“The First Miracle (Wedding at Cana)”
January 19, 2025
Commissioned Pastor Rose Sheehan
John 2:1-11 is a story of miracle; Let’s look at this like investigators and break it down. What was the event: a wedding as mentioned in verses 1-2, “there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding”. Then a problem comes up in verse 3, When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And then the push back from Jesus in verse 4 when Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me? My hour has not yet come. In verse 5 Mary tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Indicating her belief that, Jesus will solve this problem. Next, in versus 6 and 7, we hear about the jars: “Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons -and then the instructions Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim and the miracle has occurred by verse 8 but no one knows that yet –but Jesus! Precisely when the miracle occurred is a mystery. Jesus said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So, they took it. Imagine the servants who had just filled up the jars with water, being so shocked by what happened next -and the response from the banquet manager in verses 9-11.When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Who attended: Mary and about 5 disciples and other guest but we are not told who actually got married. Most Bible research sems to think that they were related to Mary. Notice that there are six large jars there made of stone, large enough to hold twenty to thirty gallons of water, six of them. We are told they were used by the Jewish people for Ceremonial washing, which probably may mean that this is the home of a religious person. Other than these details, this story is short on the extra, miscellaneous details but provides with a significant First Miracle in Jesus’s ministry. The groom was responsible for the wine; so, Jesus is symbolic of the bridegroom providing the wine for his bride (the Church), foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper.
Now, I could stop there, but there is more to this story.
How many weddings have you attended over your life time, 1, 5 ,10, 15 or more? I have probably attended 20 weddings & wedding receptions. We have many weddings coming up this year at United Church and hopefully, at both wedding receptions; no of those receptions will run out of wine (if they choose to have wine) or have anything else unexpected will happen. I have attended and planned and executed many a wedding and wedding receptions and parties. Two of the weddings out of the 20 I attended had a problem that occurred (that’s 10%). I give you a brief look at those 2 wedding plans gone off the plan. For my older sister, Kathy’s weddings, the main Pastor left with a key to the choir loft and my father was furious. My Aunt Rosie, a catholic nun and amazing musician was going to play for the wedding but she could not get to the piano or organ. We finally found someone else with a key and the wedding went ok after that. At my wedding, we choose 2 ring bearers, my nephews for were both 5 years old. The rehearsal went off without great, but as I was waiting to walk up the aisle, my one nephew saw all those people in the pews, and ran screaming to his mom.
My dad turned to me and said, don’t let that upset you, to which I replied, I think it is funny. My other nephew just walked up the aisle as if it had never happened. So, we know weddings don’t always go as planned. Running out of wine is sometimes mentioned by wedding planners as a cautionary tale or at wedding receptions.
Since Jesus, himself, was not married. Some people say that he blessed the institution of marriage by his presence at the wedding at Cana. But that's not why this story is here either. It is not about marriage. This second chapter begins with Jesus changing the water into wine at the wedding at Cana. That’s his debut. It's the first thing Jesus does, The first Miracle! Even though the indication in this story is that his time had not come yet, he still performs the miracle-without a lot of fuss, yet Jesus is "making a statement"!
He doesn’t stand up on a pulpit or even at the front of the room, he doesn’t pray out loud over the water, he does not call any attention to himself. He is demonstrating his divinity.
John doesn't call this a miracle. He calls it a "sign." The "sign being a revelation of who Jesus is. It is a revelation of his glory, his divine nature. John says, "This was the first sign that Jesus performed."The head waiter didn’t know where the wine came from. The groom didn’t know either. The only ones who knew the difference were Mary, the servants, and the disciples. And in Verse 11, we hear how this story ends. That verse states “Jesus revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." And that is an important point of this story. The disciples saw that first Miracle. Disciples can see what other people can't see. Mostly what disciples can see is who this man really is, and what it means for the world, what it can mean for you and me, that Jesus has come into our world. The time of preparation is over, and the time of transformation and celebration has begun. The Disciples knew that this was the beginning of something new, a whole new way of looking at the world.
The time of preparation is over. They realize that they are part of something that is bigger than themselves. They are caught up now in a momentum that lifts them up. Things are going to be different now. Things are going to change. The old is past. The time of waiting for life to begin is passed. The time of waiting for some human to come and do it all for you is passed. Only Christ can transform, so you can you start to live a new transformed life in Christ! The story of this miracle confirms that the divine reality behind the miracle!
For John, Jesus’ miracle is a “sign” that reveal the salvation, abundance, and new life now present in the world through Jesus, revealing Jesus’ glory as God’s Son through whom salvation enters the world. As Jesus’ first public act, the changing of water to wine symbolizes the “fullness we have all received” (John 1:16) through Jesus’ presence in the world. We will renew our transformation again today in the communion of the body and blood of Christ. Let our hearts be transformed by Jesus and trust and follow him! Give yourself and your heart, mind and soul to Jesus-demonstrate the miracle of being transformed! My prayer for today is to God; you made your son known at a wedding, a public celebration of love. Celebrate love with us by again revealing your son, Jesus in our midst and transform us.
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