagery when asked about the disciples of St. John the Baptist:

And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.”
Luke 5:33-35

One interesting aspect of the title “Friend of the Bridegroom” is that it immediately brings to mind the Bridegroom, which is precisely what St. John the Baptist would want to happen.