Thought for the Week

Sunday 14 January 2007 – Second Sunday in Epiphany

Readings: (Isiaiah 62, 1 – 5 if 3 readings are used)

Psalm 36, 5 - 10

1 Corinthians 12, 1-11

John 2, 1 – 11

During the high Victorian era, Lady Brassey, wife of a sitting MP, took her family on an extended world cruise, in their private yacht, which had a crew of 60, and a few cannon, in case there should be any trouble with natives. She would think nothing of popping up the amazon for tea with an old friend. In about 1860, she was invited to represent the Queen at a royal marriage in darkest Africa. There were drums and dancers, the slaughtering and roasting of pigs and cattle, the consuming of much palm wine, and the whole thing degenerated into a debauched orgy. She wrote back to a friend, describing the extraordinary event, concluding, “... so unlike the home-life of our own dear Queen.”

It is said that bigamy is one mother-in-law too many, and that marriage is the same thing. However, in fact this is simply untrue. Married people live longer, need less medical help and report greater levels of happiness than their single counterparts. In every society that has ever been studied, the institution of marriage is to be found. Sometimes it is not much like the home-life of our own dear Queen; in some cases it involves more than one wife and in a very few, more than one husband, but whatever its form, it is always present. Marriage is a gift of God in creation.

Perhaps it should not be any surprise that Saint John records the first miracle (John calls them “signs”) that Jesus did as being at a wedding. However, as you might expect with Saint John, there is more to it than that. Time and again in the Old Testament, Israel, God's chosen people, is described as the bride of God. A wayward bride, often an unfaithful bride, but still the bride of God. And God is described as the Bridegroom. In the New Testament, this idea is taken further, and Jesus is understood to be the Bridegroom. In Mark (2, 19 – 20), when Jesus is accused of not being serious enough, He replies,

“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” and He adds, with an obvious reference to his death, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”

Matthew twice associates the marriage ceremony with the Kingdom of Heaven, and Luke records Jesus at a feast, describing the Kingdom of Heaven as a great feast, (not specifically a marriage feast), but he adds that, at that same feast, Jesus tells a story about a marriage feast (Luke 14, 8 – 11 “Come up higher, friend.”)

So, at Cana of Galilee, we have the Bridegroom, Jesus, attending a marriage in God's family, his chosen people.

“Oh yes, we had the Prophet at our wedding, you know.” You can just imagine it, can't you? No photo-albums, of course, not only had photography not been invented, but also, graven images were strictly forbidden. But the stories more than made up for it. Word had gone round - a new Prophet has arisen! So Jesus and his disciples came to the wedding, and it's hardly surprising that the wine ran out, with all those extra people. Fortunately, Mary was there. Was she a guest? Was she helping out with the catering? We don't know, but she could clearly tell the servants what to do in this crisis. John doesn't actually name Mary, and perhaps intends us to understand that the Judaism, out of which Jesus is born, was there.

But not only is the Bridegroom significant, so is the wine. Wine was, and is, an essential ingredient of the Passover meal, and four cups of it were included. It symbolised the power of God, coursing through the veins of those who drank it. And here, the wine of the Old Covenant runs out. The faithless, and unfaithful bride, Israel, has broken the relationship, and the power of God is not there anymore. So God is now offering a new deal, brokered by the faithful remnant of the Old Covenant, Mary. The old wine of Israel will be replaced by the new wine of Jesus, which, not surprisingly, is the best wine that the Steward of the feast had ever tasted. (The Steward was probably the mayor, or at least a very senior member of the community.)

Then there are the jars. They had been used by the wedding guests, for the ritual washing required before Jews could eat. 120 – 180 gallons of water would have gone a long way, but fortunately the jars were now empty, just as the rituals and ceremonies of Israel had become empty.

Jesus has the jars filled not with wine, but with water. Just as the jars had been a necessary part of entering the wedding feast, so the water (of baptism) is to be a necessary part of entering into God's new deal. The servants (John uses the rather unusual word Diaconos) take the water/wine to the steward of the feast, just as, in the Church, the Deacons prepare the Altar at the Eucharist. And just think for a moment how much wine there was – about 550 - 800 bottles! This is going to be some party, because God's love and generosity know no bounds.

And the Steward of the Feast summons the bridegroom, who of course knows nothing about what has happened. The true Bridegroom, Jesus, knows. The children of Israel have lost the plot, and know nothing of God's plans, which have moved on, the old wine is gone, and the new wine est arrivé!

The most important thing is that “the disciples believed in Him”. John chooses not to speak directly about the sacraments, but for the Christian reader, the allusions are inescapable. This man who can change water into wine is the Bridegroom, not just of Israel but of everybody. May his new wine fill your hearts with the love of God.

Revd June Hutchinson: Anglican Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude

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