Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:11
This story of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana has always interested me. Not because of what the story says, but more because of what is left unsaid. Each time I read it, I ask another question. My list has become quite long: How did Jesus know when the time was right to start doing miracles? How did the water turn to wine? Did Jesus pronounce a blessing over it, like the pastor at communion, or did he stir it? Maybe his shadow in the evening sunlight falling over the clear, deep pools of still water was enough to change it. Or like his mud paste used in healing the blind man, did he spit in it? Oh, goodness. If I was in the family hosting this party, trying to impress our friends and relatives, I would hope not.
No one knows how the water actually changed into wine. Neither does anyone seem to know the names of the bridal couple nor why Jesus responded to his mother the way he did.
The unspoken message in John 2 is about expectation. The wedding guests expected to drink their fill of wine at their host’s expense. Mary expected Jesus to heed her request to bring peace. Jesus expected to be able to wait longer until his glory became known. This clash of motives plays out in the humble home of a local village family. Money probably ran a little short for this middle class Galilean family, as it does for all of us from time to time. The guests kept on enjoying the feast, but the wine supply was starting to dwindle. Running out of wine at a Jewish wedding was the worst insult to both the host and the guests. The host would feel humiliation over his inability to provide adequately for the celebration. The guests would have felt disrespected. This outcome would have branded the wedding couple with a reputation they’d never live down. Lawsuits may even be brought against them.
Mary saw this situation brewing under the surface of the simple surroundings and the merrymaking. Something must be done, but what and by who? Seated across the banquet table from her was the only one she ever needed–her son, Jesus. I like to imagine that Mary probably witnessed Jesus settling disputes among his siblings, offering a solution, speaking comfort, making peace. She says to him, “They have no wine.”
Jesus puts her off with the statement, “My hour has not yet come.”
Mary seems to ignore him. In full confidence and faith, she turns to the servants and tells them, “Do whatever he tells you.”
If I was Jesus, I would have rolled my eyes at my presumptuous mother. But since he is perfect and I am not, he probably handled the situation much better. Jesus gives instructions to fill the stone jars with water, draw some out, and take it to the master of the party. Somewhere between the words that left his mouth and the liquid that touched the master’s mouth, the water changed into wine.
Jesus’ glory was revealed. In a common family living in an obscure town, glory shone. During a large, crowded celebration glory sneaked in. While saving a simple people from disaster, glory quietly spread in the form of kindness and understanding.
Like Mary’s life, the lives of this wedding couple, and the lives of the small town guests, our lives are filled with the simple, the common, the crowded, and sometimes, the disastrous. Jesus is present with the soothing word of comfort. He provides when our resources run out. He makes peace in situations that seem to have no happy ending. This is when his glory shines. He reveals himself in subtle, miraculous ways that we would miss if it wasn’t for his glory shining on them
