Introduction
It is sometimes the case with a biblical text that one can draw various points from it without exhausting all the points that are there to be had. I think that is the case with our text for today, Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
The Text
“The Wedding at Cana.”
So Jesus is there at the wedding. It’s at Cana in Galilee, not that far from Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, or from Capernaum, where now he was making his headquarters. How he got invited to the wedding is not directly stated, but it may have been because his mother was a friend of the family. So Mary is there, Jesus is there, and Jesus brings along his disciples.
Marriage
So, Jesus is affirming God’s institution of marriage. That he is blessing this marriage by His presence. Just as Jesus is present at Christian weddings and blesses Christian marriages to this day. That is true. But that’s not all there is to this story.
Now another point about Jesus’ mother. She finds out that the big wedding celebration, which, by the way, would last for days–she finds out that they have run out of wine. That’s not good. That would be a disaster, an embarrassment, and would really put a damper on things. So she goes to her son, Jesus, and asks Him if He can do anything about this. Apparently, she realizes that _her son has the authority and the power, from God, to do some pretty amazing things. And she trusts her son to do the right thing in this situation. So she tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” That is faith speaking . “Do whatever he tells you”. It shows Mary to be a model of faith, a role model for the church. Would that we all had the faith of Mary to say about Jesus, “Do whatever He tells you.”
But there’s more to this story than that. Well, so Jesus addresses the situation of the need for more wine at the party. Now one point we can draw from this is that Jesus approves of drinking wine. He’s OK with that. He even provides wine for this celebration. Jesus is no teetotaler.
Drinking
There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful in drinking wine or other alcoholic beverages. It’s not OK to get drunk, but it is OK to drink. The Bible says in Psalm 104 that the Lord gives wine “to gladden the heart of man.” And so wine is a good gift from our creator to be used and enjoyed, but not to be abused. Well, that’s a point we can draw from this, but it’s not the main point.
So, Jesus turns water into wine, and, no more wine shortage. What we see is that Jesus clearly has power from heaven to do this mighty miracle. No one else could do this. Only Jesus, a prophet sent by God. But wait, He is the very Son of God come in the flesh. We read in the beginning of John’s gospel that this eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word, the Logos, that He was in the beginning with God, and that through Him all things were made. So now as the Word made flesh, the Son of God incarnate has the power of creation at His command, demonstrated here in His turning water into wine. Very important point. But that’s not all. There’s more to the story.
Six Jars
And the “more” to this story is found in some of the details that John provides in his telling of it. Notice, the water that Jesus turns into wine, where does it come from? John tells us: “Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. This emphasizes how abundant, super-abundant, is the gift Jesus is going to give. That’s how Jesus does things. Always more than we can expect or imagine. He is rich in His grace toward us. Full to the brim. Always more than we can measure.
It’s a great party. There is wine to gladden the heart. And in biblical weddings, the joy and the feasting and the celebrating goes on for days. It’s no wonder that Jesus so often in His teaching compares the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast, a wedding banquet.
And so it is that Jesus chooses to do this miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding. It’s a sign. It’s the perfect setting for demonstrating the life and the joy that Jesus is bringing through His death and resurrection. Notice, John mentions, “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana.” And there will come another “third day” when Jesus will rise from the dead and the celebrating will begin! The celebrating continues to this day, and it will never end. Death cannot stop it. Life is the outcome, the life that Jesus bestows on us in super-abundance.
Come to the Party
So come to the party! You are invited. It’s the wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which will have no end. Not just for a week, but for an eternity, this party will go on. Jesus saves the best wine for last. He gives it free of charge. And always more than we can measure.
Gospel
This day the same Lord Jesus who both provided the ordinary wine for the wedding in Cana as the One through whom all things were made, and who miraculously again provided wine for them when they needed more give us hope. Today remember all the blessings you have received from Him in the past and today look forward to all the blessings He has in store for you, as a family, in the future. Remember what the master of the wedding feast in Cana says to the bridegroom after Jesus quietly turns the water into wine, “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.”
Reflection
Beloved ELCG, with grateful hearts, filled to the brim with thanksgiving, receive today the good blessing of the Lord.
Conclusion
The same Lord who makes the ordinary also makes the extraordinary, may your life together in Christ as teacher, as father, pastor mother, son, daughter, uncle, aunte, members increase with blessings upon blessings. Amen.