And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 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.” Now there were six stone water jars set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He *said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. Now 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 the people have drunk freely, then the inferior wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this in Cana of Galilee as the beginning of His signs, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
John 2: 1-11
Introduction
The third day after calling His disciples, Jesus chose to perform the first of His miracles. On this providential day, a wedding celebration was taking place. Jesus stepped in to do something substantial in the moment, yet inconsequential in the long-term. For some time, the gospels have focused on the eternity of the Kingdom of God in contrast against the brevity of this world. But the first of Jesus’ signs was performed at a wedding.
For anyone who has been to a wedding or who has been married, there is an interesting phenomenon that occurs. During the festivities, the two who are being wed become the center of attention. They are all anyone seems to care about. But a day later, all of that changes. The two go from being the newlywed celebration to just another mister and missus.
The temporal nature of things
In Exodus 32, something remarkable happens. After having been delivered from slavery to Egypt and being given the Law, the people of Israel rebel against their God. They do not do so by denying all that had happened before, but instead they did so by reverting to the practices of the Egyptians in creating sculptures of their gods which they believed had saved them out of Egypt.
The sin of Israel when they constructed the golden calf had nothing to do with chasing after falsely named gods from the neighboring nations. Instead, it was about worshiping a created object in the place of the One True God. In turning the spectacular into the mundane, the Israelites had suppressed the goodness and power of God in order to prop up their manufactured deity.
This thing within time became the focus of their worship. It stripped away the infinite power of the God who actually delivered them. By making God small and containable, it becomes trivial to fit Him into the neat little box we make for ourselves that labels the things of God up and against the things of this world. But that is not how He operates.
The eternal impact of our temporal blessings
Jesus’ first sign taking place at a wedding is extremely meaningful. He could have chosen to heal a blind man, cause the lame to walk, or raise one from the dead. But instead, He chose to turn ordinary water into joyful wine.
Psalm 104 proclaims that God, “causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for man’s cultivation, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine which makes man’s heart glad, to make his face glisten more than oil, and food which sustains man’s heart.” Each and every one of these things listed in this psalm lasts only a moment before its purpose is fulfilled. Grass gives food to the cattle in a moment, and then it is gone. Vegetables are laboriously produced by the Lord and man’s steady hand, only to be quickly turned into food and wine.
That wine is purposed to make a man’s heart glad, while the rest of his harvest causes him further joy.
Perhaps this is why Jesus chose this particular sign to mark the beginning of His earthly ministry. Even in the rest of the scriptures, it is clear that wine only brings a momentary enjoyment. Yet that instant of joy in the Lord is worthy of a lifetime of praise. It is important from time to time to inventory the blessings God has given you which cause those moments of joy.
Thank God for the warm spell in the middle of February or the relief from a month of sickness with the kids. While these things may be fleeting, they give evidence of the lovingkindness from the One who is coming to make all things right.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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