It isn’t the right time he insists. But she ignores him and rats him out. So of course he’s going to do it.
The revelation of GOD defies expectations
Epiphany 2C | John 2:1-11
The revelation
When Jesus is baptized in the great big river by the prophet named John, and he comes out of the water, the spirit coming upon him like a dove, and the booming voice saying this is my beloved! we know that this is GOD’s doing. We know that GOD is getting this going with Jesus.
Tradition tells us that the baptism of Jesus, which we celebrated last week is a central part of the gospel; of the good news of Jesus Christ. Theologians argue that it is in baptism that Jesus can do the great work he was called to do. Some even contended that Jesus literally couldn’t get started until his baptism. That he was given power in baptism. An interesting thought, no?
The baptism as beginning.
The marker of the start.
And in three of the canonical gospels, Jesus then goes out into the wilderness and is tempted. Perhaps a first trial, a ritual purification like the purity of his baptism, before he can begin.
The writer of John, however, jumps straight to the gathering of disciples to round out the first chapter.
So we come, then to this amazing scene of Jesus at a wedding. Where he is the ultimate guest, helping them out when the wine runs dry. It makes me wonder if he can do the same with those finger sandwiches. Maybe the shrimp, because there are those people who stand there and eat all the shrimp. Oh. Shellfish. Not shrimp. Lamb meatballs?
Of course, this is a funny, weird story isn’t it? Jesus is at this wedding with his disciples and also his Mom. And it is she who gets Jesus to perform his first miracle. She’s the one telling Jesus will hook ‘em up with more wine. She clearly knows something about him that we don’t yet: that nobody else does.
Jesus tries to beg out of it saying that his hour hasn’t yet come – which is of course about his death, his being lifted up on the cross.
It is also, more importantly, about revelation, about his showing the world who GOD is. That’s what we focus on in the gospel we call John: how Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection reveal who GOD is.
It isn’t the right time he insists. But she ignores him and rats him out. So of course he’s going to do it.
“Do whatever he tells you.”
she says. Always good advice with Jesus. If you’re following him. But of course he also said to take up your cross and that our time will come soon enough and that we’ll be blessed when people persecute us, so maybe it isn’t terribly good advice if you are interested in safety.
So what does he tell them to do?
Go fill up 20-30 gallon jars. Big water pots. The ones people have used to clean up in. But more importantly, to ritually purify themselves. To get themselves right with GOD. Probably not after eating the shrimp. Probably it is to make sure that the people can make themselves pure before the wedding. Before binding these two together with GOD, the people make sure this is a holy gathering.
Washbasins. Jesus doesn’t just turn water into wine. He takes water from a washtub (clean water, of course! But it doesn’t say they cleaned them out…) and turns that into wine.
Symbols
I don’t know about you, but when I read these stories about Jesus and purity I get so easily captivated by these moments as symbols. The water of purity transformed into the wedding wine! Wow! And I start thinking about the connections. The wine: it’s like communion. And they don’t even know it! Jesus is blessing them and they have no idea!
But I spend less time on the literal piece, which is that all these people who have made sure to maintain their ritual purity for this wedding day, and Jesus gives them wine which was from sink water. And it is like Jesus has risked their purity.
But then I go metaphorical again and I say: but look! He transformed that water, that dirty water into wine. And not only that, but the best wine!
This Jesus we meet in Cana of Galilee is constantly defying expectations.
Expectations
When we tell this story we preach about those expectations. The expectations we have when we enter into the wine, the miracle, and the response.
Jesus transforms this water into wine in these cleaning jars and the servants pass it out and the people are blown away, aren’t they? They can hardly believe what they are tasting. It isn’t a spectacle just yet, but there has been some drinking and what does the man say about this wine:
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Which is comforting to hear that people did that back then, too.
More than that, though, is that Jesus has upended, defied expectations. They expected the host to be cheap, to not respect his friends and family. So Jesus has helped this other person, the host, defy expectations. To be generous. To want a real party to happen more than restricting it with frugal thinking.
What then are we to hear about generosity? That the norm is scroogy behavior? Is Dickens’ grump even more us than we thought?
But with Jesus, it isn’t the host who gets the show. It isn’t the host who gains the most. He doesn’t get his mind blown. All these people (including the disciples, maybe?) drinking this good wine receive the defied expectant wine. Which is important, too. They gain from this unknowing generosity.
Who gets to see this, however? Who are the only ones who actually know what happened? Not the host. Not the guests. And it doesn’t say the disciples do. Or even Jesus’s Mom. It’s the servants. They witness it all. An participate in it. They get to be part of it. Jesus’s Co-Conspirators. You want to talk about defying expectations – these are the ones who get it.
For them, this is Jesus’s hour. When he reveals GOD. To them: the servants.
Expecting Jesus
This story, only found in the gospel we call John, is a really cool introduction to Jesus’s ministry. Particularly as we can find ourselves obsessed with the healing of Jesus. With the wise, minimalist Jesus who tells his followers to wander around with no possessions. It seems almost extravagant and frivolous. It’s just a wedding reception, I guess. This isn’t starving children. Powerless widows. Rejected refugees. The stuff scripture tells us to care about first (after GOD, of course).
When I read about what people often spend on weddings, 20, 30, 40,000 dollars, I am floored and find the race to keep up with cultural convention disturbing and misguided.
But this is a story about defied expectations. About a wedding guest who helped the host, not only keep people happy, but exceed their expectations through unknowing generosity. It is about not only giving what people need, but to give them blessed joy and frivolous entertainment for the opportunity to love watching two people who love each other.
Maybe they can take some of that home with them.
For those servants, this was mind-blowing. Not just defying expectations, nobody expects a dude turn water into wine. This is defying laws of nature. This is magic, illusion, Houdini, Copperfield, Blaine stuff. Freaky-cool. Amazing!
All these ways Jesus defies expectations, defies the way people see each other, treat each other, expect of each other. And to the lucky few who know what really happened? They witnessed the very revelation of GOD. They got to see it. The nobodies. While everybody else is having fun and glorifying in the blessings of GOD, they get to see it. And know where it comes from. That, above everything else is the real blessing. The blessing his followers long for but only the servants receive. May we be as lucky as the servants.
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