Master 258: A Wedding, Part 1
And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding. And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
I don't know about you, but this has always struck me as one of the more peculiar events in Jesus' life. In the course of His ministry, Jesus did many things. He received baptism, gathered a group of disciples, taught in synagogues and in the countryside, disputed with the religious leaders, healed people of various diseases, cast out demons, walked on water, multiplied loaves and fish; He was put on trial, crucified, and rose again. Yet this episode in Jesus' life seems different from all those others.
The whole setup is just different. We're told that Jesus, along with His family and disciples, was invited to a wedding. At that wedding, they ran out of wine. And Jesus' initial response to the situation is no less unusual. Look at what happens when His mother informs Him about the problem.
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Jesus seems to indicate that He's unwilling to do anything about the lack of wine. Yet His mother responds by telling the servants to do whatever He says. Is she going "over His head" in some way? And then Jesus actually does jump into action.
Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now."
John wraps up His account of this event with the following summary statement: "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him." John says that Jesus manifested His glory through this miracle, yet only a handful of people knew that any miracle had taken place. John says that the disciples believed in Him, but what does that mean? What did they come to believe?
Questions abound. What are we supposed to learn about Jesus through this event? Why did John choose to include it in His gospel? (None of the other gospel writers speak of this incident.)
--
I'd like to think with you about this episode from Jesus' life over the course of a couple blog posts and see what we can take from it by prayerful reflection and meditation.
Let's begin by thinking about the setting--a wedding. I attended a wedding recently. Actually, I was the best man in the wedding of Daniel Bernstrom to the woman whom regular FacingGrace readers know as "Significant."
Now I've participated in and attended the weddings of other friends, but this one was different. I think that had to do with the fact that I knew so much more about the relationship between these two. Those of you who have followed Daniel's Disability Blog know that the process of their coming together was not a perfectly smooth one. There's been plenty of room for doubts and questioning on both sides. Yet they've persevered, worked through the challenges, talked together about everything, and striven for openness and integrity along with love and affection. They have very consciously chosen to put Jesus Christ at the center of their relationship, relying on Him to be their solid foundation.
Again, those of you who have followed Daniel's journey through blindness training know that His trust in and relationship with God have grown and matured in the context of difficult hardship and trials. Yet he would be the first to tell you that it has all been worth it. In talking and praying with Him, I find myself being drawn into the presence of the divine and supernatural, which is the only thing that can account for the joy and gratitude that fill His being in spite of the challenges he faces.
Why do I share all this? Because it puts a whole different spin on marriage. Marriages are so commonplace, and divorces, unfortunately today, seem almost as commonplace. Views about just what marriage is differ radically, as do people's expectations of what it will be like. But Daniel and Significant's marriage reminds me that marriage (along with many other things) really is tied to the supernatural. When a man and woman come together to become "one flesh"; when they covenant to do what no two mere mortals could ever pull off--love one another through whatever may come "till death do us part"--; when each of them, aware of his or her own inadequacies and the challenges that lie ahead, calls on God to lead them into ever more faithful service and sacrifice--that all connects to the supernatural.
In a world in which marriages come and go so easily, Daniel and Significant remind me that God intended for marriage to involve the supernatural. God intended that the good things that come through and from marriage would be supernatural in quality--that they would far surpass anything that two people could cobble together on their own as they navigate the hills and valleys of life. Daniel and Significant remind me that God smiles on marriage.
--
Why do I find it so odd that Jesus would go to a wedding? Is it, perhaps, because I've forgotten that God smiles on marriage? Have I forgotten that in the beginning, God created and ordained marriage? Have I forgotten that because of this, Jesus declared, "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate"? Have I forgotten that there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to celebrating marriage and romantic love? Have I forgotten what a marvelous and remarkable thing marriage is?
Here's an interesting fact to consider. John tell us that, upon hearing of the wine shortage, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six stone waterpots with water. These pots had been set apart for use in purification rituals. By using these pots in this way, then, Jesus actually temporarily defiled them. Can that be right? --that Jesus would defile these ceremonial vessels just to provide wine for a wedding celebration? He must have thought that wedding celebration was pretty important.
It's often difficult to overcome our preconceptions and expectations. We may have all sorts of ideas about what Jesus was like, where He would go, and what He would do. Yet, again and again, we find Jesus popping up in the most unexpected places and doing the most unexpected things. We find Him constantly challenging us to realign our values to match His. Let's see what happens when we try to do that.
--
Reflection questions:
In what other ways do Jesus' words and actions at this wedding challenge our expectations of Him?
What is your view of marriage? For those of you who are married, what does God have to do with you and your spouse?
Have you ever experienced God showing up in unexpected places? Where do you expect to meet God? Where do you expect not to meet Him?
Those of us who are surprised that Jesus would show up at a wedding may be even more surprised to learn that He can and will show up in a broken home as well. For those who have gone through the pain of divorce, know that Jesus' grace, power, and love can reach you where you're at too.
--
This blog series is written for FacingGrace.com. Another version of this post may be viewed on that website via this link.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
I don't know about you, but this has always struck me as one of the more peculiar events in Jesus' life. In the course of His ministry, Jesus did many things. He received baptism, gathered a group of disciples, taught in synagogues and in the countryside, disputed with the religious leaders, healed people of various diseases, cast out demons, walked on water, multiplied loaves and fish; He was put on trial, crucified, and rose again. Yet this episode in Jesus' life seems different from all those others.
The whole setup is just different. We're told that Jesus, along with His family and disciples, was invited to a wedding. At that wedding, they ran out of wine. And Jesus' initial response to the situation is no less unusual. Look at what happens when His mother informs Him about the problem.
And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Jesus seems to indicate that He's unwilling to do anything about the lack of wine. Yet His mother responds by telling the servants to do whatever He says. Is she going "over His head" in some way? And then Jesus actually does jump into action.
Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now."
John wraps up His account of this event with the following summary statement: "This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him." John says that Jesus manifested His glory through this miracle, yet only a handful of people knew that any miracle had taken place. John says that the disciples believed in Him, but what does that mean? What did they come to believe?
Questions abound. What are we supposed to learn about Jesus through this event? Why did John choose to include it in His gospel? (None of the other gospel writers speak of this incident.)
--
I'd like to think with you about this episode from Jesus' life over the course of a couple blog posts and see what we can take from it by prayerful reflection and meditation.
Let's begin by thinking about the setting--a wedding. I attended a wedding recently. Actually, I was the best man in the wedding of Daniel Bernstrom to the woman whom regular FacingGrace readers know as "Significant."
Now I've participated in and attended the weddings of other friends, but this one was different. I think that had to do with the fact that I knew so much more about the relationship between these two. Those of you who have followed Daniel's Disability Blog know that the process of their coming together was not a perfectly smooth one. There's been plenty of room for doubts and questioning on both sides. Yet they've persevered, worked through the challenges, talked together about everything, and striven for openness and integrity along with love and affection. They have very consciously chosen to put Jesus Christ at the center of their relationship, relying on Him to be their solid foundation.
Again, those of you who have followed Daniel's journey through blindness training know that His trust in and relationship with God have grown and matured in the context of difficult hardship and trials. Yet he would be the first to tell you that it has all been worth it. In talking and praying with Him, I find myself being drawn into the presence of the divine and supernatural, which is the only thing that can account for the joy and gratitude that fill His being in spite of the challenges he faces.
Why do I share all this? Because it puts a whole different spin on marriage. Marriages are so commonplace, and divorces, unfortunately today, seem almost as commonplace. Views about just what marriage is differ radically, as do people's expectations of what it will be like. But Daniel and Significant's marriage reminds me that marriage (along with many other things) really is tied to the supernatural. When a man and woman come together to become "one flesh"; when they covenant to do what no two mere mortals could ever pull off--love one another through whatever may come "till death do us part"--; when each of them, aware of his or her own inadequacies and the challenges that lie ahead, calls on God to lead them into ever more faithful service and sacrifice--that all connects to the supernatural.
In a world in which marriages come and go so easily, Daniel and Significant remind me that God intended for marriage to involve the supernatural. God intended that the good things that come through and from marriage would be supernatural in quality--that they would far surpass anything that two people could cobble together on their own as they navigate the hills and valleys of life. Daniel and Significant remind me that God smiles on marriage.
--
Why do I find it so odd that Jesus would go to a wedding? Is it, perhaps, because I've forgotten that God smiles on marriage? Have I forgotten that in the beginning, God created and ordained marriage? Have I forgotten that because of this, Jesus declared, "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate"? Have I forgotten that there is a whole book of the Bible dedicated to celebrating marriage and romantic love? Have I forgotten what a marvelous and remarkable thing marriage is?
Here's an interesting fact to consider. John tell us that, upon hearing of the wine shortage, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six stone waterpots with water. These pots had been set apart for use in purification rituals. By using these pots in this way, then, Jesus actually temporarily defiled them. Can that be right? --that Jesus would defile these ceremonial vessels just to provide wine for a wedding celebration? He must have thought that wedding celebration was pretty important.
It's often difficult to overcome our preconceptions and expectations. We may have all sorts of ideas about what Jesus was like, where He would go, and what He would do. Yet, again and again, we find Jesus popping up in the most unexpected places and doing the most unexpected things. We find Him constantly challenging us to realign our values to match His. Let's see what happens when we try to do that.
--
Reflection questions:
In what other ways do Jesus' words and actions at this wedding challenge our expectations of Him?
What is your view of marriage? For those of you who are married, what does God have to do with you and your spouse?
Have you ever experienced God showing up in unexpected places? Where do you expect to meet God? Where do you expect not to meet Him?
Those of us who are surprised that Jesus would show up at a wedding may be even more surprised to learn that He can and will show up in a broken home as well. For those who have gone through the pain of divorce, know that Jesus' grace, power, and love can reach you where you're at too.
--
This blog series is written for FacingGrace.com. Another version of this post may be viewed on that website via this link.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 10:12 AM
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