Westminster Tower Wednesday Service
John 2: 1-12
Dc. Larry Brockman
So, the Christmas Season is all over! Our joy is complete. The Lord has come. Well, not quite. Let me explain.
We celebrate the coming of Jesus during the Christmas Season. And we celebrate Christmas for 12 days until the Epiphany because the Epiphany commemorates when the three Wise Men arrived from the East and gave gifts to the baby Jesus, honoring him as the newborn King. These three wise men, or kings, represent all of Mankind. They were not from the Chosen people, the Jews; rather, they were from diverse Gentile nations.
Now Epiphany means “Manifestation”; and so, God “manifested”, that is, showed His presence as God-made-man, to all his people through these Wise Men because God’s gift of Jesus was meant for all of us, not just the Jews. So traditionally, Christmas ended with this event since the joy of Jesus Coming had been shared with everyone.
But wait, there’s more to the Epiphany than that. You see, most Christian Churches teach that there are three elements of God’s manifestation to us. First, the Wise Men’s coming and honoring the new born King. Second, the Baptism of the Lord, in which Jesus accepts God’s mission for him. And third, Jesus will to execute his mission to all Mankind.
Now I know that your Chaplain shared thoughts on the Baptism of the Lord with you last week. Baptism is our opportunity to shed our sin, and to be reborn by water and spirit into the Church. Yes, we arise from the waters of Baptism as new people, committed to the will of God and our Christian faith.
The Baptism of the Lord had similar significance for Jesus. Although Jesus had no sin, he arose from the waters of His Baptism a new person as well. He accepted his Mission from the Father to live a different life. Rather than the life of a Carpenter in the sleepy little village of Nazareth, Jesus was reborn to a new life. He recognized that his mission was to become the Savior of the World by following God’s detailed plan for him to preach the good news of God’s love and to proclaim to all peoples that they should repent of their old self-centered worldly lives and follow in His footsteps to do the will of God the Father, even if that meant pain and suffering and rejection by the world.
And so, Jesus was awakened to that mission at His Baptism. And he went away in the desert for 40 days to reflect on it all and to decide what to do, and how to do it, and when to do it.
That brings us to today’s incident, the Wedding at Cana. You see, after returning from the desert, the third element of the manifestation occurred. Jesus now implemented his mission by “coming out”, so to speak, and revealing that he was special. Jesus launched his ministry by performing an extraordinary miracle at Cana, by turning water into wine, 120 gallons of it. This was a public ministry that brought salvation to us all. And our joy as Christians is not complete without salvation.
There are a couple of things that the Gospel tells us about this “Coming Out” that we will talk about. But first, I will share a little on the culture of a first century Jewish wedding. Scholars tell us these wedding celebrations went on for a week. Not only that, but wine was a key element of them. In fact, the Aramaic word for the nuptial celebration was “Mistita”, meaning drink festival. And if you think that’s shocking, consider this Rabbinical dictum, or saying, of the time: “Where there is no wine, there is no joy”. So, what a wedding that must have been!
Scholars also tell us that the bride was probably related to Mary in some way. The Bible says Mary was there already, and that context implies she was there other than by invitation, presumably because she somehow belonged there as a relation. We know Jesus and 5 of his disciples were invited, that is, called to the wedding, and that it took 3 days to get there, from Nazareth to Cana. Each of the men probably brought a guest.
What this means is that Mary, Jesus, and his group of disciples represented a significant part of the wedding party’s guests. So, presumably they were consuming a significant portion of the wine, too. And that puts a different light on Mary’s request to Jesus, doesn’t it.
Now, did you notice that Jesus was reluctant when challenged? He tells his Mother- “Woman, how does your concern affect me” when she mentions the wine is running short. You know, there’s a lot in that exchange for us to ponder. Think back on your own lives about your relationship with your parents, or with your children. If you and your children went to a party and their friends drank all the wine, wouldn’t any good mother be concerned about what she saw happening, and say something to her child? And what would your son say to you if you pointed that out to him? And yet, this exchange sounds kind of sharp to us, doesn’t it? So, what was Jesus thinking?
Well, scholars tell us that similar use of the word “woman” elsewhere in scripture actually implies that Jesus was using a formal term of respect when addressing his mother as “Woman” in public. Additionally, they say that his response was more like “we just have a different way of looking at it” with regard to the fact the wine was gone, rather than “don’t bother me, it’s not my concern”. In other words, it was not a rebuke or rejection, as it sounds to us. And so we are sidetracked by this first seemingly shocking part of his response, and may not have noticed the essence of his response. Because the real crux of his response is this: “My hour has not yet come.”
Could it be that even after the Baptism and reflection in the desert, for 40 days that Jesus is still not sure how to handle his mission? Is Jesus holding back on launching his public ministry?
Whether his mother sensed all this or not, we do not know. But we do know she didn’t let the matter ride. Rather his Mother tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you”. Ah, yes. Children might appear to be on a different page and not fully responsive to their parents. But Mothers know their children and trust they will do the right thing. “It’s the way I brought you up”, right?
Now stone vessels were not something you left around the house. They were not fabricated out of clay, but had to be carefully hewn- they were expensive. So, these 6 vessels had been brought in especially for this event- And they were used to hold water, some 20 gallons of water apiece. And this water was used for purification purposes, the “ceremonial washings” associated with the wedding. Now, these were filled to the brim- a sign of plentitude. And miraculously, they were turned to fine wine- 120 gallons of wine.
It strikes me that all of this symbolizes things. First, the ceremonial washing with the water symbolizes the old way of doing things, strict adherence to the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament. The water made wine prefigures the wine at the Last Supper and the New Testament. So the new way to purity is to live the life of the Lord by consuming his flesh and blood in the Eucharist and taking on his way. Lastly, all who partake are joined together, with Christ the Bridegroom and his people the Church, the brides. Oh, what a wedding that symbolizes!
But for the moment, the just wine serves to meet a need for the embarrassed bride and groom. It is pronounced by the expert to be truly exceptional wine; wine that which should have been served first. Indeed, the New Covenant is the way, the truth, and the light. Would that it had come earlier.
It is clear that word of this miracle would spread and spread quickly. Indeed, the third manifestation of the Lord to us had arrived- Jesus public ministry had been accepted and begun. The word was out; Jesus had performed a miracle. And thus, the Church launches “Ordinary Time”, a time in which we hear of Jesus public Ministry.
Every one of us goes through a three-fold process in life to manifest our worthiness for everlasting life. First, we are born into this world, just as the Baby Jesus was born at Christmas. Second, we die to the things of this world and recognize that life is all about believing in God and following Jesus. That’s what the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are all about. And lastly, it is not enough to accept Jesus in our lives, we have got to take action. We have got to move out and do the will of the Father. Our joy in recognizing the path to Everlasting Life isn’t complete until we take that last step. And each of us is confronted by obstacles along the way, just as Jesus encountered them.
First, we might recognize what God’s will is for us, but we fight it. Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to reflect on the urgings from your heart to focus on the mission God is calling you to. If that is the case, then the upcoming season of Lent is for you. Lent represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert sorting his life and mission out. So, Lent is the perfect time to discipline yourselves to get away from it all, listen to God, and resolve to make a change, that is repent, and follow his urgings.
Or you might have a vision of what God intends for you, but you are afraid or reticent to move out. So you waffle over when the time is right to move out. So, be looking for those little signs that direct you to move out now. Jesus’ mother, Mary, acted in that capacity in this story when she told Jesus about the waning wine.
For three years, virtually all of Jesus’ public life, Jesus spread a message of love- proclaiming the beatitudes, telling parables, and giving first hand examples that all people are God’s children. Jesus’ life was a script for all of us on how to relate to one another.
And that’s what we are all called to do- to minister to the people that God has put in our lives- the difficult neighbor; the prodigal son; the selfish children; the quiet person in the corner; the noisy chatterbox in the center of the room; and your best friend who has just lost a loved one. All of these folks are our mission. And all of them help us to experience the ultimate joy. That comes with the Coming of Christ, and membership as a Bride of Christ in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Oh, what a wedding that will be!
