The First Miracle

Jann Martin January 14, 2007

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John 2:1-11

Gospel Lesson

¹ On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." ⁴ Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." ⁵ His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." ⁶ Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷ Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰ And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" ¹¹ This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

We find Jesus at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. He was sent into the world with the purpose to bring us the Good News of salvation, yet He took time to attend a wedding. I believe this should tell us that we too should take time, stop and take part in the celebrations that are going on around us. Times of fun and celebration are good for us and they also provide us with another avenue to share the Good News of Jesus, and bring a sense of balance to our lives.

A wedding in the time of Jesus lasted for several days and was a very big occasion. The ceremony usually took place late in the evening after a feast, and then the couple would be paraded through the town for all of the people to congratulate them on their way to their home. They were treated like a king and queen and were dressed in fine wedding robes. Life for the Jews at that time was filled with poverty and a lot of hard work. This weeklong celebration of a wedding was welcomed and was taken very seriously.

To the Jews, wine was an essential part of any feast. "Without wine," said a Rabbi, "there is no joy." The people used wine in all celebrations, but it was usually two parts wine to three parts water, and drunkenness was considered a great disgrace. It would also have been a disgrace to the newly married couple to run out of wine at their wedding feast.

It is thought that Mary had something to do with the planning of the wedding and turned to Jesus for help. Not necessarily to ask Him to perform a miracle but to find a solution to the problem. When He asks her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?" this was a common form of speech in that time. We can't hear the tone of His voice, but this very well could have just been His way of telling her not to worry; He would take care of everything. His comment, "My hour has not yet come," refers to the time He is to fulfill the purpose for which He has come to be here on earth.

Jesus first miracle is quietly done behind the scenes at a wedding, not publicly and with great ceremony. Most of Jesus miracles were in public and everyone knew what was happening. The only ones that know what is happening here are the servants and the disciples that were standing near Jesus and Mary.

John states in verse 6 that there were waterpots for purification of the Jews. He said this for the benefit of the Greeks, so they would understand the significance of what is going on. The waterpots were filled and used to wash the feet of those who would come to your home, to rinse off the dust and the mud from the road. This water was also used for the cleansing of the hands before and during a meal. The meaning of filling the pots to the brim shows that nothing else could have been put into the pots. Each of the six pots would hold twenty to thirty gallons of water. This means that Jesus turned up to one hundred and eighty gallons of water into wine. There would have been no need for that amount of wine to be used at the wedding. The symbolism of this is that there is no way to use up the grace of Christ, that there will always be more than we can ever need.

According to the Jews, the number seven is perfect and the number six is imperfect and unfinished. Thus, using six waterpots would show us the imperfections found in the Jewish law and that Christ came to take away all of the imperfections.

When the master of the feast tasted the wine he marveled that the best wine was saved for after everyone had been freely drinking. He had no idea that what he was drinking was water that Jesus had just changed into wine. This miracle was an act of kindness to save the couple from humiliation. In this act He shows us that we too can reach out with simple acts of kindness and understanding to help those around us. Jesus action is a sign of celebration of life itself; the gifts that are offered to us through Christ are life itself and are very hard for us to comprehend.

I would imagine that Mary would have instinctively turned to Jesus for help in a difficult time. She knew He was God's Son and had watched Him grow up. She knew He would help her in all situations. She probably just reached out to Him for help not realizing that His first miracle was about to happen.

An old legend I heard tells of the time when Jesus was a baby. That people, when they were hot and tired, would go and just look at Jesus, and they would somehow feel as if their troubles were taken away. We can still do that today. When we are tired and worn out, all we have to do is turn to Jesus and ask for His guidance. He will take us into His warm embrace and help us to handle our tough situations. So just like Mary's faith, that Jesus would take care of the situation, we too need to rely on that faith.

In writing today's text John is telling the Jews that Jesus has come to take away the imperfections of the law and turn them into a prefect grace. To the Greeks he is telling them that Jesus has come to do the things that they could only dream that the gods could do.

In Jesus first miracle we find His quiet grace and love.

Amen.

©Jann Martin 2007