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Sermon - January 14th, 2007
Saving the Best for Last
Rev. Gwen Drake
Scripture: John 2:1-12
The Gospel of John is very different than the other Gospels, starting from the very beginning. There is no nativity story. It begins like a creation story. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God…” Chapter 1 in John is known as the prologue. Or, it could be known as the pre-quel. The language is beautiful, poetic. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Then the second half of chapter 1 introduces John the Baptist. All four gospels have us go through John the Baptist to get to Jesus because John’s message was: “Get ready for the One. I’m not the One. He is the One, the One we have been waiting for.” That’s the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
Chapter two, then is really the beginning of the story after the prologue. It is the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and his debut takes place at a wedding in Cana. It is in this scene that Jesus said, “This is who I am, this is what I came for.” And what did he do at the wedding? He changed water into wine. He turned a potentially bad time into a good time. He saved the party. He rescued the host. But why did Jesus change water into wine as his debut into ministry? Why did this story get placed in this Gospel as the introduction to Jesus? And by the way, John is the only Gospel that records this story.
Some have noted that Jesus attended the wedding and performed this miracle to promote and bless the institution of marriage. Perhaps they say that because it is the only place that Jesus has anything to do with a wedding. He told a parable about a wedding banquet. He talked about divorce. He talked about love. But he did not say one word about marriage in the Gospels. So, was that what turning water into wine at a wedding was about--to bless the institution of marriage? I don’t think so.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the first thing Jesus did in his ministry was preach a sermon. They all say, Jesus first went to Nazareth, his hometown, and preached in the synagogue on a text from Isaiah about the Year of Jubilee, when all debts will be forgiven, all captives set free, and the blind will see. Then Jesus concluded, “This prophesy is fulfilled in your hearing.” Then he was run out of town.
But according to John, the first thing Jesus did was change water into wine. Which event would you rather be at? I know which one sounds a lot more enjoyable to me.
Actually the first thing Jesus did in this story was have a rather strange and strained conversation with his mother. When the wine ran short, she told her son, “There is no wine.” His response to her announcement was, “What has this concern of yours to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” But then she told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Which seems to mean that the mother told her son what to do; the son responded, “I will do what I want when the time is right.” The mother ignored what her son said and told the servants, “He will do what I say, anyway, so do what he says.” Sounds like a typical family operating on assumptions.
So, what is really going on here? Is this a story about a wedding? No. It is a story about that uncommon wedding guest, Jesus. And the story is full of symbolism and layers of meaning starting with the first four words of the story, “Now on the third day….” The Gospel of John is leading us somewhere important from the very beginning of his Gospel. Here are three clues to help us understand something about this story. The first clue is that Jesus used a village feast, not as an opportunity to make people happy, but as an opportunity to reveal the divine. The text says, “This was the first time Jesus revealed God’s glory.” Yet, not everyone got it. Some missed it. Jesus stood before them with the power to turn water into wine and those who noticed could only comment on the quality of the wine. Like the caterer.
The practice at these weddings was to offer the good wine first, dull the senses, and then bring out the cheap stuff when the guests didn’t really care about the difference. The caterer said of the host, “You have saved the best for last.” Well, he missed the point, which was that Jesus revealed the glory of God, not in a high and lofty place like the top of a mountain, nor in the reverent hush of the wedding ceremony. He revealed the glory of God in the party that followed the ceremony. God drew near, amid the loud music, the droning of extended family and neighbors, and a three-tiered cake. The glory of God was revealed in an ordinary, common, human occasion.
And that is one central theme of John’s Gospel. Where do we find God’s glory? Not just in the rituals and traditions of organized religion; but in a specific human person, Jesus. The eternal Word became flesh. Knowing this satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts. The divine became one of us. Which means God knows us through and through. Which means the divine was not only in Jesus; but is in us.
The second clue is in the six large stone jars. When Jesus revealed the glory of God, some established customs were broken. Jesus used six large stone carafes for the new wine. Those jars were full of water that was used for purification rituals, for the cleansing of hands. And what did Jesus do? He took those jars and put them to another use. For some, this was disturbing, I’m sure. This was his first time in this Gospel Jesus broke a custom, rocked the boat, challenged the status quo. That was Jesus from the very beginning of his ministry to the end. He came to be disruptive of the way things were, for a purpose. He was on a mission, and that mission was to reveal the presence and power of God, but not necessarily through the usual traditions and rituals. God’s glory can be found anywhere, anytime, because God knows no boundaries. Jesus’ biggest concern was to bring people, to bring us into the presence of the eternal God.
When you read through the Gospel of John, you will understand that what happened at the wedding happened in other places as well. It happened to Nicodemus when he snuck out at night to meet with Jesus secretly. It happened at a well at noon when a woman with a questionable reputation drew water for him. It happened when there wasn’t enough to eat. It happened more where it wasn’t expected to happen than where it was suppose to happen. What the Gospel of John is telling us is: pay attention! Look around. And those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will experience signs of God’s presence every day! This news can be an affirmation and a comfort, or, it can be disturbing and challenging.
We, humans are definitely creatures of habit. Yet Jesus showed us that to become a new creation in Christ, we sometimes need to let go of old patterns, familiar ways, and comfortable habits. That is not easy. But as disciples of Christ, we are called to make things new, to begin again, to move our boundaries, to get out of our confining boxes that hold us back from doing all the good we can do. Change is hard, I know. Change demands all the strength and courage we can muster. However, the rewards are incredible. We may just discover, like the guests at the wedding party discovered, that the best wine has been saved until now.
The third insight from this story is that when new life comes, when the new wine is poured, it is a free, unconditional gift and it is truly miraculous. Maybe Jesus’ mother thought she told her son to do something about the wine. But in reality, Jesus probably completely surprised his own mother with this particular gift. No one expected it. It was a surprise and a gift. That is what the presence of God is. A surprise, a gift, a miracle, a mystery that cannot be explained. It can only be accepted or rejected—our choice. It is here for the taking all the time. Here at worship, where we expect the mystery of God to reside. But outside the doors of a church, too. At our work places, in our homes, on the road. The signs of God’s glory are everywhere, especially in those places where we least expect it.
Many pastors will tell you, that weddings are not their favorite thing to do. It’s because it is a ceremony that is heavy with tradition, rules, expectations, and extended family who want to give their unsolicited, self-serving advice. We pastors, who like to please people, can get caught up in it all, sucked right into the drama, and when it’s all over we wonder, was it worth it? I have a feeling that two thousand years ago it was much the same. But, I also have the best stories from weddings….like the day we had to chase the pig out before the ceremony started, which took place in a barn.
Jesus began his ministry at a wedding, on the third day. On the third day is a catch phrase for the Gospel of John. It says, pay attention, something really important is going to happen on the third day….like transformation. And through that transformation, God’s glory is going to be revealed. So open your eyes and watch for it. It began with changing water into wine. Not just any wine either-- the best wine. Not just a little bit of wine, but an abundance of wine. This transformation took place in an unlikely, chaotic place that was already packed with expectations, rules, and traditions. Yes, God will show up even at a poorly planned wedding. And where God is, there will be transformation. In this case, new wine. But John is saving the best for last in his Gospel. For the transformation of the wine points to so much more, SO much more.
So, look for the signs, the small miracles, the laughter and joy, the things that we often call coincidences. Open your eyes, pay attention. The signs of new life are all around us even in the dead of winter. The ordinary will be changed into the extraordinary. Because by the end of the Gospel of John we will realize that the new wine is not just new wine. The new wine is Jesus! And through Jesus will come transformation, resurrection, and new life—and it is good and abundant, the best has been saved until now.
Amen.