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On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
- John 2:1-12
Yesterday, we read that, after choosing Andrew and Peter as disciples, the following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. My study bible tells us this is the "third day" from the call of the first disciples. It notes that the setting, Galilee, is significant because Galilee is a place of both Gentiles and Jews, and was largely Gentile territory. A wedding, in the view of the Old Testament, is a symbol of the union of God with His bride, Israel. Here in Cana of Galilee, this wedding, therefore, can be seen as a symbol of God's Kingdom even among the Gentiles. As my study bible puts it, "this sign becomes a symbol of the joy of the Kingdom being spread beyond Judea to all the world." Jesus' mother is traditionally seen as possibly a relative of the bride or groom, and by tradition the groom is Simon the Zealot. My study bible adds, "By His presence at this wedding, Jesus declares marriage to be holy and honorable."
And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." My study bible tells us that this is an example of Mary's gift of intercession, and that the tradition of the Church teaches that Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf. It also notes that wine was diluted with water in the ancient world: customarily among the Jews, one part wine was mixed with three parts water, to discourage drunkenness. "Woman" is a title of respect -- Jesus will address His mother this way from the Cross, as well as other women such as Mary Magdalene, "thus giving great dignity to womanhood," says my study bible. In the Greek, His statement to His mother is an indication that He feels the concern for the wine is none of their business ("What is that to Me and to you?"). His statement to her regarding His hour is reminding her that it is not yet time for His full revelation and public self-disclosure; His "hour" is primarily that of His glorification: Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. But despite His statement, Mary expects that Jesus will act.
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. By Jewish tradition, these waterpots are made of stone, because in accordance with rabbinical teaching, stone does not contract a ritual impurity. Six is one less than seven, the number of completeness -- indicating the fullness of what Christ is bringing to His bride, Israel.
And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. My study bible points out that there is no overt action here on Jesus' part: "His word alone is sufficient to work the miracle." Elsewhere Jesus will speak of the new wineskins needed for new wine: here, the wine is symbolic of the new dispensation revealed by Christ. Even the stone waterpots have their reflection in the "living stones" referred to elsewhere in Scripture. Filled with the wine of the Gospel will be those people at Christ's wedding feast. My study bible adds that the abundant gallons of wine are probably symbolic of the abundance of grace and truth in Christ. This is, indeed, the best wine saved for the last, reminding us of Jesus' repeated statement that "the last will be first, and the first last." Jesus' signs, says my study bible, are things that point to something beyond themselves: "the mystery of the Incarnate God at work in His mighty and saving acts; the kingdom of God being inaugurated by Jesus. The disciples see His glory -- His divine power which reveals that He comes from the Father -- and are strengthened in their faith in Him."
Let us remember that it is the author of this Gospel who is traditionally considered to be the one to whom Jesus entrusted the care of His mother from the Cross. Her presence at this first sign, and the role she plays, is to my mind possibly indicative of the closeness of that relationship and familiarity. As my study bible points out, the Church has historically viewed Mary as one who continually intercedes for us. Just as we might pray for one another, so the Church has seen the entire Body of Christ, which includes the communion of its saints throughout its history as those who live in Him, the "great cloud of witnesses" who pray with us. And the Gospel takes us again into family relationships: a pair of brothers already chosen as disciples, and now here the role of Jesus' mother. They are also possibly relatives at this wedding of yet another disciple, and all the disciples are invited as well, "like family." What this points to, once again (as we have remarked elsewhere), is that it is Christ who defines relationships. Jesus' mother is important here, and in all of Scripture and the Tradition of the Church, not just because she is His mother, but because of the person that she is, the faith she exhibits, the ways in which she is capable of understanding her Son. We shouldn't think she's exalted simply because she bore Jesus into the world, but of the reasons why this particular person, this woman, was a fit mother for Jesus. Our perspective on family relationships as those merely defined by flesh and blood is as mistaken as any perspective on Scripture and the teachings of Christ which shuts out the spiritual dimension that gives all things life. It is the relationship to Christ, the capability for faith, the purity of heart, that makes Mary the person she is, and the one to whom so many have been devoted in her intercessory role. If we consider the human parents of Jesus, both Mary and His guardian, Joseph, we see two people who are exemplary in their faith, capable of a tremendous love, who both guard the precious things God has given them even through all manner of difficulty. In the Gospels, Joseph is revealed as a man of great faith, kindness to his wife whom he discovers is pregnant, faithful to revelation given to him in dreams. Mary's faith in her Son is unwavering, and we are told about her elsewhere in the Gospels, her own response of faith to the announcement that she would bear this child. This isn't a faith in her Son merely because He is her child: it's an expression of the purity of her heart, her great faith present even before His birth, her capability to hold the truth of what she has been told. This is the great reason she becomes intercessor for all, and if we don't understand these things about her, then we really fail to understand the historical position of the Church throughout its history. Her elevation to such a position of great love is because of her character. It is God's teaching of love, embodied in Jesus for all the world, that creates true "family values," and that makes Mary an image for so many as one who prays for others and shares that love. (There are other images in the Gospels of a "devoted" mother and child, and "family life," that are simply hideous.) If we look at the lives of all those people in the Gospels that surround Jesus, it is this "wine" of the Kingdom with which they are filled that truly makes them the persons they are, or not. Each becomes an image for us to consider for ourselves: are we, too, sharing in that love? How does it fill us? What are the things we keep in our hearts, as she did? Even through our terrible sorrows and loneliness, how is our faith present, as in her example at the Cross? Let us remember the love that points to something beyond itself.
