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John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water into 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.
Four times in a row now, this passage has come up in the lectionary as the gospel reading for the day of Eastern Orthodox Christmas. (In fact, as I’m working on this Reflection, I’m listening to Orthodox liturgical chant on Pandora.) On the face of it, there’s no direct connection. I looked through some Eastern Orthodox materials about their observance of Christmas – or “the Feast of the Nativity,” as they usually refer to it – and I didn’t see anything referring to this passage as a reading for the occasion.
It’s struck me in the past that this story tells us about a celebration, and about how Jesus blessed that celebration with a gift of wine – and lots of really good wine. So you could see a certain connection with a joyous observance like Christmas, but I’d have to admit that’s kind of a stretch. I don’t see the theme of drinking and celebration in the Eastern Orthodox materials I’ve looked at. So maybe it’s a coincidence, although some Christians don’t believe there’s any such thing.
But in any case, this is a story that I’ve come to appreciate more and more as I’ve come back to it every couple of years and thought about it again.
I have to admit that at first, I wasn’t sure what we’re supposed to make of it. We Protestants tend to think that every story in the Bible is supposed to have a single lesson in it. Lots of us think every Bible story is supposed to tell us something that we’re “supposed to do” as Christians. But this story doesn’t seem to have a single, clear lesson for us. It doesn’t seem to tell us anything that we’re supposed to do. It’s not immediately clear what we’re supposed to learn from it. I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t mean that we’re all supposed to go forth and change water into wine, for instance.
But as I’ve thought about it in recent years, I’ve come to think there are at least two important things we’re meant to notice here.
First of all, as you might remember, the Bible scholars say that when the New Testament talks about the miracles Jesus performs, it usually calls them “signs.” And that term – signs – has a specific meaning. Signs are things that point to a reality outside themselves.
And the scholars say that the miracles of Jesus are signs of something particular – of the kingdom of God. Each miracle is meant to be a kind of preview of that heavenly kingdom. It’s a kingdom where sickness and even death are defeated. Where the hungry are fed. Where the blind receive their sight. Where those who mourn are comforted. And so on.
So how does turning water into wine point to the kingdom of heaven? Some of the scholars say that both the quality and the quantity of the wine Jesus makes are important clues about that kingdom. In the Bible, wine is used as a symbol of joy and blessing. So in this story, Jesus (who we understand to be God in human form) provides wine, and he provides a surprising amount of wine – somewhere between 120 and 180 gallons. And what’s more, he provides surprisingly good wine — the master of the banquet couldn’t understand why this good wine had been kept back until everyone had drunk quite a bit already.
So the scholars say that this story seems intended to communicate the idea that God stands ready to bless his Son’s followers richly – surprisingly richly, in fact. The kingdom of God will include blessing that’s beyond our imagining.
But there might be even more to it than we usually think. The first thought that strikes lots of Christians is that this surprisingly rich blessing is something that we will see only after our time in this world. But it might not always be that way. Some scholars say that when Jesus talked about “eternal life,” he seems to have meant the new life that begins when we start following him, not just after we die to worldly life.
Actually, this is perfectly consistent with my own experience of the faith. And others have shared similar experiences with me. Yes, following Jesus can be scary and intimidating. But there are also rich blessings – incredibly rich blessings – that come with stepping out in faith and letting God lead you in the life of discipleship. And I wonder if those surprisingly rich blessings are what this story is intended to be a sign of.
But there’s one other detail of this story that seems significant to me. I can’t help noticing that even though Jesus said his time had not yet come for doing this kind of miracle, he did it anyway. So his love for this young couple caused him to set aside his divine schedule for the moment and renew their joy on their wedding day. Jesus demonstrated flexibility for the sake of these people. He treated the joyful celebration of their wedding, not as something trivial, but rather as something worthy of his attention. Of his participation.
There’s some kind of lesson for us there, don’t you think? We can be a little rigid about the things of church life – our customs, our procedures, our schedules, the use of church buildings, etc. We justify that rigidity by saying things are supposed to be done “decently and in order.” But the example of Jesus in this story seems to call on us to put people – their welfare and even their joy – ahead of our customs and procedures and schedules and sense of what’s decent and in order as we live in this world as followers of Jesus.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for the loving concern you showed for this couple on their wedding day, for your flexibility and willingness to act to increase their joy. And we thank you for the preview of the joy and blessing of your heavenly kingdom that this story points forward to. Empower us to be agents of your joy and blessing in our lives of faith, too. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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