(Today was quite bright and clear, but extremely cold... -14º C as Beth and I left for the church. There were seven of us at the service, counting the musician and myself. The service was shortened as was the sermon. Since everyone there wanted to be there, the Spirit was noticeably present.)
John 2:1-11
1 On the third
day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine
gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And
Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour
has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he
tells you." 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish
rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to
them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the
brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief
steward." So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had
become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had
drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him,
"Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the
guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." 11
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his
glory; and his disciples believed in him.
the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,
"Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the
guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."
· This event – Jesus’ first miracle in the Gospel
of John – has been seen as a revelation of the glory of God in Jesus, and so
has been tied to the Epiphany (the revelation of God to the nations) and the
Baptism of the Lord (where he is revealed as the Beloved Son and the carrier of
the Spirit of God.) Those two events are quite dramatic while this
water-to-wine wedding seems almost secretive.
·
Yet, we are told that Jesus did this, the first of his signs,
in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; Wouldn’t the revelation of Jesus’ “glory” be more powerful, like a
healing or an exorcism? What’s so special about wine at a wedding?
·
There is more going on here than meets the eye. We have to check our
attitudes at the door, as it were.
·
First, Jesus – at his mother’s urging – aids the hosts of the wedding in
an embarrassing situation. Weddings at that time when on for days and to run
out of wine would be a dishonor and actually a health issue. The water was
undrinkable for the most part and no other beverages were available. (Fruit
juice became wine, coffee and tea were unheard-of, and ginger ale was not
invented yet.) To run short of wine endangered everyone’s health and might show
the lack of status and honour of the wedding couple.
·
Jesus’ remedy? Turning the water in 6 stone jars into wine – between 500
to 700 litres of wine! The party could continue and could actually get better
since the wine was declared superior by the steward.
·
Second, in the prophetic writings, the abundance of wine was a sign of
the coming of the Kingdom of God and the restoration of the Kingdom of David.
Justice, true justice, would be available to all. Jesus provided an almost
unimaginable abundance of wine and the best wine to boot!
·
Third, everyone’s expectations are reversed. The groom and the steward do
not know the source of the finest of wines, but the servants do! It appears
that Jesus didn’t tell anyone either, although his mother and his disciples were
present for the miracle and through this his
disciples believed in him.
·
Fourth, there is the matter of shame and disgrace. The miracle allowed
the bridal couple to save face in a culture that valued honour so highly. They
could begin their married life with heads held high… after they recovered from
the marriage feast.
·
So the power of God visits the lives of ordinary people and the glory of
God is revealed in the something as normal and as human as a wedding. Something
very “Messianic” is going on among the ordinary things for human life.
·
For us, this miracle reminds us of the presence of God and the grace of
God in the simple things of ordinary daily life.
·
We know that the changing of water to wine or the multiplication of
loaves and fish is not seen among us, but the sharing of food and drink
certainly is. Hospitality can always be a revelation of the presence of God.
·
The welcoming of others into our lives and our homes continues to be a
way to know God is present and cares for the world God created… and continues
to sustain.
·
Quite often, God makes God’s presence known in the simple things that
make up our lives – our families, our friends, our meals, our simple skills
that are a gift from God. The posturing and bellowing of the so-called mighty
are not what sustains the world. That is left to the grace-filled simplicity of
ordinary people living under the grace of God.
·
The power of God, the glory of God can often be seen in the simple things
of creation, provided we see them with the eyes of faith.
·
Water appears to us to be a common, simple thing, yet nothing on earth
can live without it. We miss it when it’s gone or when it’s not clean. So who
knows? Maybe what we do in the ordinary, simple aspects of our lives will be
the water that Jesus changes into the wine that shows people around us the
coming of the Kingdom of God. That is surely something to be hoped for, worked
for, and prayed for.
the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,
"Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the
guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."
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