John 2 v.1/11
The Gospel passage for Sunday is the story of the
first miracle of Jesus at a wedding, and we see God’s intention for mankind.
This story takes place in a village Cana, which is
situated near Nazareth, and is the story of a wedding. An Eastern wedding was a very special
occasion, different from a Western one where the bride is the main figure. Here,
she enters a Church in all her glory to the playing of organ music, and the
congregation standing to greet and admire her. In the East the groom is the
main one and he pays for it, the bride just turns up.
It was Jewish law that a virgin got married on a
Wednesday, with the ceremony in the late evening after a feast, and the
festivities would go on for days, often with relatives of both families joining
in the celebrations. After the ceremony, the bridal couple would be conducted
to their new home, through the village streets by the light of flaming torches
with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a route as possible
so as many people as possible could wish them well.
In a land where there was so much poverty and constant
hard work, this week of festivity and joy was a significant occasion, and it
was this that Jesus came to share in. An added problem was he brought with him
five Apostles, which meant more people to wine and dine.
For a Jewish wedding wine was an essential, but there
would be no drunkenness for that would be seen as a disgrace, and the wine
would be two or even three parts water.
In the East hospitality was a sacred duty, so failure to provide would
have meant humiliation.
Mary heard of the problem and told her Son, and Jesus answered
her by what seems rudeness, ‘woman what have you to do with me, my hour has not
yet come.’ Jesus was kindly stressing that she must not see him only as her
son, for when he will suffer, the more she will suffer. She must the see him as
her Lord.
Standing there were six large jars each holding about two
or three measures, that is about twenty gallons of water, making a total of
over a hundred gallons of water intended for purifying or cleansing. The roads
were dusty, and as the men wore sandals the men’s feet needed washing, but Jews
also washed hands before each course of food.
Jesus sorted out what normally would take hours in
preparation, by cutting out the normal procedure of crushing and fermenting,
and turned the water into wine. This is included in the story to emphasize the
greatness of the Lord’s gift. The head waiter then praised the quality of the
wine produced.
We see Mary’s faith in Jesus. She turned to him when a
problem arose and even when he answered her sharply, she told the waiter to do
what he asked, giving us a message to trust Jesus even when we do not
understand is happening. In every life
there comes period of darkness when we
despair and wonder what the outcome, happy are those who still trust.
Every Bible story has a meaning and a lesson for all
the Lord’s followers, including this story. We see Jesus ready to share in all
our celebrations.
This was the first of the Lord’s miracles, and it took
place at a marriage of a man and a woman, which has a significant meaning, and
it tells us how honorable and important marriage was in the eyes of Jesus, it
having been ordained by God for society’s benefit when he made a man and a
woman.
There is no more wonderful and beautiful union than a
man and a woman, and that it is why God created us so. God told us He gave
woman to be an essential part of a man’s life, and men have found what a great
blessing He gave.
God created marriage as the first institution before
all others, with two distinct people of different bodies to have children and
create a human family. Other relationships are condemned in Scripture.
Two people of the same sex cannot produce children and
so extend the human race. God knew what He was doing, giving them different
personalities and bodies, with different genes and chromosomes, which cannot be
medically changed, to fulfil His purpose for the world.
Since the creation of the world, thousands of years
past, marriage has taken place in every country in the world, being recognized
as a stabling factor in society, In the last twenty years, it has been attacked
by secular activists, liberal politicians seeking votes, and shamefully by
bishops and other Church leaders, who have actually called for the Bible teaching
to be abandoned. We have reached a stage where marriage has no significance in
public life, and now can even be ended without stated reason.
This has caused much distress and poverty principally
to women, and social study has established that children’s lives greatly
affected. How ironic that Western nations where there are more material
benefits, there is less marriage success than poorer Eastern nations where
marriage is more honored.
What any two people decide they wish to do, is a
matter for themselves to pursue without interference; God is capable of forming
His judgement and any action He sees necessary. For the Church to formally give
approval is to violate God’s teaching and our Lord’s commands.
For Jesus a home was special, no family abuse such as
we see in so many homes. A great loss in
our time is that Jesus has no place in the majority of homes in this country.
The bedrock of our society was once a family home of a man and woman in a happy
marriage, raising children with a Christian faith. Now such a situation is
mocked as old fashioned, but we never had so many teenage pregnancies, child
abuse, and a divorce rate of more than 1 in 3 marriages. So many children do
not know love, security and fellowship of a loving home. A lot of children don’t
even know who their father is, and have brothers and sisters of different
parents.
Jesus showed his glorious powers, and bestowed his
blessing on marriage at a village girl’s wedding, and his Apostles accepted him
as God’s Son.
This wedding took place probably in a village hall, no
need for fancy mansions and plush hotels with large number of guests; Jesus is
ready to take part in the ordinary things of our lives.
Today the Church is almost performing a miracle in
reverse, turning wine into water by diluting marriage into something having no
greater significance than any other relationship.
Don’t be discouraged. When we let God and Jesus into
our lives all ordinary activities receive new power, so don’t close the door of
your life on the Lord, for if you do you reveal your lack of faith and trust.
Give God a chance to do want you cannot do.
Jesus said I have come that you may have life in all
abundance; be prepared to accept and believe him.
One day a great marriage feast will be held, at which
Jesus will be the bridegroom and his believers will be the bride.
Be at Church on Sunday; making sure it is a Bible
believing Church.