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John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Here’s a story most followers of Jesus seem to like. Maybe some of those who object to drinking alcohol struggle with it, but most of those I have contact with seem glad to see it come up in the lectionary. It’s a story about a happy occasion, and there’s even a little humor in it. It’s nice to picture Jesus taking part in a wedding feast. We Presbyterians tend to picture Jesus with a serious look on his face. (Maybe we’re picturing him as a Presbyterian.) But presumably he was having fun at this gathering just like everyone else. People in the discussion group on The Chosen have said they were happy to see Jesus portrayed as singing and dancing.
It’s also story that’s sometimes read in wedding ceremonies. It seems significant that Jesus blessed the institution of marriage by taking part in a wedding feast – and even by contributing to the celebration. Since Jesus himself was not married, it’s nice that we at least have a story in the gospels about him participating in someone else’s wedding festivities.
It’s obviously one of the best-known stories from the life of Jesus – even people who don’t participate in the Christian faith at all will know what you’re talking about if you mention turning water into wine. But as well-known as the story might be, my suspicion is that even quite a few committed followers of Jesus might have a hard time telling you what the real point of the story might be. Some people say it’s just to show that Jesus could perform miracles. But there are lots of other stories in the gospels that show that. And besides, during his earthly ministry Jesus seems to have refused to do miracles just to show he could – so it seems unlikely the Holy Spirit would put a story in the Bible for that purpose.
But having thought about it a bit, I’d like to suggest that this story has at least two important points to make.
First of all, regular participants in these Reflections probably remember we’ve said that many Bible scholars say that the one thing that Jesus’ miracles have in common is that each of them is a kind of preview of the kingdom of God when it comes to fulfillment. The sick will be healed. The blind will be given sight. The dead will be restored to life. Those who hunger will be filled. Those who hunger for justice will have it. We understand that all of those things will be true in this world when the kingdom comes to fulfillment. So the miracles of Jesus point forward to that kingdom to come.
But at first blush, this story is a sort of outlier. We don’t typically assume that the kingdom of God will be a place where there will be lots of wine-drinking. So how would turning water into wine be a preview of the kingdom of God?
The scholars suggest that the point of the story is that those who struggle with scarcity in this world will find abundance in the kingdom. Those who are forced to settle for the poor and the cheap in this world will experience richness and quality in the kingdom. By providing abundant wine – and very good wine – to a family facing scarcity, Jesus provided a sign that pointed to the richness and abundance of God’s kingdom.
And the scholars also point out that in the Bible, wine is often a symbol of joy. In the ancient world, many people could only afford to drink wine on special occasions – so it came to represent joyful occasions. So maybe this story is meant to remind us that in the kingdom of God, those whose joy flags in this world find it replenished there.
And what’s more, I suspect this story might also have another message for us – that it might be an invitation for those who follow Jesus to expect joy in the things of this life.
We Presbyterians are part of the Calvinist branch of the church. And there’s an old joke about Calvinism being “the sneaking suspicion that somebody somewhere is having a good time.” OK, so we Calvinists (and lots of other Christians) probably deserve our reputation for terminal seriousness. But this story seems to invite us to find joy in the worthy things of this life – like the celebration of a wedding.
You might remember that in the fifteenth chapter of Luke, Jesus says that there’s a celebration in heaven each time a sinner turns back to the Father. And those who study such things say something like 2,000 people a day become followers of Jesus, so celebration would seem to be the main business going on in our God’s kingdom. Maybe if we’re serious about helping God to bring about his kingdom “on earth, as it is in heaven” we should make it a habit to foster the joy in ourselves. After all, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit.
And who has more to be joyful about than the followers of Jesus?
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for this joyful story, about an occasion when Jesus acted to renew the joy and sustain the celebration of a couple’s wedding. As we look forward hopefully to the joys of your heavenly kingdom, move us to live joyfully in this world, celebrating our new life in Jesus in ways that will cause others to share in that joyful new life, as well. Amen.
Have a great weekend, and worship God joyfully on Sunday!
Henry
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