Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The text for this meditation is written in the 2nd Chapter of the Gospel according to St John: Verses 1–11:
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim”. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Once again we heard a very familiar reading from the Gospel according to St. John … Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana in Galilee. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples had an invitation to this wedding, and they came to help the couple celebrate the beginning of their life together as husband and wife.
Weddings in that culture were major celebrations that often lasted an entire week. The host of the wedding, usually the groom or the groom’s family, supplied food and drink for the guests. Running out of food or drink was a major embarrassment.
Mary noticed that the family had run out of wine. We don’t really know how Mary became aware of this, but she told Jesus about it. The context indicates that Mary hoped Jesus would deal with the problem, and that she would let Him work out the details. Mary’s request does not indicate that Mary expected a miracle of any kind.
Mary must have been helping with the wedding because after she left Jesus she said to the servants, (John 2:5)“Do whatever he tells you.” Here Mary is an example of faith. She had no idea what Jesus was about to do, but whatever it was, she trusted it to be the right thing. Did you know that this is the last direct quotation from Mary in the Bible? A command to the servants, also compelling advice to us.
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each with the capacity of approximately 110 litres. Jesus said to the servants, (John 2:6–7) “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.” Note that this around 660 litres of water. The servants went about the task of drawing the water from a well by hand.
Then Jesus said to them, (John 2:8) “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. Note that Jesus did not tell the servants that the water had become wine. He simply instructed them to take some to the master of the feast.
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, (John 2:9–10) “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Somewhere in the process of filling the jars and taking a sample of the water to the master of the feast, the water became wine. It wasn’t just any wine either. The master of the feast was surprised that the groom had waited so long to serve the good wine.
So here, Jesus has made a nice gesture to help some friends avoid an embarrassing situation. I mean that’s good, but why did the Holy Spirit inspire John to include this event in His account of the Gospel? It’s a fun story. it was great for the wine drinkers. But, in the grand scheme of eternity, why is it important?
Well, scripture interprets scripture. John himself tells us of the goal of his Gospel at the end of chapter 20. (John 20:30–31) “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”. Here John reveals the objective of the signs in his account of the Gospel. The signs are there in order to make the case that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. For John knows that faith in Jesus receives eternal life.
The Holy Spirit inspired John to make the point that all of Jesus’ signs point to Jesus as the anointed one, the Son of God. He is the anointed one who takes away the sin of the world. He is the anointed One who takes our sin to the cross and endures the punishment our sins deserve. He is the anointed One who will give us the greatest sign … the sign of the empty tomb of our risen Saviour.
The Holy Spirit inspired John to begin the trail of signs pointing to Jesus with the sign of Jesus changing the water into wine. John himself tells us that this is the point of this account at the end of today’s reading from the Gospel. He wrote, (John 2:11) “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
John wants us to understand that this miracle is not just a gesture to help some friends avoid an embarrassing situation. John informs us that this was Jesus’ first sign … the first certification that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. These signs point to the spiritual truth of the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One who took on our flesh, lived among us, and experienced everything that we experience. They reveal Jesus, who, while fully human and like us in every way, except without sin, is also fully God. These miracles are signs that reveal Jesus for who he really is, namely, the Word made flesh, who created all things and who upholds all things in himself. They reveal the glory of the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ. This sign is the first of a trail of signs that will lead to the ultimate sign of the empty tomb of the risen Lord.
Jesus has not only chosen to reveal Himself to those first disciples using signs, but He has also chosen to reveal Himself to us and to come to us, in signs in which his Word resides. Jesus has chosen to reveal Himself in the signs of the proclaimed word, the word combined with water in Holy Baptism, and the word combined with bread and wine in the Holy Meal. He has given these signs to us as gifts. In these miracles, he is revealed to us. In the Sacraments, Jesus, who revealed at Cana that he is Lord of the elements, continues to reveal himself as Lord over all creation.
In the waters of Baptism, Jesus makes us his own. By His suffering and death on the cross, He has earned the forgiveness of sins. Then by His promise and command, He joins that forgiveness to ordinary water. By His promise and command, baptism delivers the forgiveness of sins from the cross to you. For it is written, (1 Pet 3:21) “Baptism . . . now saves you”. Baptism is a (Titus 3:5) “washing of regeneration”. Baptism is a re-creation. We were dead in sin, but Baptism re-creates us in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
In the same manner, the Lord’s Supper is a sign of our redemption in Jesus Christ. Is it not written in (1 John 1:7) “that the blood of Jesus cleanses you from sin”? The miracle of Jesus’ true body and true blood under the elements of bread and wine reveals the mystery of our salvation in a blessed and holy sacramental union with Jesus. Jesus gives His body and His blood into our mouths and so grants us the forgiveness of sins one mouth at a time.
We celebrate the fact that as a baptised child of God we have the blessings that Jesus promises in baptism: forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Through the blessed presence of the Holy Spirit gifted to us in Holy Baptism we have the faith to come to the table and receive the body and blood of Jesus for our lasting good. Although no one can understand how Jesus joins Himself to the bread and the wine, we trust His promises … the promise that as we eat the bread, we receive His body broken for us … the promise that as we drink the wine, we receive His blood shed for us … the promise that His body and blood give us forgiveness, life, and salvation. Through faith, we can believe the promise that this body and blood will strengthen us in both body and soul until the day comes when we will meet the one who turned water into wine, and we shall see Him face-to face.
At the wedding celebration in Cana, our Lord revealed who he is, to servants, disciples, to us and to the world. In “this, the first of his signs,” Jesus points us to the restoration of creation that he would accomplish on the great third day, Easter morning. Through his first miracle, indeed, through all his miracles, Jesus manifested his glory and revealed to us a foretaste of what was to come: the restoration of our life in our God as it is meant to be.
Jesus has given signs to us. At Cana, at Calvary, at the empty tomb, in the font, and on the altar, Jesus gives us signs of his glory. In the font, and on the altar, our Lord has given us signs of the renewed creation won for us on the cross at Calvary. Here Jesus reveals that his life and death are ours. Jesus reveals that his body was given for us and his blood was shed for us for the remission of our sins. Jesus reveals to us his glory, the glory of his death for our righteousness. This Divine Service is His wedding party given for us. He is the groom, the wine steward, and the wine. We are the bride and the honoured guest.
Jesus has given all these signs to us so that we may believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that we might have life by believing in His name. Amen
The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen
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