Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

 Now after two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. 

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."   So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"   The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying in true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

  Now after two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Christ's own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).   This statement, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so significant to the story of Jesus that it is found in all four Gospels.  See also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24.

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  My study Bible says that Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover (John 2:13-25), when Jesus performed many signs.  As the Galileans received Christ after having seen His signs, greater credit is given to the Samaritans by St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says.  This is because they accepted Christ based on words alone, without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  My study Bible comments that here Christ is admonishing the people in general (in the Greek, you in this verse is plural both times), and not simply the nobleman.  It says that faith which is based only on miraculous works is not sufficient for salvation.  Such an incomplete type of faith quickly turns to scorn if the miracles cease (John 19:15).  

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."   So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  While this nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, it's also apparent that his faith in Christ is weak.  My study Bible suggests that he does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he grasp that Jesus would have the power to heal even if his child were to die.  In the end, however, he inquires about the timing of the healing, as he still doesn't completely trust the Lord's authority.  It's only after everything is confirmed that he and his whole household believe.  So, my study Bible concludes, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not only the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman. 

 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.   This is the second of seven signs reported in John's Gospel.  My study Bible comments that, having revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (John 1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  This reveals that Christ's divine power knows no earthly limits.  While there are similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, there are many crucial differences as well; these are two different encounters. 

 

Jesus' signs reveal the presence of the Kingdom, God extraordinarily present.  In the first sign Jesus turned the water to wine (John 2:1-12).  My study Bible referred above to Jesus' insight into the heart of Nathanael from a distance in John 1:45-48, revealing His divine quality as "heart-knower" (Acts 1:24, 15:8).  This is to compare the quality in today's reading that Christ can also heal at a distance.  Christ's quality of knowing is obviously more expanded than that, as He also knew enough from a distance to tell the nobleman, "Go your way; your son lives."  This kind of knowing that is not bound by distance (nor, obviously by physical sight or any other physical senses) is a part of the divine characteristics of Jesus Christ.  There will be five more signs in this Gospel revealing that identity.  It's interesting to think that these qualities or revelations of "signs and wonders" aren't merely done for the people who ask for them or receive them.  They are also done for the disciples, who will learn, through time spent with Christ and the increasing revelations they're given through His ministry, what He is all about.  These actions of Christ will reveal to the disciples, and, of course, to we who read and hear about them all these centuries later, just what Jesus is about, what the Son does, and even what is in His heart.  For we learn through these signs also that God is love, that Christ acts from compassion, and not simply a use of power to convince any of us about His identity.  This distinction is overwhelmingly important, because we need to understand "what manner of spirit we are of," as Jesus said to John and James Zebedee (Luke 9:55).  For our Lord does not use His divine power in any sense in which a worldly ruler or person of power would use it.  He does not use it to impress.  He does not use His power to prove Himself to anyone.  And, in fact, He will be repeatedly challenged to show that power -- to show some extraordinary sign -- in order to prove to the religious authorities that He is truly the One whom He says He is. He does not use His power in order to coerce or manipulate.  In point of fact, Christ will not use that power even to save His own human life when He is under threat of death at the Sanhedrin or in front of Pilate the governor of Judea.  (See also Matthew 26:53, giving us His words at the time He is placed under arrest in the garden of Gethsemane.)  Jesus does not use power to make an impression nor for any kind of "worldly" reason, except to reveal Himself in the right time and place for those who will be faithful.  And this is the reason why He does not do miracles on demand, or as proofs of His identity, nor even responds to scoffers who challenge Him in the ways in which they would desire Him to.  He acts out of a mission from the Father, to reveal the Father to human beings who are capable of grasping and receiving faith, He acts out of love, and mostly to reveal to us how much we are loved.  So much so, that we are offered eternal life with Him (John 3:16).  Perhaps we would be wise to consider our own motivations for the things we do.  Do we have a kind of mission?  If we were assigned such by Christ, what would it be?  He has commanded us, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  He will teach in John's Gospel, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:29).  Perhaps a greater motive for the things we do in life is to seek Christ's way; that is, to please God.  If we are confident in who we are, we needn't prove anything to the world, but seek the praise of God more than the "praise of men" (John 12:43).  Let us consider the ways He teaches us how to live by His own example in the use of His power, and in His signs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he hard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

 Our recent readings have included the story of the Samaritan woman, whom Jesus met at Jacob's well.  See readings from Thursday and Friday.   On Saturday, we read that at this point Christ's disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  This saying, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so central to the story of Christ that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover which Jesus has attended (the first of three Passover feasts reported in John's Gospel; see John 2:13-25).  At that feast, Jesus performed many signs.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom who gives greater credit to the Samaritans, as they accepted Christ based only on His words and teaching, without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he hard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Again, we're given an important signal here in the Gospel about faith and miraculous signs (wonders).  My study Bible points out that Christ here is admonishing the people in general, as you is plural both times) and not only the nobleman.  It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is not sufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (John 19:15). 

 

 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.   My study Bible explains that this noblemans's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Additionally, he doesn't know that Christ would have the people to heal even if his child were to die.  Finally, my study Bible says, he inquires about the timing of the healing, as he doesn't completely trust the Lord's authority.  Only after all of this is confirmed will he and his whole household believe.  So, as He heals the child from a distance, Jesus in fact heals not only the physical body of the child, but also the soul of his father.  

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second sign of seven reported in John's Gospel.  My study Bible declares that having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (John 1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  Thereby He shows that His divine power does not know any earthly limits.  It also notes that there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle reported in Matthew 8:5-13, there are several crucial differences, and thus it's clear they are two different encounters.  

Today's reading seems to take us onto the path of consideration of faith and signs.  How does one work without the other?  How is one complete in and of itself, and the other incomplete?  After Christ is seen by some of the disciples post-Resurrection, the disciple Thomas declares he will not believe without proof.  As Jesus makes an appearance to them when Thomas is present, He offers to Thomas to touch the wound in His side, and to witness the wounds in His hands, at which point Thomas declares, "My Lord and My God!"  Jesus tells him (and all of us), "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (see John 20:24-29).  This question of proofs obviously would remain important for the life of the Church to come, just as it is indeed important for us today.  Many people read the texts of the Bible with a deliberate skeptical eye, and beyond, discounting all possibility that the miracles or signs reported can be real.  But it is wise to be skeptical also of placing limits on God and what God can do, because there is so much that we simply don't know.  Modern theoretical physics postulates many dimensions to the universe, not all of them necessarily operate by the same physical rules we do.  Neither can we limit for certain the potentials of a Person like Christ, whose existence would transcend all of those possible dimensions.  But let us consider this connection between faith and proofs, and what substance or reason makes these signs so significant for Christ's mission to us.  Certainly they are not simply to convince people of His divinity.  Jesus makes it very clear that it is not His intention to draw faith through proofs of any kind.  Instead, these "signs" are just that -- like an icon is meant to do in Church, they point to something beyond themselves.  They teach us not only about Jesus, but about God the Father and the Spirit as well.  They teach us something that is essential to know in order to understand Christ:  that there are no limits to His divine power.  Wherever we find ourselves, whatever place we're in or circumstances with which we need to cope, Christ transcends all of them in His divinity, and He is there with us through faith and the power of God.  We have contrasted in today's reading the worldly thinking of the father (the nobleman), and his attempts to verify Christ's power together with the effect of this sign of healing on him and his whole household, and not simply the restoration of the child to physical health.  In this we are given a more complete understanding of Christ's mission in the world, the significance and effect of His signs, and how they prove useful even for us.  For while we may not experience what it is like to live with Christ physically present in human form, we can know what it is like to call upon and depend upon our faith for help to us.  As we go through our own lives, our own faith will also be tested, and we will find ourselves in circumstances where we need to trust to God to help us find the answers and correct response.  Outcomes are not guaranteed to be precisely what we would have preferred, but help is always there as we are led forward in ways meant to strengthen our faith and draw us closer in communion with God.  Let us consider what signs are for, the One to whom they point, and our own faith and its progress through our life.

Whatever He says to you, do it

 

 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 were given the fourth day in this beginning of Christ's ministry:   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 to 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.  This wedding in Cana of Galilee is the setting for the first of the seven "signs" we're given in John's Gospel (see verse 11).  My study Bible comments that John uses this term "signs" in order 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.  This setting of a wedding is significant also, as my study Bible explains.  Marriage feasts in the Old Testament were symbolic of the union of God with God's Bride, Israel.  Here Christ begins His ministry at Galilee, which also had a large Gentile population.  My study Bible says that this is a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  This wedding takes place on the third day, which sets a resurrectional tone, which shows that the marriage of God and God's Church is fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.  There are also other parallels to this marriage and the Resurrection account (found in John 20:1-18) which my study Bible notes:  both involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event.  Moreover, in the Resurrection story (John 20:11-18) there is a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, which again reflects the unity between marriage and Christ's Resurrection.  Additionally, through Christ's presence at this wedding, marriage is plainly declared to be both holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  This passage is read at Orthodox weddings, my study Bible reminds us, and these images are also incorporated into many prayers in the wedding service.

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 notes that this is an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  It says that even now, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne; she prays for us.  This is confirmed in Jesus' granting of her request here.  Let us make note of her own sense of obedience to her Son, an example to us all, as she tells the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  In this passage, my study Bible comments, wine is symbolic of life, and so there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement that "they have no wine."  First, a marriage isn't complete without the presence of Christ; and second, the old covenant could not bestow life even on the most faithful people.  Additionally, my study Bible explains that contrary to some modern usages, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture.  It says it is an address which conveys deep respect and distinction (see John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).   Jesus says, "What does your concern have to do with Me?"  From the Greek, this is more literally stated, "What is that to Me and to you?"  Moreover, the Greek is a quotation from the Septuagint Old Testament (the source of Christ's Old Testament quotations) 1 Kings 17:18.  It is what Zarabeth says to Elijah upon the death of her only son after she helps the prophet.  Christ is reminding His mother what she stands to lose once His "signs" become part of His public ministry.  Jesus' reply is therefore not a refusal of Mary's intercession, but a statement that the time had not yet come for Him to be revealed.  My study Bible comments on what Christ's fulfillment of her request teaches to us:  First, that He is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them; second, that the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so they might learn it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28); and finally, the intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16). 

 

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.  My study Bible comments that waterpots were made of stone because, in accordance with rabbinical teaching, stone would not contract ritual purity.  The number six is significant:  it is one less than the perfect seven (symbolizing fullness) which indicates that the Law, illustrated by water reserved for Jewish purification, was not complete; it was imperfect, and in and of itself was unable to bestow life.  As this water will be changed into wine, it will be symbolic of the old covenant being fulfilled in the new -- which is capable of bestowing life.  Additionally, my study Bible tells us, the overabundant gallons of wine are an illustration of the overflowing grace which Christ grants to all.

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.   My study Bible comments that in patristic literature this transformation of water that was made wine as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.  This beginning of signs manifested His glory to the disciples, who then 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.  Today's reading gives us both the sixth and the seventh day of Christ's ministry.  The "sign" of manifestation of water into wine occurred on the sixth day.  That is, in the text it is said to be "on the third day" after the fourth (yesterday's reading, above).  This expression means "two days later," as it includes the current day in the calculation.  We're not given any events of the fifth day, but this sixth day on which the wedding at Cana took place parallels the creation of man and woman on the sixth day in Genesis 1:26-31.  On the seventh day (verse 12, here) Jesus rests at Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples.  This parallels God resting on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3; thus completing this first week of Christ's ministry given by the Gospel of John.

 

 In yesterday's commentary, we spoke of how "light" is used in John's Gospel, especially in the preaching of Jesus, but also to describe Christ as the true Light (John 1:1-9).  In today's reading, we see the light reflected and manifested in the world, but in the form of a sign.  That is, a sign (as my study Bible says) that points to something beyond itself.  So, if we think of grace as light radiating from the sun (symbolizing God in God's substance or essence), then we can think of these signs as light that comes from the true Light.  Therefore, in Christ's manifestation of the transformation of water to wine, we have, in a sense, light leading the way in physically manifested form, so that we as human beings may see back to the source of that light and learn, and grow in its illumination for us.  Christ's signs in this way point to God, but also to Himself as Son and Logos.  In today's reading we're given the first of seven signs in the Gospel of John.  The other signs include curing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15); feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14); walking on water (John 6:15-21); opening the eyes of a blind man (John 9:1-41); and raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44).  In Orthodox theology, God's substance or essence is differentiated from God's grace by referring to grace as the "energies" of God.  So, like the sun itself in its dynamic function extends illuminating rays to the planets of our solar system, providing the light that is so necessary for all life in this world, God's grace extends to us to give us reflections of God, while not revealing the full essence of God, which we cannot know.  In each of these ways, in all of Christ's signs, in His teachings, in His sacrificing love for us, grace and light extend to give us life.  John's Gospel gives us this light and life, pointing back to the Source, the true Light.  Let us look forward to what we receive, and be grateful for that light we're given which shines in the darkness, although the darkness cannot know it (John 1:5).  Today's illumination also teaches us about prayer and intercession, the power of the saints whose prayers are carried by angels to God (Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4).  Mary, the Mother of God, intercedes on behalf of those who want to celebrate the wedding, at once displaying the power of intercession, but also her total faith in her son, and teaching obedience to Him.  Saints also are depicted with halos, indicating the holy light they carry into the world.  In this light of a saint, the one blessed among women, so we are also blessed.

And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  There were Galileans present at Jerusalem during the Passover feast (John 2:13-25), when Jesus performed many signs.  My study Bible comments that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  For the story of the Samaritans, see the readings of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (above).   This saying to which Jesus Himself testified, that a prophet has no honor in His own country, appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, John 4:44).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  This setting for today's reading is Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.   My study Bible comments on these verses that Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in this last verse is plural both times) and not only the nobleman.  It remarks that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation; this kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (see John 19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study Bible notes that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, even though his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he grasp that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  In the end, he asks about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting Christ's authority.  Only after everything is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  Therefore, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not just the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.  The text notes for us that this is the second sign of seven included in John's Gospel.  

It's quite interesting that my study Bible remarks that in the healing of the body of his child, the nobleman's soul is also healed by Christ.  This is the remarkable thing about the mysterious workings of God's power.  We don't know by what means or roundabout ways God's effective grace works in the lives of people, but ultimately there is a very significant factor that is always pertinent, and which we so often discount -- and that is the effect of God's work on faith itself, on those who come to faith.  My study Bible has also noted in today's reading that faith based solely on miraculous or marvelous works is a false faith, because if the miracles cease, so an incomplete faith turns to scorn.  We should keep in mind that ultimately it is not marvelous or miraculous signs that form the substance of faith or its purpose.  Jesus has stated that His purpose in being sent is for salvation:  "that the world through Him might be saved" (see John 3:16-17).  Although nominally speaking, today's passage tells us about this important second sign in John's Gospel, perhaps a greater purpose is served in the saving faith rendered in the nobleman and for his whole household, as the text tells us.  This is an important filter through which we might look at many things in the world, including our own lives and the others that we touch through our faith and through the grace that can be at work through us, whether or not we realize it.   There are times when even adverse circumstances can work to help bring about a saving faith; oftentimes it is only when things are not going well that people may turn to prayer, and it is in such a time when their hearts will turn to God and respond to the comfort and care mysteriously found there.  This article at the blog of Oxford University Press cites studies that show growth in people's reliance on religion and the importance of God in their lives in times not only of natural disasters but also man-made disasters such as war and conflict.  Adversity in childhood can often be a factor in the development of a strong religious faith in adulthood.  Psalm 27:10 reads, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up" (KJV).  There are many who have found that less-than-perfect parenting is deeply healed through a sense of the love of God as Father, Son, and Spirit, as good guidance and support replace what was destructive and chaotic during upbringing.  Through the prayers of the saints, such as the Virgin Mary, many have experienced an inexplicable motherly tenderness that helps guide adult life; and the virtues of the saints as described by St. Paul as fruit of the spirit become a firm ground for the responsibilities of maturity, as opposed to what was poorly presented by natural parents in childhood.  I heard a very wise speaker say the real danger in a life of ups and downs is that when things are going well we will forget to pray, forget our need for God.  We should remember that the signs given in John's Gospel are just that:  they are "signs" of the presence of the kingdom of God with Jesus Christ.  They manifest in some way the presence of the Kingdom, the work of God present to us and among us.  But it is a life of faith that saves, that sometimes rugged journey that asks of us to grow and to struggle and to work and to pursue our faith; in the words of St. Paul, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).   Even as we read the magnificent and significant signs in John's Gospel, we must remember that they are called "signs" for a reason, they point to something.  And it is that deeper "something" that is the substance of faith and of salvation, in whose life we participate through prayer and worship, and in Whom we find ourselves.

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. 

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read that, midst Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  John's Gospel has already recorded Jesus attending one Passover festival (2:13-25).  While there, He performed many signs.  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom, in saying that while here the Gospel tells us that the Galileans received Christ because of having seen His signs, greater credit goes to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone, without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29).  

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."   My study bible comments that Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in this last verse is plural both times), and not simply the nobleman.   It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is not sufficient for salvation.   This type of incomplete faith can quickly turn to scorn when miracles cease (19:15).  

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.   My study bible remarks that the overriding concern of the noble is for his child, even though his faith is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  He also doesn't understand that Christ would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  In the end, he asks about the time of the healing, still seeking to validate (and not completely trusting) Christ's authority.  But after all is confirmed, he and his whole household finally believe.  Therefore, my study bible says, in healing the child from a distance, Christ heals not just the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.   

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This second sign of seven in John's Gospel reveals another facet of Christ's divine identity.  In this Gospel, He's already revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance, in the story of calling of the disciple Nathanael (1:45-48).  By this second sign, Christ demonstrates that He can also heal at a distance.  In effect, my study bible notes, showing that His divine power has no earthly limits.  There are some similarities between this sign and the miracle which appears in Matthew 9:5-13, there are also crucial differences.  These are viewed as two different encounters.

 

In today's modern age of science, much more is made of different dimensional characteristics than possibly could be understood at the time of Christ.  But even then, the sciences were considered important and held a great place in education.  Mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and many other sciences were already quite developed.   From a shipwreck that occurred sometime in the first century before Christ, there has been discovered what is called the Antikythera Mechanism (after the Greek island next to which the shipwreck took place).  This device is an early analogue computer, one made of many gears which enabled it to compute eclipses, the orbit of the moon (including its period of irregular orbit), as well as the orbit of the sun through the Zodiac.  It tells us of the advanced understanding and importance of science at that time, despite a general Western point of view that such sophistication didn't exist until far later.  At this time, no educated person was without an equal training in science and letters, and so it should be understood that the earliest great theologians of the Church were also well-trained in the sciences.  Therefore, the understanding of Christ's revelation of Himself in today's reading as one whose power is not held back by earthly restrictions of space and other understood dimensions or limitations of worldly life  takes on a significance we can start to appreciate in the eyes of the earliest Christian theologians.  Even time was understood as not a barrier to Christ, as philosophically these earliest Fathers of the Church understood life and time as that which was characterized as always in movement, and even in the action of entropy, or gradual decline.  Christ's healings were seen as evidence of disruption of that cycle, and even in this sense defying the laws of physics that govern the world.  So when we read about His signs, we should try to understand them as our highly rational and educated ancestors did:  as evidence that His origin and nature were connected to a place that transcended these dimensions or limitations.  A sign, after all, points to something beyond itself, and that is the way that we need to understand Christ's miracles.  They are not some sort of magic trick, or sensational ability or gift.  They are signs of His divine nature, they point to something which we can't see but which He is fully a part of, although He is also fully a human being.  As these signs unfold in John's Gospel, we will continue to view the fullness of Christ's ministry, eventually revealing the fullness of His identity and its importance for us as human beings.  We should keep in mind that all of this is for us and so that we may become and grow in communion with Christ and all that is brought to the table in Him.  

 

Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?

  

 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 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 were given the fourth day in John's Gospel of the beginning of Jesus' ministry:  On this 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, . . ..  Today's reading gives us an event happening on the sixth day of this beginning of Jesus' ministry.  The phrase on the third day is an expression which means "two days later," as it includes the current day in the calculation (in yesterday's reading we were given the fourth day; see above).  This sixth day, then, parallels the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31, and is, again in parallel, the occasion of a wedding.   This wedding is also the setting for the first of seven signs, or miraculous actions, given to us in John's Gospel, the turning of water into wine.  These are indications of the presence of the Kingdom of God, pointing to a truth beyond the obvious or easily evident about Jesus.  The phrase "on the third day," my study bible says, also sets a resurrectional tone, which shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.  That the wedding takes place in Galilee, which included a large Gentile population, is a sign that the gospel will spread to all the world. 

. . . 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."   Let us first note that not only is the mother of Jesus present at the wedding, but also His disciples are all there as witnesses to this first miracle or sign in the Gospel.  My study bible calls Mary's action in these verses an example of her gift of intercession.   Even now, it says, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne. An Eastern Orthodox prayer declares:   "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master," which is confirmed in Jesus' response.  Additionally, it notes that wine is also symbolic of life, and so there are two other levels of meaning to Mary's statement, They have no wine.   First, that a marriage isn't complete without the presence of Christ; and second, that the old covenant is unable to bestow life even on the most faithful people.   Finally, a note explains that, contrary to modern ears, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture.  It is an address conveying deep respect and distinction (4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Jesus' response, What does your concern have to do with Me? is more literally rendered, "What is that to Me and to you?"  This isn't a refusal of Mary's intercession, but rather a statement that the time had not yet come for Christ to be revealed.  That Jesus indeed responds to her request teaches several things, my study bible adds:  (1)  Christ is Lord over hours and seasons, and is not subject to them.  (2) The wedding party had to first be aware of their lack of wine so that they might learn it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  (3) We must have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  (4) The intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16). 

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.  My study bible explains that waterpots were made of stone in accordance to rabbinical teaching, under which stone does not contract ritual impurity.  That there are six (one less than the perfect seven) is an indication that the Law, which is illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  As it is this water that is changed into wine, it becomes symbolic of the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine are an illustration of the overflowing grace which Christ grants to all. 

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 comments that in patristic tradition, this transformation is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. 

 

This beginning 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.  Christ's glory is the truth of His being, His divinity is manifested and revealed through the signs that He does.  

My study bible cites Song of Solomon 3:1-5, and its beautiful poetry of love in commentary on today's passage.  It notes that John's Resurrection account (20:11-18) bears a striking similarity to the passage from Song of Solomon, giving us another indication of unity between marriage and our Lord's Resurrection.  We should note also that today's reading and the broader Resurrection passage of John (20:1-18) both involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event.  All of these threads pulled together indicate the centrality of the notion of marriage and Christ's church; that is, the salvation plan whose fullness rests in the marriage of God and God's people, and embodied in the Resurrection.  For how else will all things be united -- or should we say reunited? -- except in the Resurrection of Christ.  This is the central reality, the event which is at the center of the wheel of spokes, where we all come together, and also back to our Source.  The poetry and language of love only emphasize the real nature of the Person-to-person(s) reality of the fullness of our true end in this salvation plan of Christ.  The presence of Mary, the mother of God, also emphasizes the fullness of love in this picture.   We note her relationship to her Son:  she recognizes a time for Him to assert the presence of the Kingdom of God.  She is the one who arranges for the possibility by telling her Son, in a not-quite-subtle but still pleading way, that the wedding party has run out of wine.  Note how it is framed by her as a need, suggesting that she knows an appeal to His compassion is appropriate, for no one knows her Son better than His mother:  "They have no wine."  It is reminiscent in that respect, too, of the feeding of the five thousand, the prefiguration of the Eucharist.  There is a love expressed here by Mary as one who knows her Son and places in Him her confidence.  This is a model for our faith as well, and it details how love is the currency of salvation, because it is in this kind of love that we find what it means to be part of the wedding feast of Resurrection.  That trust and confidence and knowing is all a part of this person-to-Person love, bound up with the compassion Christ shows as well.   Let us also have confidence in Christ as she does, His mother, for she shows us the way.   She is one with whom we pray.  Let us understand her gentle knowing and her total faith, her strength.