A.
INTRODUCTION
... During Lent we're using scriptures that help inform stories from my new book Water Into Wine. Three of the stories are based entirely on a Bible Story: The Last Supper, Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son and today's story of Jesus turning water into wine. The others are less obvious, but each is rooted in scripture.
B. TODAY, ... John 2:1-11.
C. SUMMARY
Early in Jesus' ministry he, his disciples, and his Mother are invited to a wedding in Cana. The wine runs out during the reception and Mary pushes Jesus to do something. Begrudgingly, Jesus calls for large stone jars to be filled with water. When that water is tasted it is superb wine, according to the reception's wine steward. The story concludes with the disciples feeling strengthened in their faith.
D.
KEY POINTS
:
1.
White Spaces. In my sermon "The Power of Story Telling" I explained how we have the right to expand a Bible story. Expand, not change. I quoted an Anglican priest who said that he believed the black, printed words on a Bible page, but he also believed in the white spaces between the letters and words and paragraphs. "That's where the Holy Spirit can take our imagination," he said. Many Bible stories leave us wanting to know more. In this story it would be fun to know: who was the couple? Why were Jesus and Mary invited? What was a Jewish village wedding like 2,000 years ago? What was the relationship like between Jesus and his mother? What did Mary expect him to do about the lack of wine? Why would Jesus bother with such a trivial matter? Why was Jesus so snippy with his mother? Using cultural studies, scholarship, and imagination we can fill in the story without undermining the Biblical account or Biblical truths to be learned from the story.
2. LESSONS to be LEARNED. The disciples were most impressed by Jesus' ability to produce a miracle. They had attached themselves to Jesus out of spiritual hunger, seeking, curiosity, message. He had not yet done a miracle, or anything supernatural. There was no hint that Jesus was divine, no talk of being the Messiah. So, this first exhibit of power impressed them. For us, this is less dramatic. We know about Easter, walking on water, healing the blind, driving out demons, and the Easter resurrection. Turning water into wine to save a wedding reception seems small, insignificant, frivolous. Maybe this is the point - nothing is insignificant to God. Alida and I tell people "if it is important to you it is important to God." Jesus else where makes the point that God has the hairs of our head numbered, suggesting a total interest in us.
3. What did I make up? What did I put in the white spaces of the Bible story? Tone, background, and a little detail. I tried to explore the relationship between Jesus and his mother, Mary, adding depth to the humanity of both. They are in Cana by virtue of some connection to the wedding couple, "on a wedding day everybody is a cousin". The interplay between Mary and Jesus over the lack of wine intrigues me (p. 49-50). She never directly tells Jesus to do anything. But she alerts him to the embarrassment, the social faux pas of no wine, and tells the servant to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. She assumes Jesus' obedience even without his understanding. I have Jesus struggle with the idea that the time was not right for him to show supernatural power until deciding that maybe his mother knew best; and maybe it was the right time for the couple, the village, and his mom. On pages 47-48 Jesus explains his own understanding of his own growing up and growing awareness, within the context of family dynamics for the Holy Family. Complicated, yes. But like Jesus himself in classic Christian theology, very human and very divine at the same time. The miracle itself? If you have my book, look at the cover, a stunning painting by our own Meghan Brown. Ignore the words, look at the painting. I choose it for it's perfect simplicity. No explanation needed. Just water flower, becoming wine. And Jesus explains it all (according to me) with "My mother asked".
E. CONCLUSION The Interpreter's Bible summarizes this story with three thoughts: Jesus enters into our trouble; Jesus is sufficient for our difficulty; Jesus enriches what is offered. Wish I'd written that.
