Signs of Abundance
Dr. Jim Wilson, January 17, 2010 What went through your mind as I read this lesson from John? Did you think it odd that John chose to begin his Gospel with such a story? Think about it for a moment. Why would you begin the Jesus story at, of all places, a wedding reception? Luke begins his rendition at the synagogue in Nazareth, and Mark gets things going at the synagogue in Capernaum---places where church people are. But in John, here is Jesus at a wedding party---with all sorts of people. And what a strange thing to do at a wedding reception! Would not a much more appropriate sign have been a healing? I mean it just serves to stir up all sorts of debate then and now, this turning water into wine. For Twenty-first Century scientifically-minded, technologically-savvy, rational thinking people like ourselves, it is at a minimum puzzling, and at worst offensive. So, what shall we do with this rather strange beginning to John’s Gospel? Let me suggest first that we suspend our questions about how Jesus could do such a thing as turn water into wine. To base our response to this story on whether we believe in miracles, I believe, begs the more significant question, “What is John trying to tell us?” I seriously doubt that it is John’s intent to prove Jesus did in fact turn water into wine. Were that John’s purpose, I have to believe that he surely would have provided much more evidence and many more witnesses to make his case. Instead, John tells us the event is a “sign,” not a miracle which points to itself, but a sign that points beyond itself, to a source, a deeper reality. A sign is like a window through which we are invited to see something more clearly. It is an epiphany, a revelation. What happened at Cana that day was indeed a sign. But a sign of what, pointing to what? To answer these questions, let us first see the sign for ourselves. Like so many of the stories in John’s Gospel, we can hear this one either from the inside or the outside. Hearing it from the outside, it tells of Jesus sharing in the joy of a wedding feast, and saving the bridegroom from a potentially embarrassing situation. Imagine, if you will, a small village some three plus miles Northeast of Nazareth. This is Cana. Evidently, Jesus’ family has some ties in the village, close enough for not only for him to be invited, but that Mary would manage some aspects of the feast. Perhaps, either the bride or groom were relatives, as some have suggested. Now a wedding in the Palestine of Jesus’ day was a real celebration. The festivities last for 7 days with family and friends coming at going at various times. Everyone in the village would be invited to share in the festivities which included a ceremony, processions through the community, feasting and dancing. For such celebrations, wine was absolutely essential. “Without wine,” taught the rabbis, “there is no joy.” Into such a celebration, Jesus and at least some of his disciples come---so much for those who would make Jesus a joyless ascetic. Then without warning, a crisis occurs. Mary, “the mother of Jesus,” as John refers to her, reports the potentially embarrassing situation to Jesus: “They have no wine.” It is not clear what, if anything, she expects Jesus to do about it---send his disciples to buy more wine, have the disciples stop drinking, perform a miracle? Or was she simply sharing information? Whatever her intent, Jesus seems to hear an implied request in her words and replies, “Woman, what concern is that to you, and me? My hour has not yet come!” To our ears, Jesus’ response seems brusque, even rude, no way to talk to your mother! Not so, however, for First Century ears. For Jesus to address his mother as “Woman,” was quite customary and respectful. As for the rest of the response, it too is common enough, creating a sense of disengagement, something like, “Don’t worry. It is not our concern. I have other, more urgent, matters to focus on.” Mary is undaunted in a comical sort of way. She turns to the servants and says to them, “Do whatever he tells you!” Now John focuses our attention on the six water jars, the six huge stone water jars, each holding 20 to 30 gallons of water. These are no Hinckley and Schmidt office water coolers! Most likely, these jars hold water for ritual cleansing of hands prior to a meal and in preparation for worship. The Torah taught that such ritual cleansing was necessary in order to come into God’s presence. Not a great amount of water was needed for such cleansing, a cup, declared the Talmud, is enough to purify a hundred men. But these are six stone jars, 120 to 180 gallons of water! That is enough to purify the whole world! Now the sign begins to come into focus. Jesus tells the servants, “Fill the jars with water…” This is no small task. Once the jars are filled to the brim, Jesus orders them to draw some out and take it to the chief steward. Now the scene becomes humorously insightful. The chief steward tastes the water become wine and can’t believe it---not only has the water become wine, but the wine is of a choice variety! Believing the wine is a result of an act of generous hospitality on the part of the bridegroom, the servant calls the bridegroom aside and chides him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then when folks have drunk freely, we give them the Mogen David. But you, you have saved the best wine until now.” Again, the sign comes into sharper focus. John turns the lens as he draws the story to its conclusion. “Jesus did this,” he writes, “the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him…” an epiphany to be sure! John’s postscript suggests that there is more to this story that the outside knowledge of a wedding, deliverance from a potentially embarrassing situation, more even that a miracle that tests our willingness to believe. To speak of a revelation suggests we need to hear the story from the “inside,” in order to encounter its meaning. John tells us that this is the “first of Jesus’ signs.” As a sign, the story is less about turning water into wine and more about making God known; less about the limits of our believing and more about the limitless love of God; less about the chemical reaction necessary to change water into wine, and more about the transforming power of God’s gracious love changing lives. A sign story is best heard from the inside, where fact yields to meaning, where “how” gives way to “why;” where conventional understandings and explanations surrender to the boundary-breaking interruption of God’s gracious love. It is indeed a window, a window through which God in is revealed, in which God’s gracious love grabs a hold of us and changes us, in which all is transformed---the old gives way to the new, purification rites yield to gracious presence, and water really does become wine. What is revealed through this sign window is a God whose gracious love is without limit. The sense of abundance, overflowing abundance, permeates the story—six huge jars with water enough to purify the whole world become six huge jars of wine, grace enough to heal and redeem the whole world. When Jesus is present, when his presence is receive among us, God is made known, and God’s abundant love changes everything---there is an abundance of life, of joy, of possibilities. Yet, you and I can miss this sign, ignore Jesus’ presence, and remain captive to our flattened, narrowed, limited world. We can hold fast to our conventional understandings, hear the Jesus story only from the outside. And we do. Somewhere in each of our lives, there are six stone jars, holding our beliefs, our traditions, our rituals, all of which have an appropriate place. Yet all of which can and often do restrict our perceptions of God and limit our experience of God’s grace. In other words, our jars lock us into a perspective of scarcity, of limitation, of restriction. Jesus’ signs are meant to shatter such a perspective, to crack open reality and reveal a God of extravagant grace, a God who frees us to live in a spirit of generosity. I believe that is exactly what we encounter hearing the story from this inside. When Jesus is present among us, when his presence is received, there is abundance, gracious love overflows with new life, with forgiveness, with freedom, with hope, with outreach. When Jesus is present the theology of scarcity gives way to a theology of abundance, the practice of limitation and control to a practice of generosity and freedom. This was made clear to me several years ago. In 1983, I was appointed to Grace Church in Joliet. Grace Church had been in a downward spiral for at least 10 years. Joliet at that time led the nation in unemployment, something like 28%. Yet, I saw potential. The first couple of years were tough. Besides the economy, there were internal church issues, old scars from past battles, lack of stewardship, very poor giving patterns. It was frustrating. During this time I had the good fortune of becoming friends with Rev. Morris Smith, pastor of 2nd Baptist Church on Joliet’s east side. Rev. Smith was a well-respected pastor and community leader and 2nd Baptist was one of the leading African-American churches in the city. I preached a least once a year at 2nd Baptist which was a great joy. One afternoon, after a meeting, Morrie and I were talking about our church situations and I shared my frustrations, particularly around the lethargy and poor giving patterns at Grace. He listened ever so patiently and then said, “It sounds like Jesus is not present to these folks.” I replied, ‘What do you mean,” Morrie answered, “When Jesus is present things happen, lives are changed, obstacles are overcome, the past is forgotten. There is an abundance of energy, of money, of faithfulness. Sounds like Jesus is not present in these folk’s lives. Feeling a bit defensive, I said, “What can I do?” He replied, “Let me tell you about my experience at 2nd Baptist.” “When I first came here some 30 years ago,” he began, “the church was a mess. We had people who were in attendance, but not present. We had people who gave little to nothing for the work of the Lord; others who gave more to the YMCA than to the church: others who withheld money, trying to get their own way. It was a mess, a real mess.” “So what did you do?” I interrupted. He said, “I began talking about what a church looks like when Jesus is really present. How if Jesus is present God’s abundance is revealed, people are set free to live in grace and lives are transformed.” “And that really worked?” I asked. “It took awhile,” he answered, “but gradually things began to change. Jesus was once again present at 2nd Baptist.” I have found Morrie is absolutely correct. When Jesus is really present and when his presence is received, there is an abundance of grace, of God’s renewing, transforming love, and water does indeed become wine, as we are set free to live in a spirit of generosity and joy. John Wesley once said, “Most people have just enough religion to make them miserable, but not enough to make them joyful.” When we receive he revelation Jesus offers and God is make known among us, things change, we are changed and the abundance of God’s gracious love fills our lives with joy. Thanks be to God! Amen! |
