Wine and a Wedding

In the book, Edwards visits the wedding feast of Cana – Jesus’ first recorded miracle.  As I read the story I was overcome with emotion and thoughts about this event.  I’ve thought and taught this Jesus experience many times before.  I’ve always thought it was cool that Jesus began it all at a party and He obviously was a cool enough cat to have been invited.  But this time some new thoughts stirred in me. 

First, lets talk about the Jewish wedding festival.  The actual ceremony actually occurred at the engagement.  The two fathers would talk and would express the desire to join the families.  A dowry would be offered by the woman’s father and details of when the married life would begin and where the family would then live.  After this the young couple would come together and the man would offer his hand in marriage to the girl and give her a ring or some other smaller token for her to keep.  The fathers would drink a glass of wine and they would be joined.  This engagement was pretty much the ceremony.  A blessing was given and the two were joined in every way but sexually.  The man would go off to build a home (usually an attachment to the family home) and she would begin preparing the things that would go into that home.  Some scholars hold fast to a year long engagement, but it’s not a necessity.  Some engagements lasted 6 months.  This engagement was a binding event – they were married and only a written bill of divorce could end the engagement.  

At the end of this time, the groom and his mates would seek out the bride arriving at her house and shouting out that Her Bride-Groom had arrived.  She and her ladies would join the men and proceed to the new home for the wedding.  This was done at night fall, so it would be very dark when the groom and bride arrived at home.  A prayer would be said and the couple sent off to the honeymoon suite.  “A while later” he would return to the party announce that the marriage was consummated and a 7 day party would begin for the close family and friends.  

This is the scene we see Jesus engaging at Cana of Galilee.  This was no small trip – Cana is 8 miles to the north of Nazareth, which is quite the day trip.  This story has a couple things that now jump out to me: 1, Mary and Jesus were really liked by this family to have been invited to a party 8 miles away and Jesus liked these people enough to go there.  Now that sounds a little disrespectful and maybe even sacrilegious, but 8 miles with no car in the desert is no pleasure trip.  It took work to get there on Jesus’ account and it took work on the wedding party’s family to invite Jesus and his entourage.  That’s money!  

2, How did Mary know there was a problem?  The steward of the party didn’t even know there was a problem with a lack of wine, but Mary did?  Who was this woman and how was she so intimately involved in the inner workings of this potential disaster?  

Regardless of how she knew, she did and she informed Jesus.  Now at this point, Jesus hasn’t done much – was a carpenter, got baptized, vanished for 40 days and was now back.  There were no miracles, no super sermons, no huge crowds – yet Jesus was not only invited, but His mom wanted Him to do something.  That’s wild!  She knew the authority that lived within her son and He hadn’t done anything.  She speaks to Jesus, He gives His little retort (which I’ll get to in a minute) and then she tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.  That’s different and that’s an element that makes this story so surreal.  

3rd thing about this story is the response of Jesus – “Woman, my time has not yet come.”!  What is that about?  The safe answer is that Jesus was talking about His Glory and that may be true, but if I learned anything from Rob Bell it’s this when a Hebrew writes something, even something we would view to be non-sensical, it means something!  John starts this book with this phrase – “in the beginning was the Word.”  To a person living in 21st century america who is thoroughly gentile that means very little.  To a Jew living in the first century it means everything!  In the Beginning is how the Jewish story (our story) begins.  Anyone reading this book would immediately think of creation.  What is John saying – the story of Jesus is a new creation event.  God’s climax of creation is the bringing together of Man and Woman.  It’s the pinnacle!  Now Jesus begins His ministry at a Wedding – HMMM?  What is going on?  Is Jesus’ response – “women, my time has not yet come” – referring to His future glory or is He referring to a time when the Bride Groom will come for HIS Bride?  

John knew what he was doing.  He wrote this Gospel with great purpose and great intention.  Jesus was inaugurating both His ministry on earth as well as beginning the celebration that would end in a great wedding feast of the Groom and His Bride.  He turned water – the basic element for life into wine, a Biblical symbol of great Joy, God’s provision and ultimately the ushering in of the eternal Kingdom of God.  

The wine itself came from the ceremony pots – pots used for cleaning the ritually unclean.  They were pots used to wash feet and the dead.  Jesus uses vessels of death and uncleanliness to give life to the start of this couples married life.  How appropriate that the glory of the Bride would come through the vessels of death.  Just like Jesus the Groom would redeem His Bride would restore her glory through the blood of Calvary.  The Wine He served at this party brought merriment to the whole household, the Wine He offers now brings the deepest Joy to even the driest soul.

In the last few months, my soul has lived in a period of drought.  Thankfully, we have a groom, a fiance, that lavishes out the wine of His Presence and Joy.  In this time of drought, God is showing me that the Love Of Him is of more importance than anything else.  He is providing for me so that my dry river bed can once again be filled!