The Wedding at Cana is John’s introductory sign, setting the scene for the start of Jesus’ public ministry, and providing insight into the central theme of his Gospel. The first few words of this story are extremely evocative: ‘On the third day’. Great occurrences happen on the third day in the Bible, notably the Resurrection of Jesus, so the beginning of John’s Gospel immediately links to its climax. The second sentence, ‘there was a wedding’, is also evocative, often a rich metaphor used in Judaism and early Christianity: the marriage of God and Israel, the wedding of heaven and earth and so forth.

THE WEDDING

Jesus, Mary and the disciples have all been invited. The couple getting married were known to them, as friends or possibly family. Weddings were festive celebrations lasting for days. They provided release from unremitting work and a rare opportunity to enjoy copious eating and drinking, accompanied by music and dancing. Everyone wanted to be invited to a wedding.

At this wedding, however, joy turns into disaster; the wine has run out. Offering food and drink to those who came into one’s house was extremely important in Jewish culture. To run out of either food or wine implied a thoughtless or impoverished host. Mary, out of love for this couple, turns to Jesus for help, confident in His power.
At first, we could be forgiven for thinking that Jesus showed disrespect to his mother when he replied to her request for help by saying ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ But the wording marks a transition: from earthly obedience to his mother to earthly authority yielded to his Father
in heaven.

Why did Mary turn to Jesus for help? Because she had faith in her son. She knew his divine nature, knew his purpose for being here on earth and trusted him to come to the aid of those in need. And, in her faith, she instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.

SIGNIFICANT INSTRUCTIONS

It is interesting to note that John states the number of purification jars to be filled with water. We are reminded of the opening of Genesis, the story of creation, and the six days it took to create heaven and earth. Surely not just a coincidence. The servants are given precise instructions to fill the jars to the brim. The instructions are significant. They link back to the Old Testament prophets, foretelling of an age when ‘they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord – the grain, the new wine...’ (Jeremiah 31:12 and Amos 9:14) The coming of the Messiah is associated with a time of plenty.

So, what can we understand from the quantity of wine? If each jar held between 20 to 30 gallons, that makes between 120 and 180 gallons, which is a vast quantity of wine, surely more than could be consumed even for a feast lasting several days. So why so much? Why didn’t Jesus give them precisely what they needed?
John makes it clear that God doesn’t give ‘just enough’. God gives more than we can ask for. God’s concern is not that we should ‘get by’ but have ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). When the Steward of the wedding tastes the wine, he is astonished. He asks the bridegroom where the wine has come from and why he has left the best wine till last?

THE BEST WINE

There are some fine wines to be found on this earth, but this is not the wine that John is talking about. It is that wine which comes from heaven, and there is no earthly equivalent. A wine that lasts for all eternity. John’s Wedding at Cana gets right to the heart of his Gospel message, proclaiming God’s abundant love for all creation, which, when tasted, lasts for all eternity. In that abundance, he was prepared to send his Son to earth, his word made flesh.

Should we seek to live a life of abundance here on earth, too, longing to live in the glory of God here and now, content to live the life he has given us? This does not mean that we live a life free of pain and suffering or turn a blind eye to the sin of the world, but it does mean recognising how rich our lives can be when we follow in the footsteps of Christ while on earth and eager to taste the best that is yet to come when we join him in heaven. Amen.