Fill the waterpots with water

 

 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 His first disciples who came to Him from John the Baptist,  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 . . .  The wedding in Cana is the setting for the first of seven signs performed by Jesus reported to us in John's Gospel.  My study Bible comments that John uses this term, "signs" (see verse 11) to show that these miraculous actions point beyond themselves to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  The Greek word translated as sign (σημείων/semeion) is related to the word for "flag" -- it is a representation, indication, or symbol of something present.  My study Bible comments that the setting of the wedding is significant.  In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with God's Bride, Israel.  Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, a quite deliberate intention as we read in yesterday's reading (above), which had a large Gentile population.  This is seen as a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  That this wedding took place on the third day gives it a resurrectional tone, and according to my study Bible, shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.  There are other parallels between the marriage here and the Resurrection account in John 20:1-18 in that both involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event.  Moreover, it notes, the Resurrection account (John 20:11-18) bears a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, again showing the unity between marriage and the Resurrection of our Lord.  By Christ's presence at this wedding, moreover, Jesus declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  This passage is often read at weddings, and its images are incorporated into many prayers in the Orthodox wedding service.

. . . 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."  My study Bible calls this an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, it says, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and is our preeminent intercessor before Christ's throne.  An Orthodox prayer declares, "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This is confirmed as Christ grants her request here.  Wine is symbolic of life, so when Mary tells Jesus, "They have no wine," there are two levels of meaning to her statement.  First, we understand that a marriage is not complete without the presence of Christ; and second, that the old covenant could not bestow life even on the most faithful people.  We should also understand that, contrary to how it sounds to modern ears, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture.  My study Bible calls it an address conveying deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; compare to Genesis 2:23).  "What does your concern have to do with Me?" reads more literally, "What is that to Me and to you?"  This answer is not a refusal, but a declaration that the time had not yet come for Christ to be revealed.  There is an even greater depth to this question that those familiar with the Septuagint version of the Old Testament could hear (that is the Greek version of Old Testament Scriptures, the one quoted by Christ throughout the New Testament).  Jesus is quoting directly the words of the Septuagint version of 1 Kings 17:18, the words of Zarabeth to Elijah, when her only son died after she helped the prophet ("τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί").   So, we could also loosely translate these words as "what is [between] me and you," and implying to Mary that such a sign will begin the road toward the Cross, the death of her only Son.  (See also the prophesy of Simeon, Luke 2:33-35.)  Mary's confident assertion to the servants to do whatever Christ tells them is her response.

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.  Waterpots were made of stone in accordance with rabbinical teaching that stone would not contract ritual impurity.  My study Bible says that six of them (one less than the perfect seven) indicates that the Law, illustrated by water reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  This water is changed into wine, which symbolizes the old covenant being fulfilled in the new -- the new being capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine (filled ... up to the brim) illustrate the overflowing grace which Christ grants to all.

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!"  My study Bible indicates that patristic commentary sees this transformation as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.  

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 calls this first sign a manifestation of Christ's glory, beheld by His disciples who believed in Him.  It reminds us of John's words in the Prologue to his Gospel, writing as witness and disciple:  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).  

There seems to me a clear parallel passage to today's sign, and that is of Jesus' use of "new wine" needing new wineskins as illustrative of His followers in the new covenant (see Matthew 9:14-17).  This transformation of water to wine in today's passage from the Gospel of John echoes in the enzymatic transformation of new wine that needs new wineskins that can stretch and grow with the power of action of grace, of holiness, of the Holy Spirit.  In that same passage from Matthew, we might also note that Christ mentions a wedding feast as well ("Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?")  Perhaps it is appropriate to think of this topic on the eve of the celebration of Transfiguration, which takes place across most churches tomorrow (see Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36).   The Transfiguration is a manifestation of the Holy Trinity, and the clear revelation to the disciples of Christ's divinity.  There the sign is an incredible light permeating all, especially Christ's face and clothing, but also a bright cloud over all the mountain.  All of these different "signs" teach us about Christ's glory and its manifestation in the world.  He is the Bridegroom come for His Bride, those who will believe in Him and know who He really is.  He is the One who brings that glory into the world so that we all may partake.  He is the guest at the wedding feast who makes the best wine possible by transfiguring the water through His holy power, as one come from heaven to bring heaven to us and its meanings and the heartbreaking beauty that persists through all things.  This kind of beauty transfigures everything with its meaning, even suffering, even the Cross.  And there we will begin with Jesus in this first sign in the Gospel of John, of overabundance, of transfiguration, of glory and surprise.  Even the steward at the wedding seems not to be aware of what great thing has just happened in the midst of this wedding.  But Mary the queen of angels and saints knows and initiates through her supplication, and Christ indicates to her the fullness of what is to come down this "road," this "way" He will initiate with His ministry once this sign is made manifest, and the disciples know too -- for they "believed in Him."  My study Bible explains that today's reading gives us the sixth day of Christ's ministry.  (John does not include the events of the fifth day, but jumps to the sixth.  The phrase that begins today's passage:  On the third day, is an expression which means "two days later."  It includes the current day in the calculation.  This wedding therefore parallels the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31.  Finally, the seventh day is a day of rest, as Jesus rests at Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples, paralleling God resting on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3.  Let us note once again the fullness of the Church given here:  Jesus is never alone in His ministry, but remains connected with His Church, with those who are with Him:  His mother, His brothers (meaning extended family), and His disciples.  Just as we can look at these interconnected events and passages from the Gospels, and find echoes of meanings reflected in each, so we are reminded that we are members of a Body, and all are interconnected.  What we understand of our faith, the Scriptures handed down to us, the witness testimony that went into them, and the experience of the Holy Spirit working through and in the Church, comes to us in all of this.  Jesus' connection with His mother teaches us something powerful and important about the nature of holiness and of our faith:  it reaches into each one and connects each one, so that the kingdom of heaven is both within us and among us (Luke 17:21).  Christ is our place where heaven and earth meet, and the signs in John's Gospel point the way to His kingdom, and allow us to participate and be included.  Let us follow His way to rivers of living water (John 7:23).