You have kept the good wine until now!

 

 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the fourth day of Christ's public ministry: The following day (after Andrew and Simon Peter became His disciples) 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 there 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.  On the third day is an expression which my study Bible says means "two days later," as it includes the current day in its calculation.  Therefore this begins the sixth day of Christ's public ministry.  Paralleling the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31, the wedding in Cana of Galilee takes place, giving birth, so to speak, to Christ's ministry in Galilee.  My study Bible further explains that this setting is significant.  In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with His Bride, Israel.  Jesus intentionally begins His ministry at Galilee (see yesterday's reading, above) which had a large Gentile population; this was a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  That the wedding took place on the third day gives a resurrectional tone to this event, showing that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ.  There are other parallels to this marriage and the Resurrection account in John 20:1-18, which my study Bible names as that involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event.  Moreover, the Resurrection account (John 20:11-18) has a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, again showing the unity between marriage and the Lord's Resurrection.   Additionally, by Christ's presence at the wedding He declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4), a sacrament of the Church.

 

 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."  This is an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, my study Bible says, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and she is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  This is confirmed as Jesus grants her request in this passage.  Here, wine is symbolic of life; so, there are two levels of meaning in Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage is not complete without the presence of Christ; and second, the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  My study Bible moreover notes that, contrary to certain modern usages, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture, and it conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  "What does your concern have to do with Me?" is translated more literally, "What is that to Me and to you?"  Most significantly, in the Greek, these are the same words used by the widow Zarephath in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, when she questioned Elijah after the death of her only son following her help to the prophet (1 Kings 17:18).  In effect Jesus is using a kind of "shorthand" with His mother, asking if she is prepared for what is to follow once His signs (or miracles) begin.  Christ's hour is the time of his great glorification in the Cross at His Passion.  That Christ fulfills her request teaches several things, according to my study Bible:  First, that He is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  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.  Waterpots were made of stone because, according to rabbinical teaching, stone could not contract ritual impurity.  That there are 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.  My study Bible says that this water is changed into wine, symbolizing the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine illustrate Christ's overflowing grace which is granted 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 commentary this transformation is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body 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.  Christ's glory, according to my study Bible, refers both to His divine power shown in His signs and wonders, and also to His humble service to humankind, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  Through such manifestations of glory, Jesus reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  This beginning of signs, the transformation of water to wine, is the first sign of seven in the Gospel of John.  According to my study Bible, John uses the term "signs" 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 following day ("after this He went down to Capernaum") marks the seventh day in this beginning of Christ's ministry, and it parallels the seventh day of rest in the creation story (Genesis 2:1-3).

 

Over the past two readings, we have taken note in commentary how Christ's ministry has unfolded on a very human scale.  The disciples have been called one by one, and they have personal connections to one another (two are brothers; a third comes from the brothers' same hometown; they are first introduced to Christ as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist as they were John's disciples earlier; Jesus personally calls Phillip by finding him and telling him, "Follow Me," Nathanael understands that Christ knows him in ways he finds impossible to explain).   But here, finally, on this sixth day given in John's Gospel, we have a striking example of the manifestation of Christ's glory, His miraculous first sign of turning water to wine.  My study Bible gives in its notes cited above many reasons for this setting and its meanings.  But perhaps in the context of our previous commentary we might note how Christ's Incarnation and its step by step, rather plodding growth of His ministry in the persons of the disciples who come to join Him is in stark contrast to this lightning-fast sign of water becoming wine.  This is impossible to understand except through divine help and power, where both time and space are seemingly suspended for what is a natural process to take place in a miraculous way.  One means to say that it is not impossible to turn water to wine through the addition of grapes and the process of fermentation, that this is a common human endeavor (and particularly so in Christ's time and place).  But in the case of Jesus, it is His divine will and power at work that creates this miracle, and it is a sign of God's presence with Him, a manifestation of God's grace and glory in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son.  Perhaps it is, in fact, this deeply human story of the Incarnation that is itself the backdrop and contrast to Christ's miraculous power so that we truly understand the stupendous shock of the presence of God in our midst.  That very contrast teaches us about Christ and His identity and the transcendent reality of the Incarnation.  One also finds that this "secret" process of the water transforming within these large stone pots as a kind of parallel to the Incarnation itself.  This great transformation takes place hidden from human eyes, inside the darkness of the waterpots set aside for purification as holy vessels in some sense, and Christ Himself is also hidden in the plain sight of the fully human Jesus.  He is both fully human, and fully divine, but not all will understand His divinity, and it will remain hidden -- as it does today -- to many, despite His "signs."  Our faith, even until today, works in this same sense.  We can't see God's presence obviously among us and in our world, we don't perceive the kingdom of heaven ("The kingdom of heaven does not come with observation" - see Luke 17:20-21), but it is within us, it dwells among us; it lives in us through faith; it is present in our sacraments and liturgies, and Jesus Himself has taught that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  So the Incarnation of Christ, among its many attributes, also helps us to know by contrast the power that is in Him, His divinity, as well as to understand how in our every day world the hiddenness of the Kingdom is something we live with, and through faith we know its presence, and may participate in it, and moreover that Kingdom may even participate in us, for Christ has come not only to assume all the aspects of life as one of us, but to share with us even His divinity and grace as well, including all the gifts and fruit of the Spirit.  As St. John writes, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come

 

 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 

 

On Saturday we read that 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.  The wedding in Cana is the setting for the first of seven miracles or "signs" performed by Jesus in John's Gospel.  Marriage feasts, my study Bible explains, symbolized the union of God with His Bride, Israel, according to the Old Testament.  Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population.  So this is a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  That the wedding took place on the third day sets a resurrectional tone.  My study Bible explains that this shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.  Additionally, we may understand that by Christ's presence at this wedding, marriage is further declared by Him to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  In the Orthodox Church this passage is read at weddings, and its images are 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 has extensive commentary on this passage.  First, this an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, my study Bible explains, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf, and she is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  An Orthodox prayer states, "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This is affirmed in the granting of her request by Christ in this passage.  Additionally, wine is symbolic of life, and so there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage is not complete without Christ's presence.  Second, the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  Jesus uses the title Woman to address His mother.  My study Bible comments on this that "Woman" is a sacred title in Scripture.  It is an address that conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21, 8:10, 19:26, 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Jesus asks His mother, What does your concern have to do with Me?  More literally, this reads, "What is that to Me and to you?"  This is not a refusal of Mary's intercession, but a declaration that the time had not yet come for Him to be revealed.  Moreover, it is also Mary who must consider what will come for her once Christ begins to be revealed in His public ministry.  These words in Greek are an exact mirror of the words in the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Old Testament with which the widow at Zarephath addresses Elijah, upon the death of her son which followed her help to the prophet (1 Kings 17:17-18). Jesus is forewarning His mother, in some sense, what she will also experience.  That He fulfills her request teaches several things.  First, that Christ is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulls all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  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.  Waterpots were made of stone because, according to rabbinical teaching, stone would not contract ritual impurity.  My study Bible comments that there are six -- one less than the perfect or complete seven -- indicating that the Law, illustrated by water reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  This water is changed into wine, and thus it symbolizes the old covenant being fulfilled in the new -- which is indeed capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine show us Christ's grace for grace which overflows and is granted 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!"  In patristic commentary, this transformation is seen 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 uses the term signs for the miracles performed by Jesus to show that these miraculous actions are pointing beyond themselves, and to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. 

 

 "Signs" are things that point to something else, and John's Gospel is the gospel of signs.  There will be seven signs given altogether:  the first is the one we read about today, the changing of water to wine.  The others that follow will be the curing of a nobleman's son (John 4:46-54), the healing of a paralytic (John 5:1-15), the feeding of 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).  Each sign gives a divine attribute of Jesus Christ, revealing His identity as Son, and as my study Bible says, teaching us about the presence of the Kingdom of God among us.  These are the ways in which we know and understand who Jesus is, just as from the beginning of the Gospel, John has let us know that He is the Light, and also the Word.  In connection with this understanding that He is the Word, the Gospel began with the words "In the beginning," giving us a parallel to the creation story of Genesis 1.  Today's reading concerns the sixth and seventh days of this first week of Christ's earthly ministry.  On Saturday, we read about events of the fourth day given in the Gospel.  Today's reading begins with the phrase "on the third day."  This phrase actually means "two days later," as it includes the current day in the calculation.  The wedding takes place, therefore, on the sixth day, reflecting the creation of man and woman on the sixth day of the creation story in Genesis 1:26-31.  Finally, we're given the seventh day of Christ's ministry, in which Jesus rests at Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples. echoing the Genesis creation story in which God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1-3).  Each of these facets of this Gospel -- the seven signs, as well as these first seven days of Christ's earthly ministry, and combined with the Prologue introducing us to the Son and Word -- give us elements that point beyond themselves to the divine reality of God, even of the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, who has come to us as Jesus.  It's crucially important to remember that the story of Jesus Christ is not the story of two parallel worlds, earthly and divine, but rather the story of how the Kingdom of God has come into the world, and Christ has come to us as both fully human and fully divine.  Our faith is not one meant to be understood as one that separates the created world from the divine, but quite the opposite.  It is a story of God coming to erase that separation, to claim us as God's own, to bring God's Kingdom into the world, just as Jesus will teach us to pray to our Father, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).   While the evil in the world gives us a stark contrast to the ways in which Christ teaches us to live, let us not forget that the Cross becomes the meeting place for all.  It's where Christ must go -- and it is the hour of His glory to which He refers in today's reading in His response to His mother.  This is in keeping with His words given in this Gospel (see John 12:27-33).  For God reaching to us is the story of Jesus Christ, and the revelation of God who is love (1 John 4:8).  God has come into the world as one of us, to extend love and grace to us, to claim us back in full union through that grace and by adoption, to leave us with the gift of the Holy Spirit always with us.  This world, if we but seek it, is permeated with grace, even (for so it appears at the Cross) in the seeming worst of times.  Let us remember to live in His light, walk in His light, be grateful for His grace, and always seek that Kingdom He brings to us in the midst of our lives and of this world.  For where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there in the midst of us (Matthew 18:20), and His Kingdom is indeed within us and among us (Luke 17:21).   The myriad saints, known and unknown, testify to this ongoing intervention of the Kingdom in our world, even as angels of heaven always accompany us to help (Matthew 18:10).  Let us look to the fullness of marriage as the full union of God with God's people and the destiny for which Christ has come into the world as one of us.  Even so, the paradox of our faith appears in this first sign which comes at the instigation of a saintly woman, by whom we are all blessed as we, too, may become her children, with Him. 

 

 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him

 

 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 of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, corresponding to the fourth day of creation in Genesis.  The Gospel told us that 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 is the setting for the first of seven signs performed by Jesus which are given to us in John's Gospel.  John uses the term "signs" to show that these miraculous actions are pointing beyond themselves to the truth of the presence of the Kingdom of  God, come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ, as my study Bible notes.  It adds that the setting is very significant.  In the Old Testament, marriage feasts were symbolic of the union of God with God's Bride, Israel.  Jesus starts His ministry in Galilee.  My study Bible notes that Galilee had a large Gentile population, and so this is a sign of the spread of the gospel of Christ to all the world.  That this wedding took place on the third day gives a resurrectional tone.  It shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ.  There are other parallels between this marriage and the Resurrection account in John 20:1-18 cited by my study Bible are that both involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness this event.  Moreover the Resurrection account (John 20:11-18) has a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, which again shows the unity between marriage and Christ's Resurrection.  Moreover, Jesus' presence at the wedding is a declaration that marriage is holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  Today's passage is read at weddings in the Orthodox Church, and the images in today's reading incorporated into many prayers in the wedding service.  On the third day is an expression which means "two days later" (after the events of our previous reading, above), as it includes the current day in the calculation. 

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, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and is our preeminent intercessor before Christ's throne.  In the words of an Orthodox prayer, "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This is illustrated in today's reading when Jesus grants her request.  Additionally, my study Bible notes that wine is symbolic of life, and so there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, without the presence of Christ, a marriage is not complete; second, the old covenant could not bestow life even on the most faithful people.  Here, we are also to understand that Woman is a sacred title in Scripture.  It's an address which my study Bible says conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Christ's question, "What does your concern have to do with Me?" is an important one.  It is more literally understand, "What is that to me and to you?"  However, in Greek it is an exact quotation from a passage in the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Old Testament, found in 1 Kings 17:18, in the story of the widow Zarabeth.  Zarabeth addresses it to Elijah when her only son dies after she helped the prophet.  In this Christ is warning her, even reminding her of what is to come once His signs become well known.  That Christ fulfills her request teaches several things, according to my study Bible:  First, He is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party first needed to be aware of their lack of wine so they ight learn it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Additionally, it teaches us to have persistence in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  Finally, there is great power in the intercessions of the righteous (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.   These waterpots are made of stone because, in accordance with rabbinical teaching, stone could not contract ritual impurity.  There there are six (which is one less than the perfect seven) is an indication that the Law, illustrated by water reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and not able to bestow life.  This water changed into wine symbolizes the old covenant fulfilled in the new, my study Bible says, which is capable of bestowing life.  These overabundant gallons of wine portray 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!"  In patristic commentary, this transformation of water to the good wine is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. This concludes the sixth day given in John's Gospel of this beginning of Christ's public ministry.  The wedding at Cana parallels the sixth day in Genesis 1:26-31, the creation of man and woman. 

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. Here in this first sign Christ manifested His glory as expression of His divinity Incarnate in His human life, to which the disciples are witness.  Jesus going down to Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples parallels the seventh day of creation in Genesis 2:1-3, in which God rested.

That Christ manifested His glory in this sign before the disciples is an aspect of something we understand throughout His ministry, and indicated in the word "epiphany."  To manifest is root of that word "epiphany" in Greek, literally coming from an original word that means "light."  In other words, to bring to light, to show forth.  While the past two readings have shown us Christ's ability to know and to fully see into people as part of the divine nature He brings to the world, today's "sign" is a more full expression that the Kingdom of God is present in Jesus Christ, as my study Bible put it -- and all the disciples, plus Christ's Mother Mary, are witness to it.  Moreover, those who know the story, and those who tasted the wine, can affirm it was indeed "the good wine" that was in those waterpots.  My study Bible has an interesting note in a passage on the identity of Christ (the knowledge of which is called Christology).  It notes that Christ acts both as God and as human being, doing what is appropriate for each nature in the unity which is provided by His one divine Person.  It suggests that never does divine nature and activity become changed into human nature and activity; thus, the two are in union without confusion.  But Christ "energizes" human nature with divine energy (this is the activity of grace), so that human nature is redeemed from sin an death and brought into union with God.  So, therefore, Christ present and Incarnate in our world "deifies" humanity.  So the manifestation of Christ's miracles in this sense are extremely important, for as He has said Himself, "With God all things are possible"  (Matthew 19:26), and the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37).  The "impossible" is the manifestation of the glory of God, the glory that belongs to Christ in His divine nature.  Without God's grace manifesting to us, where would we be?  What would we know?  Let us remember that all the work of grace is for us, given to us from the love of God. 

 

 

 

 

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).

 

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 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the fourth day described in John's Gospel:  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.   As we have remarked in the commentaries this week, John's Gospel gives us the first week of Christ's ministry in interesting parallels to the creation story in Genesis.  The events described in today's reading occur on the sixth day given in John's Gospel, while the fifth is skipped.  The phrase on the third day, my study Bible explains, is an expression which means "two days later," as the current day is included in the calculation.  On this sixth day given to us occurs the wedding in Cana, paralleling the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31.  My study Bible points out also that in the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with God's Bride, Israel.  Here Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population; the events described in today's reading are a sign of the spread of the Gospel to all the world.  That the wedding took place "on the third day" sets a resurrectional tone, my study Bible adds, showing that the marriage of God and God's Church will be filled in the Resurrection of Christ.  There are other parallels here between today's reading and the Resurrection account of 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, my study Bible points out that the Resurrection account in John (specifically John 20:11-18) bears a great similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, which again shows the unity between marriage and Christ's Resurrection.

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 cites this as an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  It notes that even now, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf, and is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  This is confirmed as Jesus grants her request here.  It notes also that wine is symbolic of life, and therefore there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."   First, a marriage isn't complete without Christ's presence; second the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful.  It's important also that we understand that Woman is a sacred title in Scripture, an address which conveys deep respect and admiration (John 4:21, 8:10, 19:26, 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  It's important to remark upon Jesus' words here.  That which is rendered "What does your concern have to do with Me?" more literally reads, "What [is that to] Me and you?" in the Greek.  Jesus' answer isn't a refusal of Mary's intercession, but rather a declaration that the time had not yet come for Christ to be revealed.  There is an extremely significant parallel here to the Septuagint Old Testament, which is the version of the Old Testament quoted in the New Testament.  In the Septuagint, in 1 Kings 17:18, after her son dies following her help to Elijah, the widow Zarabeth says to him, "What have I to do with you, O man of God?" (NKJV).  But in the Greek, the phrase is precisely the same reply Jesus gives to Mary here:  "τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί."   Understood properly, this communication between Son to mother clearly implies He is preparing her for what is to come, asking her if she is ready for His public ministry to begin with this first sign which begins with her request here, and its inevitable outcome at the Cross and the death of her own Son.  Her response is to directly defer to Christ, telling the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."   Additionally, that Christ fulfills Mary's request teaches several things which my study Bible notes as follows:  First, that Christ is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  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.  Waterpots were made of stone, my study Bible explains, because, according to rabbinical teaching, stone would not contract ritual impurity.  That there are six (one less than the perfect seven) indicates that the Law, which is illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  My study Bible says that the water changed into wine symbolizes the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine illustrate the overflowing grace which Christ grants to all.  

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!"  My study Bible says that according to patristic commentary, this transformation prefigures 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.  This beginning of signs is the first of seven signs performed by Jesus in John's Gospel.  My study Bible says that John uses the 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.  John again uses the word glory (as in John 1:14), referring both to His divine power shown by His signs and wonders and also to Christ's service to humankind, in both ways revealing He is the One sent by the Father.

 

After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.  This is the seventh day given in the Gospel, again paralleling the Genesis creation account.  Jesus rests at Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples, as God rested on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3.

If we look closely at Jesus' remark to His mother, we see an extraordinary kind of understanding that appears to be between them.  The words in Greek literally read, "What Me and you?" ("τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί") but they are the quotation of the words of Zarabeth to Elijah in the version of the Old Testament available to Christ and His contemporaries, and the version of the Old Testament quoted in the New.  In the relationship of mother to Son, she will be the one who is hurt, a widow who loses her Son.  It is an indication to us that the Cross was understood long before this moment, long before it will come, and early in the lives of this mother and her Son about whom Gabriel prophesied to her.  In Luke's Gospel, we are also given a prophesy to Mary by Simeon when the baby Jesus was brought to the temple.  Luke writes, "Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, 'Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'"  (See Luke 2:25-35.)  The sympathy between mother and Son is revealed through the Gospels, as she is present at the Cross.  This is made particularly clear in John's Gospel, as it is in this Gospel that John records Jesus' words on the Cross regarding His mother:  "Woman, behold your son!" (John 19:26).  Who else but John the Evangelist could write and know these words, into whose hands the care of Christ's mother was given?  That Mary was chosen out of all humankind to be the mother of Christ was always extraordinarily significant to our ancient Christian ancestors, and the significance of her intercession in this first sign of John's Gospel regarded as a sign of her own capacity for intercession for us.  There is an Orthodox prayer quoted in my study Bible, which declares, "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  Intercession is what we ask of fellow believers when we ask for their prayers; in the communion of saints (the "great cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1) we understand God's grace enables their presence and hence prayers for us.   It is unfortunate that for a great many followers of Christ today, the importance of Mary seems to be disregarded.  But it should be clear that for any mother to be given such a place in salvation history would have required a person of extraordinary courage and faith and trustworthiness.   As we read in the Gospels, the early life of Christ was not an easy one, but one filled with danger and which required His parents to endure hardship and exile, and His mother the possible shame she would be willing to bear in silence (Matthew 1:19).  The story of Mary teaches us about the saintly, those whose faith enables them to endure and persist despite the discouragement the worldly would bring them.  Looking at Christ's beginnings, we might wonder how discouraged our faith would be when there was no room for His birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7), or when they had to flee the massacre of the innocents by Herod (Matthew 2:13-18).  The story of Christ is not possible without also the story of His mother Mary, and neither is the whole history of the Church possible without Mary's great presence in it, from the earliest centuries considered to be the greatest of the saints.  Uncountable numbers of the faithful have taken heart at her intercession and felt her presence in their lives; we can only guess at the hints in the Gospels about her character if we read between the lines of Christ's great sympathy, especially in His encounters with women and those among His discipleship.  We might ask from whom did Jesus' human persona develop, or under whose discerning and faithful eye, but perhaps these questions are simply unanswerable.  All we can do is look to the significance of this relationship recorded by John, the disciple who became her second son when Jesus was no longer in the world.  I recommend the prayers to Mary for intercession, the honor she's given so highly in the history of the Church, for the pain in the heart of this mother and her deep faith in her Son is such that many have found helpful for their own.

Whatever He says to you, do it

 

Icon of Mary titled "Unfading Rose" (Ρόδον τό Ἀμάραντον).  Christ is the Unfading Rose to whom Mary gave birth.  The Akathist hymn to Mary declares, "Rejoice, O thou who alone hast blossomed forth the unfading Rose"

 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galiliee, 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 

 

On Saturday, we were given the fourth day of Jesus' 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 of him, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there 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, "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 Galiliee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.   My study bible explains that the setting of the wedding in Cana is significant.  In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with God's Bride, Israel.  Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population.  My study bible says that this was a sign of the spread of the gospel to al the world.  That the wedding takes place on the third day gives a resurrectional flavor; it shows that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ.  There are also other parallels between this marriage account and the story of the Resurrection in 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.  Moreover, the John's Resurrection account (John 20:11-18) has a strong similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, again giving us a unity between marriage and Christ's Resurrection.   Let us note also that on Saturday, we were given the fourth day of Jesus' ministry, but here this wedding takes place on the sixth day.  On the third day is an expression which is inclusive of the current day in its calculation:  therefore this is actually two days after the "fourth day."  This wedding in Cana parallels the creation of man and woman on the sixth day in Genesis 1:26-31.  By Christ's presence at this wedding, He declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  In the Orthodox tradition, this passage is read at weddings, and images from it are 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 says that this is 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 states, "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This is confirmed as Jesus grants her request here.   It also should be noted that wine is symbolic of life, therefore there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, when she informs Jesus, "They have no wine."    First, a marriage isn't complete without Christ's presence, and second, the old covenant was unable to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  Regarding Jesus' use of the term Woman for His mother, my study bible says that "Woman" is a sacred title in Scripture in contrast to some modern uses.  In Scripture it conveys deep respect and distinction (see John 4:21, 8:10, 19:26, 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Jesus' question to Mary, What does your concern have to do with Me? is important to ponder.  In Greek it reads more literally, "What is that to Me and to you?"   My study bible says that it is not a refusal of Mary's intercession but rather a declaration by Jesus that the time has not yet come for Him to be revealed -- as via an extraordinary sign.  Let us note Mary's confident reply to the servants.

 

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 impurity.  That there are six (that is, one less than the perfect seven) is an indication that the Law, illustrated by water being 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, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine is an illustration of the overflowing grace granted by Christ to all.  That Jesus chooses to fulfill Mary's request teaches us several things.  First, Christ is Lord over hours and seasons, and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  Finally, that the intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16).  

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!"   According to patristic commentary, the transformation of water that was made wine is a prefiguration of 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.  The wedding in Cana of Galilee is the setting for the first of seven signs which are performed by Jesus in the Gospel of John.  John's Gospel uses the term "signs" 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.  As John writes, they manifested His glory.  The seven signs are (1) changing water into wine (John 2:1-11, in today's reading), (2) curing the nobleman's sons (John 4:46-54), (3) healing the paralytic (John 5:1-15), (4) feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14), (5) walking on water (John 6:15-21), (6) opening the eyes of a blind man (John 9:1-41), and (7) raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44).   Here in these verses we are given the seventh day of this first week of Christ's ministry, in which Jesus rests at Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples.  It is a parallel to God resting on the seventh day in Genesis 2:1-3.

We can consider the ways in which this miracle or sign in John's Gospel is highly significant, but one of them that we can't leave out is simply the presence of Mary, the Mother of God, and the role she plays in bringing about this first sign of turning water into wine.  It seems to tell us a number of things about her and about the role she plays in the work of salvation, in the life of Jesus Christ.  She is not just His mother, not just a woman who gave birth, as if all God needed was some random woman to place God's Son into the world as a human being, both fully divine and fully human.   No, Mary plays an important role, and she played that role in the life of the author of this Gospel, John the Evangelist, as he testifies in chapter 19 of this Gospel.  John writes, "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home"  (John 19:25-27).    As it was common for writers not to give their own names, many patristic commentators throughout the centuries have held that this disciple whom Jesus loved is John, the purported author of the Gospel, and this is the tradition of the Church.  So important is this commission of the care of Mary that the very next verse tells us, "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' " (John 19:28).  This final and last task of Christ's human life, the care of His mother, is significant enough to be reported to us by John, and notable in its declaration that Mary had but one Child, Jesus (otherwise this assignment to John's care would have been unthinkable).   This is all significant information in terms of what we can assume to be John's closeness and familiarity with Mary, and thereby also her place in this story.  As the mother of Christ, she is the one who kept the secrets prophesied about him.  Twice in Luke's Gospel, we are told that Mary was witness to the marvelous things revealed about her child, and that she "kept all these things in her heart" (see verses 19 and 51 in Luke chapter 2).  There is no other human being who knew Jesus as did His mother in this sense, and from this we must conclude that she is a special human being indeed, and chosen by God to be His mother for important reasons.  Her character was such that she stood by Him all through His life (despite the difficulties His ministry no doubt presented; see Mark 3:21, 31-32).  Her faith on display here in today's reading is a part of that confidence in Him and His mission and identity in the world.  As such, Mary stands out among all the saints and Christ's followers as one who displays an unshakeable faith for us all to behold and emulate and understand.  Moreover, since it is this first revelation of His glory that she sparks through her plea -- which we might read as a prayer -- then Mary also provides the model for us all in terms of prayer and intercession.  It is Mary who intercedes through prayer on behalf of this wedding party, when she knowingly tells Jesus, "They have no wine."  So she shows herself not only as a model of prayer for each of us, for we all have the power to act as intercessors on others' behalf through prayer, but she also reveals her power to intercede on our behalf.  Mary is part of what St. Paul calls the "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1-3).  That is, those who live to God (Luke 20:37-38), who dwell in a place of the eternal present, and upon whom we also may call for prayer in the same way that you or I may pray for one another or call upon any other believer in Christ to pray for and with us.  This is the great role Mary has played in the Church for centuries, as intercessor and fellow pray-er with each one and all who call upon her.  It is why there are so many varied icons of Mary in the Orthodox tradition, and this testifies not just to a theoretical understanding of the role of saints, but to centuries of countless stories of experience for individual believers and their own acts and intercessions with Mary in prayer.  Atop all of these considerations, there is one more story to understand about this interaction between Mary and her Son.  In the Greek, when Jesus says, "What does your concern have to do with Me?" it is a precise quotation from an Old Testament story in the Septuagint Version.  In fact, when the Gospels quote from the Old Testament, as a rule of thumb it is from the Septuagint Version.  In this case, it is from the story of Zarabeth and Elijah in 1 Kings 17:17-18.  Zarabeth's son has passed after she helped Elijah.  In the New King James Version in English, she asks, "What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?"  But in the Greek Septuagint, her words are literally the same as Jesus' when He asks this question to Mary, which we could loosely translate as "What is that to me and to you?"  In effect, Jesus is quoting this passage back to His mother, reminding her that once He is revealed -- that is, once this process of signs revealing His glory begins -- there will be no turning back.  It is the prophesied sword that would pierce her own soul He is reminding her and warning her about -- the she is the mother who will lose her Son.  See Simeon's prophecy to Mary in Luke 2:34-35.  There is a tremendous depth and sympathy of mother and Son revealed here if we but look at it with proper eyes tuned to understanding the Scripture as it is laid out for us.  Mary, in this light, is a very special woman indeed.  To the Church, she has always remained the greatest saint.  As fully human, Mary is the one who kept her faith intact throughout the trial and difficulties of her Son's life and ministry.  Here she initiates the first sign given by John, and we might add the possibility that it is her loving Son who makes certain that she is ready for what is to come.  She is, effectively, a model not just for our prayer but also for a depth of communion with Christ.  We can but aspire to build and grow in such a life for ourselves, and through prayer as she models.  Let us turn to her when our own prayer lives need help, for she is at once kind, gentle, and strong.  She is also known -- as is her Son -- as the one who turns no one away.  We are left to ponder how much of her human nature was given to her Son, how much of His tremendous compassion, mercy, and forbearance also existed in His mother, in addition to His divine nature.  It would become a central question of the early Church to understand that His mind and soul were human, just as was His flesh.  And so, we also have Mary to look to in the shaping of these components of Christ's human nature.  Let us seek her out, for she plays a role far beyond that of being a human chosen for her capacity to be a mother.  In the Eastern Church, she is titled the Mother of God or "God-Bearer" for a reason far beyond the physical act of bearing a Child.  None of us should forget that bearing a child, or being a mother in any capacity, is a sacred role, and so much depends on how this role is filled.  We diminish women and the body when we make it anything less.  Mary as faithful still directs us all to the word of Christ as she tells the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."