The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

- John 4:16-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was tired and thirsty from travel: He is on His way from Judea to Galilee, and passing through Samaria. His disciples are away buying food. He stopped by a well and asked a Samaritan woman to get Him a drink of water, something very out-of-the-ordinary for a Jewish man of the time! He is at Jacob's well. She asked Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans, John's Gospel tells us. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She asked Him, "Where do you get that living water?" and whether or not He was greater than "our father Jacob." He said, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but who ever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." At this point in the conversation, Jesus shifts the subject, and reveals that He knows her. In fact, He knows her thoroughly. We are speaking of matters of faith; Jesus has revealed concepts about "living water" -- water "springing up into everlasting life," the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' revelation of her life reveals a kind of infidelity, in biblical language this is a concept also used to refer to a lack of faith to the one true God.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." The dispute between the Samaritan people and the Jews centered, among other things, on the proper place for worship: for the Samaritans that is on Mt. Gerizim, and the Jews at Jerusalem on Mt. Zion. The Samaritans hadn't accepted any prophet after Moses, but they did await the Prophet predicted in Deuteronomy. Apparently, this powerful dispute between Samaritans and Jews prompts her question to Jesus. We note again in that the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim had been destroyed by the Jews in 128 B.C. The issue of the proper place for temple worship was an important ancient understanding even among the tribes of the Jews as reported in the Book of Joshua.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." Jesus frames the arc of the history of worship of God in responding to this question -- He makes it clear that He is here to introduce a new type of worship, and it is linked to His gift of living water. The place of worship will no longer matter. But He also makes clear the significance of Jewish religious tradition: God has worked through relationship with Israel. "Salvation is of the Jews" refers to Jewish spiritual history. My study bible helpfully notes: "Jesus Christ affirms that valid revelation comes from Judaism. 'The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations' (St. Athanasius). . . . Note that Jesus' disputes with the Jews involve chiefly the Jewish leaders, not the people themselves, and certainly not the spiritual heritage of Judaism. The Messiah was prophesied within Judaism; the Incarnation took place among the Jewish people. God's universal gift of salvation arises within the context of His promises to the Jews and their religious tradition."

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." Jesus introduces a concept that radically altars the notion that disputes over places of worship are relevant to His mission, His revelation. As my study bible puts it, "While the Jews and Samaritans historically argued about where true worship takes place, Jesus teaches that worship is not tied to any certain geographical place. Instead He turns to the heart of the matter: the object of worship, God Himself, and how worship takes place." More than that, this is an invitation -- as I read it -- specifically to her and to others like her. "The Father is seeking such to worship Him." Who are those capable of worshiping in spirit and truth?

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." An invitation is issued: God is seeking those who are able to worship God in spirit and truth -- and here is the reason. God is Spirit. The initiation of this understanding of worship comes from God, begins with God, who calls those toward God who can worship and receive in this nature.

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." Jesus has begun to reveal the nature of the Gift He is here to offer, the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of calling those to God who can worship in spirit and in truth. Here, He reveals Himself, fully, to this woman, in His Messianic identity. He is calling her now directly, not merely alluding to a mysterious living water. The words "I AM" (ego eimi) are literally here in the Greek, revealing a name of God. (It literally reads: "I am, who speak to you.") My study bible says, "This is the first instance in John of Jesus' use of this formula of self-revelation. . . . Jesus reveals Himself to be more than the Mosaic Prophet and more than the Jewish Messiah; indeed, He is the Incarnate God Himself."

Once again, we have to marvel at this instance of revelation, of Theophany. Why does Jesus reveal Himself to this woman? He is here alone, in a sense, without His disciples. Why a woman? Why a Samaritan woman? Why this particular woman? It plays into our sensibilities and understanding that this is deadly serious: to worship God in spirit and truth means that any time, any place, anywhere, and possibly for any one of us, God is present and we may worship God. The requirements are here in this invitation: God is seeking those true worshipers who will worship God in spirit and truth. And it is connected to this Gift He bears, of the living water that springs up into everlasting life. "Where do we get this water?" we may ask along with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. While we continue to marvel at this revelation, to this woman, in this time and place, let us consider what vibrance these words have for us today. God the Father still calls us to worship in this way; God still seeks true worshipers who will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The invitation is being issued as we speak, as we read, as we think; here, now, today. How do you respond right where you are now? What does it mean to you that God is Spirit -- and to be called to worship in spirit and truth?

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but who ever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

- John 4:1-15

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus was with His disciples, as they baptized in Judea. John the Baptist was also baptizing with his disciples. John's disciples had a dispute with some of the leadership from the temple about purification. But John's disciples came to him and told him that Jesus and His disciples were baptizing, "and all are coming to Him!" John the Baptist was most likely at the height of his ministry and popularity among the people at the time -- but his message to his disciples was about the importance of Jesus. He said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." He also spoke of Jesus' divinity: "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. Once again, we see Jesus traveling in John's Gospel. This time, it is because He has become aware that the Pharisees will now bring Him under scrutiny as they previously have done to John the Baptist. John's popularity was widespread -- but now Jesus' is beginning to eclipse John's. We know, also, that John will be arrested and put into prison. Jesus returns to Galilee to continue His ministry.

But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. This is quite interesting, as a passage that shows us Jesus on His journey. We don't often think of John's Gospel as the one that describes for us the events of Jesus' ministry in a sort of historical vein. But here, He's in the midst of a journey, on His way elsewhere. It is high noon, and we can presume the sun is hot; we are told that He is wearied from travel. Jacob's well takes us back to the events of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament, the promises of God through the history of the people, Israel. But we are not in the territory of Israel, but among the Samaritans. My study bible says, "The Old Testament does not mention Jacob's well, but Jacob did own property in the area. Wells and springs are significant in Scripture because of their rarity in desert life. In the Old Testament they often symbolize the life given by God, especially a life of blessedness." Wells, of course, are important to the people of the Near East -- and they do play a great role throughout the early books of the Old Testament.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Here we note that Jesus is the one who initiates this conversation, and throughout it He takes the initiative. According to my study bible, "The Samaritans were a mixed race and traditional enemies of the Jews. Although they worshiped the God of Israel and were awaiting a redeemer, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) as their Scriptures. They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, which the Jews destroyed in 128 B.C." Jesus' behavior is so remarkable that she must ask Him about it.

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." We have to note once again that Jesus takes this extraordinary initiative. It is He who wishes to speak to her of even holy things, the tremendous gift of living water. In a conventional sense, this phrase "living water" denotes flowing water that is fresh -- as from a spring. Of course, Jesus has a deeper meaning in mind, and is drawing her into a new understanding of a completely different subject. He is also revealing Himself. We also note that Jesus is in some way chastising her for her response -- if she knew who He was, and the gift of God, she would be the one asking Him. Again, we are given a hint of the power of meeting and recognition in the reality of faith. But He is also drawing her more deeply into the conversation. Jesus' personable engagement with her also hints back to biblical stories that emphasize the importance of hospitality -- we may be entertaining angels unawares (as did the Patriarch Abraham). And even greater than angels.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" As elsewhere in the reporting of such an encounter of Jesus with a non-Jewish woman, she responds in a challenging way; their talk is rather feisty. "Are you greater than our father Jacob?" How can He get what He's claiming? Her questions also reflect her predictable misunderstanding of His words -- which He will go on to correct and enlighten.

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but who ever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." Jesus' words draw her in further, tempting her with something mysterious and tremendously promising! Of course, we who read or hear the Gospel know what He's talking about. We understand His promise of everlasting life, and we've just read John the Baptist's words in yesterday's reading, that Jesus offers everlasting life. "Living water" also reflects the meanings of baptism, the subject of the previous reading, in which both John the Baptist's and Jesus' disciples were baptizing around Judea. We recall also the first sign of the gospel of John: the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana. Most powerfully, Jesus is revealing Himself in His true identity, the characteristic of His saving mission in the world.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." This sounds like a good deal! She, indeed, would love some of this living water, that will save her labor and thirst!

To our ears, this scene can seem like a modern-day advertising campaign! Jesus is making promises that really do sound too good to be true. But what we note most powerfully is that it is He who is taking the initiative here. He does something extraordinarily out of character for a Jewish man of His time, so much so that she remarks upon it. But even more powerfully, 2,000 years later, we have to remark on the picture of the Savior introducing Himself to her, initiating this conversation about holy things, the great gift He has come to offer to the world. Why her? Why here? Note that the action takes place outside of the hearing of His disciples, in a private conversation with her (at least as it starts here). A tired and thirsty Jesus chastises this Samaritan woman about the water that she is missing out on. This is not a conversation with one of His disciples, but rather an initiation -- a challenge. We get a glimpse of the personal, and personable, Jesus. It's a very human Jesus, who not only thirsts and is tired from travel, but shows an engagement with this woman, a lively conversation, one in which He doesn't hesitate to challenge and to invite her into something much, much deeper than anything she's been invited to in her life. What do we make of it? Can we assume He knows her, in her heart? We shall see in the next readings. But John also offers us another understanding of how we are drawn into relationship and understanding with Christ. We don't have to start with a full knowledge -- we just have to be willing to be engaged. Jesus shows us the beginning of the struggle with faith -- and here we have an illumination about the setting of Jacob's well. It was Jacob who wrestled all night for God's blessing, and was hence renamed "Israel" because of his struggle with God. And so, here are the seeds of our faith, our understanding of relationship to God. We are engaged, and we must be willing to engage back. God knows us, but also waits for our response, a depth of our desire. When you struggle with your faith, remember that the One who loves you and knows you simply awaits your engagement, and perhaps a good challenge! Such a response may show our own passion and capacity for faith, as we seek to go deeper and receive the gift of living water.

Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

- John 3:22-36

In yesterday's reading, we read the words of Jesus testifying about Himself. He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Therefore we receive the word, that God's love permeates all things and is the basis of Jesus' ministry. Judgment comes in our response to that love. He said, "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. So far in John's Gospel, we have read of Jesus in Galilee, at a wedding in Cana, in Capernaum, and at the first Passover festival of His ministry at the temple in Jerusalem. Here He returns to an area in Judea and He Himself is baptizing followers with His disciples. We recall the original scene near Bethany (Bethabara) beyond the Jordan River at which John baptized Jesus. Here, we presume He is closer to Jerusalem.

Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. The Gospel gives us a timeline: it is a time when John the Baptist -- a prophet widely considered a holy man, with many disciples and followers, from among whom has come Jesus' first disciples -- is still preaching and baptizing a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Kingdom. John's Gospel will constantly make reference back and forth to events known to have happened by the time of its writing. Here, John tells us that it was before the Baptist was thrown into prison. There is an assumption that the audience already knows the important historical events in this timeline. John's Gospel is written to teach us meanings and truths, events that reveal who Jesus is. The dispute with "the Jews" means that John's disciples are in a dispute about purification most likely with the authorities and experts in the Law, Pharisees and scribes. They are in a dispute with members of the religious leadership.

And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" Whatever the dispute with the leadership, John's disciples come to the Baptist regarding Jesus, and all those who are coming to Him now for baptism. Later in John's Gospel it will be members of the Pharisees themselves who make this statement, that "the world has gone after Him!"

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'" John begins to testify about himself, and also to recall to them his testimony about Christ at the Baptism. This is not a competition about figures in the territory of religious leadership at this time in Israel's history, but quite the opposite. It is a testimony about the work of God in the world, and those who labor together for this Kingdom. The Baptist places all things in perspective when he puts first things first: "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven." Through this relationship, and the great commandment of the love of God, the Baptist himself has performed in his ministry and his purpose, that he has "been sent before Him." The words here harken us back to Jesus' recent words to Nicodemus, regarding His own testimony: "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."

"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." John the Baptist is fulfilling his mission in the great love of God, the action of the Spirit in the world. It is Jesus who has the Bride, which is Israel, or the people of God. Therefore, as friend of the bridegroom, he plays his role and rejoices greatly simply to hear the bridegroom's voice. John's humility before God and the unfolding of this divine economy, his fulfillment in his own role as Forerunner and greatest of the Prophets, teach us about our own approach to this great work. Are we, too, friends of the Bridegroom? A part of His body, each playing our own roles? John's ultimate expression of great humility is in these words: "He must increase, but I must decrease." My study bible says, "The Forerunner expresses profound humility and acceptance of his role in the service of God. He renounces all earthly glory and reputation and glories only in Christ. John's aspirations of hope and joy as a minister and servant of God have now been fulfilled."

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Here we have another testimony to Jesus' identity, to His place and being, and His central role in the salvation history of Israel and of the world. This time, though, it is not Jesus who testifies of Himself (as in Monday's reading, when He was speaking to Nicodemus), but it is John the Baptist who testifies, a second witness. Jesus testifies to what He knows, says the Baptist, and is from above, above all. All things are given into His hand, including the words of God, from whom He is sent for us and the whole world. Again, as in yesterday's reading, we have words of love and of judgment. God's son has been sent to the world, for the love of the world -- but how we receive His testimony also tells of judgment.

John's Gospel today gives us a second testimony about Jesus, His role and identity, His place in the salvation history of Israel and of the world. Jesus is the Bridegroom. Yesterday, He testified Himself as to His identity and His work. Today we are given a second testimony to Jesus, that of John the Baptist. I think we cannot underestimate the powerful and widely-recognized authority of holiness in the figure of John the Baptist. His testimony here is meant for readers to understand that John himself showed extreme humility before Jesus, and pointed to Jesus as true Bridegroom. It is an authoritative testimony, from a figure whose authority is unquestionable -- a man of radical humility and holiness, with many, many followers of his own. As for we who read this today, we must come to understand our own role as "friends" of the Bridegroom, our own place in the history of salvation, in God's plan for the salvation of the whole world. God's love gives us a role to play, too, in the Body of Christ. We have our own places in this salvation history. The great figures in these Gospels show us the way, especially John the Baptist in his image of tremendous holiness and authority as a revered figure of leadership -- and his great image of humility that he presents before us. This is what we learn from him. In order to find our own joy, our own place of fulfillment in this history, this mission or dispensation of love and salvation, we too need to understand humility and what it means. Humility before God means that we accept our own places as friends of the Bridegroom, and whatever role we can play in that wedding feast and preparation is going to be the one that fulfills us, if we can but accept it. In this sense, we each have a testimony to accept, a word to receive. In that word is our own identity, a role, a function, a job to do. What is your work in the great work of salvation? We remember, it all starts "for God so loved the world." How do you participate in that love? How are you fulfilled in this role? With what joy do you hear the Bridegroom's voice and take your place as His friend?

For God so loved the world

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

- John 3:16-21

In yesterday's reading, Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees, came to Jesus by night. He confessed that he believed Jesus was a teacher from God. But Jesus taught Nicodemus about being born again, of Spirit and water. Nicodemus did not understand this. Jesus taught, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, bur cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Jesus marveled that Nicodemus still didn't understand: if He spoke of earthly things (such as baptism, and the work of the Spirit in us), and still wasn't understood, then how could He speak of heavenly things -- the great mysteries? He said, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Here of course is the great summing up with which we still recall our Lord. My study bible says of this verse: "The essence of the gospel: God's gift of His Son as the ultimate expression of His love for the world." We remember, putting today's reading together with yesterday's, that Jesus' words have been a reference to the Cross: that He will be lifted up in order to save lives, just as Moses lifted the serpent to save the Israelites.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Jesus sums up the saving work of God in the world -- and the purpose of His incarnational life in the world. Over and over again, we see the work of God through Scripture in both Old and New Testament. This saving mission is the embodiment of God's love and mercy for us all. It is God's desire that we may be with God in an everlasting life.

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Let us consider these words carefully. In the Greek, the word for "condemned" is "judged." So, the implication is of an adverse judgment. I think the understanding of "name" is essential to this context: Christ's name isn't merely the name that we give Him or call Him. It is rather, an assignment of identity. His "name" is that of His Father, that true family or house He is a part of, His essence. So, I think we have to turn to an understanding of recognition, and its role in faith. Can we hear the truth in the essence of what He teaches? Can we hear Him, and the authority of His true name, in what He manifests in His life in the world? Is there a place where we are recognized, and where we recognize His true name, true being?

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Here, He elaborates more deeply. What is the light? Jesus here teaches His nature, His essence, His name. It is the light: that which we perceive in Him is the light. What do we feel about Him in our hearts? For myself, this is not a decision about the historical church, whatever we may point to that we don't like or disagree with, but about the Person of Jesus Himself, in His name as only begotten Son. What is it we know or feel about this Person? Do we reject that essence, that light?

"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." Let us consider the role of truth in this statement. My study bible has a note that reads, "A profound insight: Goodness and a pure heart welcome the light, whereas evil deeds and malice resist the light and seek to hide in the darkness." Do we have things we wish to hide -- or perhaps more accurately, things we wish to hide from the light? I think we cannot confuse the judgment of human beings with the judgment of God here; this isn't about the collective judgment of human beings. We have just read Jesus' view of the crowds, whose faith is shallow, in yesterday's reading. The understanding we need for today's words from Jesus is one of discernment. Do we have things we would want to hide from the light of God? From the love of God? I think this is the great question we must ask ourselves. The "deeds done in God" have to do with a depth of relationship to this loving God that Jesus describes -- the One who wishes us to be with Him in an everlasting life. This is the offer, a gift made with love.

Justice and judgment are hard things to talk about. So often we confuse a harsh judgment with the word "judgment" that we read here. But that is to confuse a worldly judgment with God's judgment; that is to confuse a perspective which is merely from the "flesh" as Jesus describes in our previous reading. Let us remember that Jesus is teaching here about that which is born of the Spirit, and about discernment. He's speaking about a life of those pure in heart, who seek this relationship, who may welcome the light. This is something deep within ourselves. Can we accept the gift that transfigures and brings meaning even to our own suffering in the world? Or are there things we wish to hide from this love? Judgment is mixed with the tremendous love of the One who will give His life for all of us. Let us consider, then, that love and what it offers. What do we wish to hide from it? Do we welcome, instead, its saving love?

Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, bur cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

- John 2:23-3:15

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' cleansing of the temple. It is the first Passover recorded in John's Gospel. Jesus saw those who sold animals for sacrifice, and the money changers. He made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered a phrase from the Psalms: "Zeal for your house has eaten Me up." Some of the leadership in the temple asked Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They thought He was speaking literally of the temple. But after His Resurrection, the disciples remembered Jesus' words, and knew He was speaking of the temple of His body. John's Gospel tells us, "And they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said."

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. This is quite an interesting little passage. We remember this is the first of three Passover festivals that John will report during Jesus' ministry. My study bible notes that scholars believe this is historically accurate. John tells us that there were many signs done by Jesus during the feast, but only reports the cleansing of the temple. Many believers followed Him because of the signs -- but Jesus doesn't trust this type of faith. He is looking for something different in His believers and disciples, not merely those who believe because of signs. This tells us something very important about our faith, what Christ wishes from us. My study bible says, "Jesus knew many were misreading His signs." But we recall His words about Nathanael, that he was "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit." The kind of faith Jesus wants has little to do with visible proofs or show, and everything to do with a kind of faith in the heart, in the depths of who we are.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." It's important that John's Gospel tells us that there are those among the Pharisees who do believe in Jesus. Here, Nicodemus comes to Him by night, so that he won't be seen by others in the leadership. Much later in the Gospel, my study bible points out, Nicodemus will defend Jesus' legal rights before the Sanhedrin. Then together with Joseph of Arimathea, he will help prepare and entomb Jesus' body, which my study bible calls "a bold public expression of faith." It notes, "According to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter, and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to leave Jerusalem." Joseph of Arimathea's presence here tells us that faith is open to all, that those capable of the type of faith Jesus seeks are to be found everywhere. Poised right after the previous verses, it gives us to understand that faith takes us one by one, making its own community out of wherever we are -- the division of Jesus' "sword of truth" cuts through all nominal worldly groups or belonging.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, bur cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Here we have an extremely powerful passage about baptism, and rebirth in Spirit. Jesus teaches of rebirth "in water and the Spirit" -- this is a clear description of baptism. Quite literally, the word we understand as "again" (in "born again") means "from above." While one may be tempted to read this passage in a purely "spiritual" vein, it's important, I think, that we note that Jesus speaks of both water and Spirit. Our faith, once again, is on display here. This isn't just about a mental conviction or understanding, and Christ is not in the world only in spiritual terms, but rather unites all things -- both "worldly" and spiritual. He is God and man, united as one, and so in baptism we have both the Holy Spirit and the element -- water -- that makes up the greater percentage of our world and our bodies. The world, created by God, is basically good, because it is God's creation. So the Holy Spirit, united to creation, is an image of God's kingdom on earth, united to creation. Our faith is incarnational; it is not separate in any way from who we are, just as Christ was one of us, not separate from who we are. But this mysterious reality takes place in a mystery, just as did the sign of water turned to wine inside the stone pots. It "cometh not with observation" -- but is truly the action of the Spirit within us. Jesus' analogy to the wind (in the Greek, the word for Spirit means wind, breath or spirit) teaches us something important about signs and the mystery of God's grace in the world: with us, in us, and yet still holy, beyond our full understanding.

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." Here, once again, is a passage packed with spiritual and theological meaning, upon which may rest the whole of our faith. Christ speaks of what He knows, of the place from which He comes. He is a witness to the reality of heavenly things. But here, in speaking of baptism and the action of Spirit, the rebirth through water and the Spirit, He speaks of "earthly things." Indeed, baptism is but the beginning of our lives in Christ.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Jesus completes the picture of this fully incarnational power of His life and ministry in the world, by referring to the Cross. Jesus refers to the incident in which Moses lifted up his staff with a bronze serpent upon it, in order to cure the Israelites from the bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:9). My study bible has a powerful note: "Christ will be lifted up on the Cross. As the believer beholds the crucified Christ through faith as Savior, the poisonous bite of that old serpent, the devil, and the bite of sin and death, is counteracted and cured. The moment of Christ's greatest humiliation becomes the moment of exaltation for completing His redeeming work." Christ unites the history of Israel with the vision of what is to come: His death on the Cross. Thus, the Cross becomes the powerful symbol of the ultimate transformation of our lives in this world. Jesus is not here only for the moments on the mountain tops, of which there will be plenty. But His exaltation and glorification also come in the moments this world offers us of deepest despair and darkness. The transfiguration of our lives -- God's saving action -- will work through all things, including the struggles we undergo with the darkness of the world. And this is the great light that shines for all of us, this fully incarnational reality of Christ's greatest triumph, and the symbol of the Cross's meaning for all of us. This agonizing death as a criminal becomes for all of us a moment of transcendence and saving power through the work of God in the world. Let us also note the depth of the incarnational power here: Jesus clearly uses the title "Son of Man" - twice - as the title for a heavenly person.

So, let's think about these powerful words and teachings here in this Gospel. We understand it to be written during a time of terrible persecutions for the Christian community. John, perhaps the youngest disciple, is an old man at the time of its writing. He was Jesus' "beloved disciple" according to a traditional understanding. He also became a son for Mary after Jesus' death. In times of persecution and difficulty, whatever those difficulties may be in our lives, let us remember this fully incarnational Savior and His life in the world. Let us remember this talk with Nicodemus about "worldly things." Those "worldly things" are the action of the Spirit in the world, the grace with which we are graced in order to live our lives in this faith, with Him. Through all things, the action of the Spirit is there. Like the wind, we don't know where it comes from; we can't predict where it's going. We can only see its effects. But we can live our lives in the kind of faith that takes root in all of our lives, in each moment, even in the darkest and most difficult of times -- perhaps most especially then. John has written to us about this light, that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Let us remember that to be born of water and Spirit is the beginning, that this faith is part of all of our lives, even the times that don't seem exalted and transcendent. The action of this wind, this Spirit, can work as God worked at the moment of triumph on the Cross, to turn our lives to witness, to something much more than we can see or know. The Cross defies all of our expectations and assumptions about God. Let us understand that the full effects of our faith are something we may never totally know in our lifetimes in the world -- and that a moment that seems neither like a triumph or exaltation may be just that!

Zeal for your house has eaten Me up

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build the temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

- John 2:13-22

Yesterday, we read about the first sign in the gospel of John. It was during a wedding feast at Cana, at which were also Jesus' family, His mother and brothers, and His disciples. Prompted by His mother to do something when the hosts ran out of wine, Jesus first asks, "What does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." But later He instructed the servants to fill up the water jars, made of stone for reasons of ritual purity. Jesus then instructed them to draw some out, and give it to the master of the feast. When the master tasted it, he said, "You have kept the good wine until now!" John tells us: 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.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. It's quite interesting to note that in this beginning of John's gospel (we are only in the second chapter), events take place at quite a fast pace. On the first day, John the Baptist was baptizing beyond the Jordan near Bethany, and Jesus found disciples through him. On the second Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and found Philip and Nathanael -- Philip, Andrew and Peter are all from Bethsaida, we are told. On the third day, Jesus, His extended family and His disciples all attend a wedding in Cana of Galilee, to which they were all invited. They all went to Capernaum afterward, which is Jesus' Galilean headquarters for His ministry, and we're told "they did not stay there many days." Now is the Passover, the first Passover of which we'll read in John's Gospel (there will be three all together), and Jesus goes up to Jerusalem and the great temple for the feast.

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. In John's Gospel, this is the first encounter Jesus has in the temple at Jerusalem. All the vivid miraculous events that we will encounter from now on in this gospel will be associated with religious feasts -- the major Jewish feasts. The Passover commemorates God's saving work on behalf of His People, the Israelites in Egypt. The angel of death "passed over" the homes of those whose houses bore the marks of the blood of the lamb. But Jesus finds sellers and buyers and exchangers of coin doing a brisk business in connection with the feast.

When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" This act of cleansing the temple takes place in the other Gospels during Holy Week, but John places it at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. St. John Chrysostom believed that Jesus cleansed the temple twice, at the beginning and the end of His public ministry. What we can assume by this reading is that Jesus comes to fulfill the Old Covenant, and also to create a new one, and establish a new kind of worship. It is also - as in the synoptic Gospels - an act of authority belonging to the Son, to Jesus' authority as Messiah. In this act we find a vivid statement about the power of faith and prayer, their central role in all forms of worship and relationship to God. It is this faith relationship that Jesus seeks to expand and establish as the central piece of religious life for all believers, the heart of all liturgy ("the people's work"). The commercialism in the temple helps to separate the people, in some sense, from this true business of the temple. It is particularly penalizing to the poor. My study bible notes that this act, coming at the beginning of His ministry in John's gospel, establishes that Jesus' ministry is not like that of the prophets -- to renew the Old Covenant. Instead, it is an institution of a new kind of worship altogether.

Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." It's interesting that we see the action of faith in the disciples; they recall a verse from Psalm 69 (Psalm 69:9). If we read the whole of the Psalm, it refers to one who is humiliated and persecuted because of his great love of God, and an identification with God. In the Psalm's later verses we read more that is relevant to this scene of cleansing, "I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God, may your hearts live!"

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" We remember that "the Jews" in John's gospel refers to the leadership of the temple. This is a reasonable question, on its face, as to Jesus' authority -- who can take the authority to cleanse the temple but the Messiah?

Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build the temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Jesus does refer to the great sign of His identity: His Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. But of course, this is done in a subtle way. John reports that the disciples remembered this after Jesus had risen from the dead. Of course, the temple leadership cannot understand what He is talking about, the reply is for the disciples and those who will believe. The leadership replies referring to the rebuilding of the temple by Herod the Great, which was begun in 20 B.C.

We have intersecting layers of faith at work in this story. John refers us not only to the time he's reporting, this first Passover at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, but also to the faith of the disciples, and what they recall after Jesus' death and Resurrection. We see the contrasting levels of faith in the leadership and the disciples -- the leadership scoffs and has no idea what He can mean. In the next chapter, we will find one Pharisee who also becomes a believer, and who will play a heroic role in the events that come to pass immediately after Jesus' death. So, in addition to the layers of spiritual reality, of relatedness and faith that we find so far in John's Gospel, we also are introduced to a sense of time as something that intersects in different ways than the way we normally experience it. Faith intersects various points and experiences in life, so that, looking back, we see connectedness where originally there was seemingly none. The disciples recall the words of the Psalmist and know they apply to Jesus. Later they will recall, after His death and Resurrection, what He said to them here in this scene at the first Passover of John's Gospel -- "and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said." Memory and time interconnect in ways outside of our linear sense of time, in this Gospel -- which poetically is not written as the other three, called the synoptic Gospels. John gives us a powerful sense of the ways in which faith works. In today's case we must also apply the experiences of God and faith both to the ancient Israelites during the first Passover in Egypt, and to those who struggle and are divided through a temple system which has come to include the commercialism Jesus seeks to cleanse in order to restore the relationship of prayer front and center. He is the fulfillment of the Law, and yet He is also here to establish New Covenant of faith. Let us consider, then, the nature of our own faith -- how do different experiences in our lives connect into the growth and realization of our faith? How do the things you learn shed light on various aspects of faith you may not have understood at a certain point but can reflect upon now? "Memory" will always play a great role in the life of faith, as we also are taught to "remember God" -- recalling our minds to God in prayer and relationship. So the times of our lives and our experience of faith -- and with one another in faith -- can move us toward a greater understanding of God, a deeper relatedness within our lives, a greater wholeness as we learn to "devote ourselves and our whole lives to God." Time may intersect for us in ways that connect moments of seemingly unconnected experiences. Let us consider, then, the moments of our lives, our encounters with faith in prayer, in worship, and with one another that may bring us to a greater wholeness in God. Let us count them as John shows them to us, as events that may mysteriously link to reveal to us a deeper sense of who we are, and how we live in God, and in God's rest. Christ opens up for us a new sense of that worship, and what it is to rest in God.

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 recall that Jesus has selected some of His first disciples. Through John the Baptist, He has met several followers of John: Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, and (we presume) the author of this gospel, John Zebedee. Jesus had already met Andrew and the anonymous disciple, and through them, Simon whom He named Peter. Yesterday, we read of Jesus' meeting first of Philip, and then Nathanael. Jesus told Philip, "Follow Me." But Nathanael asked Philip, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" when he was told about Jesus. As Nathanael came toward Him, Jesus said, "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 told Nathanael that he would see many greater things than this -- and then promised to them all: "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. We note that we have several events in the beginning of John's gospel that are happening very swiftly. On the first day, we read of the testimony of the Baptist regarding the One who is to come. The next day, Jesus is baptized and His identity revealed to the Baptist; later on, the Baptist stands with two of his disciples, and says of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God." Later, one of these disciples, Andrew, finds his brother Peter. On the second day, Jesus wishes to travel to Galilee. The gospel tells us that Andrew and Peter are from Bethsaida -- and so is Philip. Jesus finds Philip, and then Philip found Nathanael. Today's reading is about the third day, the wedding in Cana of Galilee. We can assume that this was an affair of extended family and relationships -- including these disciples. All, John is careful to note, were invited. As we have commented in each of the readings so far in John's gospel, relationship and relatedness play a central role in this ministry. My study bible notes that the setting of a wedding is very important: "In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolize the union of God with His bride, Israel." We note also that we are in Galilee, largely Gentile territory. These are important clues about Jesus' ministry.

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." Wine is a symbol of covenant, essential to a marriage feast. My study bible points out that Jesus is not insulting His mother by His reply -- rather, He's asking her, "What does this have to do with you and me?" "Woman," it notes, is a title of respect. "My hour" is the hour of self-revelation -- full and public disclosure of His identity, which my study bible says is primarily the time of His "glorification" -- His Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. But, of course, we must note once again the importance of relationship. His mother, who knows Him best of anyone at this point, is the one who prompts Him. He has already gathered to Himself several disciples; perhaps this is a factor in her prompting. And, we recall, the anonymous disciple, whom we presume to be the author of this gospel, has had by the time of its writing a special relationship to Mary: he is the one who will take on the role of son and caretaker after the Crucifixion.

His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Despite Jesus' reply, she knows Him well. In all things, the gospels teach us that the Mother of God (an honorary title of the Church) has accepted Him, loved Him, and fully accepted the role given her at the time of the Annunciation. She, also, has faith in Him.

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. The waterpots are made of stone for reasons of ritual purification: stone would not contract impurity in accordance with rabbinical teaching. My study bible suggests the number six -- one less than the fullness of a perfect seven -- perhaps symbolizes the old dispensation.

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!" Jesus' first act of ministry, after choosing several disciples, takes place at this wedding feast as a great symbol of His New Covenant that He is bringing to the world. We are in Gentile territory. The change from water to wine is the effect of the Christ, the Logos -- a symbol of covenant, and of fullness, in contrast to the six waterpots of stone, representing the Old Covenant. In Christ, the law is fulfilled, bringing a new dispensation: which comes to both Jew and Gentile. It is the action of grace.

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's gospel has been called the Book of Signs, because Jesus' miracles are carefully referred to here as signs. They are signs not only of Jesus' identity but also of His kingdom and what He is bringing into the world. In keeping with the symbolic language of numbers, the signs in this gospel will be seven. A sign is something that points to a reality beyond itself. My study bible says that Jesus' signs point to "the mystery of the Incarnate God at work in His mighty and saving acts; the kingdom of God being inaugurated by Jesus. The disciples see His glory -- His divine power which reveals that He comes from the Father -- and are strengthened in their faith in Him." We note once again the relatedness that permeates this writing; from the wedding, everybody goes to Capernaum (Jesus' Galilean headquarters): He, His mother, His brothers (which likely means extended family -- as it does today in the Middle East), and His disciples. That they did not stay there many days again gives us a feel for the swiftness of this ministry -- a kind of sign of the swiftness with which this kingdom will take root in people's hearts.

The conversion of water to wine teaches us something extraordinary about Jesus, and also about ourselves. It's symbolic of the transformation that takes shape in so much of Christian understanding: it prefigures (according to some Church Fathers) the Eucharist. It also teaches us something about what is to come in the next chapter, the mystery of being "born again" of Spirit. And in a different and subtle way, it also teaches us about the transformation that creates relationship: Jesus' disciples are included with His family. All of this is included in our ideas about Covenant, and we must remember that Jesus is here to declare the presence of a kingdom, into which all of us are invited. Without a word, without any form of show, the transformation of water to wine takes place inside the stone jars, and it is the best wine according to the master of the feast -- it should have been served first! We are given a great secret, a hint of what happens "in secret" and in silence, perhaps without a word, without a great show, the mystery of the holy reality, the presence of the kingdom. In ourselves, we are also transformed, and we are brought into relationship. It's not up to us to explain or to make happen ourselves. It doesn't come with observation. It is subtle. Like the example of Mary, we accept by faith. Let us remember His Covenant within us, and the sign we are given of water transformed to wine. So it is with us, in us. Can you simply accept?