One of my friends wondered why I didn’t write about Jesus turning the water to wine last week as I shared of our family’s upcoming wedding. I asked my students recently, “Why do you think Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee?” There was an awkward silence. Finally, a hand went up and an unconfident student proposed that maybe the wine represented Jesus’ blood that he would one day shed on the cross.
I wonder sometimes if we’ve painted such a boring portrait of Jesus that we can’t even imagine him laughing or joking or dancing or celebrating at a banquet. Maybe there is symbolism in John’s story of the wedding feast. Water can represent death… so Jesus changed death into life. He sure does this. ‘Six’ is the number for man… so Jesus used the six huge waterpots to reveal God. Jesus is definitely the Son of God and the Son of Man. Marriage signifies the continuance of human life… so Jesus extended his Father’s blessing on holy matrimony that began in the Garden of Eden. We know God honors marriage. Maybe the wine represented the blood Jesus was to shed on the cross??
I offered different answers to my class that were not quite as symbolic. “Maybe Jesus enjoyed a good glass of wine. And maybe he absolutely loved to see two children of Israel commit their lives to each other at a wedding. And maybe, at his mother’s insistence, he realized the host of the wedding would be profoundly embarrassed if he ran out of wine at the banquet. And maybe, after thinking about it a little bit, he knew he could make the celebration even better because his Father could produce the best glass of wine ever made. Maybe Jesus would shock us all at how comfortable he was at a banquet and how free he was to love every person that came into his presence. Maybe Jesus wants us to be just as free.”
So, to answer my friend, I hope Jesus comes to Taylor’s and Emma’s wedding! He is getting the first invitation! I want him to bring the life-giving joy that makes us all happy to be alive. I want him to remind us that the Father in Heaven celebrates when two of his children commit their lives to one another in marriage. I want all our friends and all of Taylor’s friends and all of Emma’s friends to feel welcome and loved. I hope we all recognize Jesus as a loving King who is far from ordinary; One who has the power to give life with a single word! And if Jesus wants to turn a little water into wine, I’m going to get the first glass and propose a toast to the newlyweds and to the Maker of weddings.
“Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” Jn 2:8-10