God Has Left the Building: John 2:1-12 Water into Wine

We continue our series about God out and about in the world by exploring John 2:1-12 https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=461572342

 

Weddings in the world of Jesus were the responsibility of the groom’s extended family. They worked hard to create a hospitable celebration that both sides of the new family could enjoy. It would have been a shaming experience for them all, along with the bride and groom, when the wine gave out. Their preparations had been inadequate.

 

What would that say about the family as a whole? How long would that story be passed on with chuckles at wedding after wedding in Cana?

 

Jesus’ mother is not about to allow that to happen. Perhaps she was from the family of the groom; perhaps she was from the other side of the family; perhaps, though less likely, she was not related to either side.

 

She talks to her son conveying to him the bare facts of the matter, “They have no wine.”

 

Jesus knows this is not merely an observation that she offers. He knows her well enough to understand she wants him to do something about this.

 

This is the first time his mother appears in the Gospel since John began with the cosmic prologue instead of a birth narrative.

 

What is more, no one has seen him do a miracle yet, so we should not assume that she must know what is possible here. Maybe she just wants him to run down to the corner store.

 

However, Jesus’ reply sounds like he hears more than this in her petition. He responds to her in a way that often marks the first steps of a son toward independence. He seems to reject her invitation to action at least for a moment. For the first time he uses a term that will continue to gain weight in John’s Gospel. He claims that “his hour” has not yet come.

 

Yet Mary winks at the servants and tells them to follow any directions that he might give them. She seems to know her boy better than he knows himself. In spite of his curt comment to the contrary, Jesus will spring into action and respond to the request his mother has made.

 

The narrator sets up the event that is about to take place. He tells us that there are six huge water jars each of them holding twenty or thirty gallons of water.

 

That is a lot of water, enough for two or three bathtubs full of water! This is a good way to measure it since the jars were meant for rites of purification.

 

The first words we hear out of Jesus’ mouth after he had told his mother “no”, are the instructions to the servants that indicate he will do what his mother asked whether his hour has come or not.

The servants dutifully respond to his request, filling the jars with as much water as they can take. Jesus commands them to ladle some out and share it with the expert in charge of serving the wine. They do what he commands them and something surprising has occurred.

 

The steward, ignorant of where this wine has come from but undoubtedly relieved that the impending disaster has been avoided, raises it to his nose and sniffs, then his lips and sips, and he smiles. His eyes go wide. This is good stuff and he doesn’t know where it came from.

 

The servants know and grin, but he calls the groom who is also clueless on this account. He compliments him on his unusual practice. Usually one serves the best wine first while the folks are sober enough to appreciate its quality. I’m sure that the steward had been content with what had been served so far, but he didn’t know that a better stash had been hidden away somewhere.

 

Jesus has produced three bathtubs full of the good stuff even though, given what the steward suggests, everyone is already feeling the effects of the house wine. I imagine the groom smiles and nods not knowing what to say since he has missed the first sign as it was performed. He gets the benefits, but missed the preparation process.

 

The servants understand and maybe go back to taste some of the good stuff; who will know that some is missing with such quantities? The disciples sense that something greater is going on than this marvelous wine’s appearance, although I bet they sample some themselves. They see this as a sign that something amazing is about to happen.

 

 

1. Was there a time in your life that Jesus changed a situation that looked like it was heading in a very bad direction? What happened and why do you attribute the change to Jesus?

 

2. What are times when you found yourself in the community of faith delighting in God’s goodness and in the ordinary gifts that God daily gives us?

 

3. If you were an artist, what themes would your work about the wedding at Cana explore? How would you suggest them through the composition of the piece?

 

 

Pastor Phil Ruge-Jones