TRISTAN SHERWIN

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READING: JOHN 2: 1-12 (The Wedding at Cana)

SAME BAT-CHANNEL!

I both love and loath cliff-hangers in stories; finding yourself having to wait for happens next.

Television shows do it all the time. I remember as a child watching the original 1960’s Batman TV show (starring Adam West); at the end of most episodes, Batman and Robin would fall foul of one of the Joker’s schemes and find themselves dangling over some horrible trap. At that moment, when you’re wondering if they’re just about to drop into a shark-infested pool or a mincing machine, the narrator would suddenly chip in, “Will Batman and Robin manage to escape? Will the Joker finally put an end to the Caped Crusader? Tune in tomorrow night to find out. Same bat-time! Same bat-channel!”

As a 1980’s kid, I watched these 1960 repeats on Channel four, so I only had to wait through an ad break. But some TV shows make you wait a whole week, or a whole year until the next season comes out. And occasionally, if the TV show your hooked on gets cancelled (like a show that Steph and I were watching once called Flash Forward), you’re just left hanging. No conclusion. No answers. You’re just left to wonder…

That very thing happens to me with the story we’ve just read. It’s an amazing story; probably, Jesus’ most famous (and popular) miracle. But, it leaves us with a cliff hanger.

Jesus is attending a marriage feast which, in Middle Eastern societies, wouldn’t be just a single-day, fancy fling with friends, but a week-long celebration, that the whole community would be invited to. And during this celebration, something terrible happens—something that could really bring shame upon the newly wedded couple and their families: the wine runs out!

And so Jesus’ mother, Mary, comes to him and subtly suggests that he needs to do something. He’s not enthusiastic at first, but he tells the servants to go and fill up these six, stone waterpots with water.

The servants fill the jars and then Jesus tells them to “dip some out” and take it to the Master of ceremonies. At some point, and we don’t know when, this water transforms. And when the Master of ceremonies tastes it, he’s in awe: it the best wine ever, and he calls the Bridegroom over, asking, “Why have you saved the best until now?”

End of story.

That’s were John closes this wedding scene. Yes, John tells us this was Jesus’ first sign, and that Jesus goes to Capernaum after the wedding, but I find it very strange that we get no response in this story from the Bridegroom.

It’s only natural that there should be a response. For example, where’s the groom’s surprise? Why doesn’t he reply to the master of ceremonies with, “What are you on about? I’ve got no wine: the best stuff went and the cheap stuff! What wine are you talking about?” Or does he just take the credit for it, and say “well, I like to break from convention”? And if he doesn’t take the credit for it, why isn’t there a scene with the Bridegroom going to Jesus, thanking him for saving his reputation? I also find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t show up and say, “By the way, you have me to thank for that.” Jesus also goes quiet. And we’re left hanging.

John purposely leaves the conclusion of this episode with us, leaving us to fill in the blanks. It’s almost as if he’s suggesting that this Bridegroom’s response isn’t theirs alone, but that we’re also called to respond to the challenge of this sign.

And there is a challenge to this miracle of water to wine—which is what I want to explore.

The main reason I’m left wanting to know what happens next in this story is not just because of the unresponsive bridegroom, but because of what Jesus does with these water pots.

I need you to see that in order to provide the wine, Jesus doesn’t decide to refill the already emptied wineskins (if they’ve ran out of wine then there are plenty of empty wineskins), but he purposely targets and transforms the use of these jars.

Wine was essential to the wedding, and so were these jars. They were used for ceremonial cleansing: jars for maintaining purity.

REDUNDANT PURITY

Purity was, and still is an important thing amongst Jewish people. It’s a frequently topic within the Old Testament laws—being clean or unclean is certainly no footnote in books like Leviticus. But although these purity regulations used the terms clean and unclean, they were not about hygiene—they’re focus was with identification. Observing these practices set Israel apart from other people—a way of signalling to the rest of the world that they were distinct and that they had a unique relationship with God. These purity laws acted like tribal marks to help identify who were “in” and who were “out”. [i]

In a certain sense, we still have “purity laws” today. We still have ways of deciding who’s “in” and who’s “out” of our tribes/groups/clubs/friendship circles: whether it be through clothing, behaviours, what car they drive, what neighbourhood they live in, what language they speak, age, skin colour, which neighbourhood they live in, or what political opinions they hold.

We have tribal marks—and for some of us, they mean everything. To the extent that we can refuse to have anything to do with those who don’t meet our standards of “purity”.

For Israel, these ‘tribal marks’ took many forms, and keeping some of these purity regulations weren’t pain-free—like circumcision. Others, like keeping the Sabbath, took careful consideration. Whilst other regulations, like the washing of hands, were relatively simpler to do. However, they were all equally important identifiers of who was who: who were the people of God.

And yet despite their importance, it never stops Jesus from pushing these boundaries; like he does often in the Gospels, and as he does in this story with the regulation of washing hands.[ii]

These water jars are a not the props for Jesus’ miracle–they’re the major plot point. They would have held the water that people used for ceremonially washing their hands before meals and festivities, and so the reason these jars are empty is the same as why the wine has ran out: the guests have used it all. Everyone who’s been a guest at the wedding so far, over the course of this multi-day celebration, would have washed their hands in order to participate.

That’s a lot of hand washing—nearly 180 gallons (2-3 bathtubs full) of water has already been used!

Not only does he need wine, but in order for the guests to gain eat and drink (to partake), he needs water. I don’t know how much water this Bridegroom has to spare, but the wedding is far from over and eventually, his ‘clean’ water is going to run out. Maybe he planned on refilling these jars at the end of the day, ready for the next day? But he can’t do that now, because Jesus has only gone and filled them with fine wine.

Can you see the dilemma? If he wants to refill the jars, he has to pour away the wine.

At first glance, it looks like Jesus has done the bridegroom a big favour—there was no wine, and now there’s 120-180 gallons of it. However, Jesus has actually left them with a challenge, a puzzle to solve: keep the wine and forget the ceremonial handwashing, which then leaves the marriage celebration open to anybody. Or, keep the ceremonial handwashing, but then forfeit the celebration.

So here’s the cliff-hanger: What will he do?

THE KINGDOM OF GOD: THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

Now before you think that Jesus must have it in for this guy—He doesn’t. I’m sure this problem only caused a temporary set-back: easier to solve then running out of wine. But Jesus is using this as an opportunity to make a statement. [iii]

John (2:11) calls this miracle a sign that displays Jesus’ glory—or, to put that another way, a symbolic demonstration. With this sign, Jesus is making a radical declaration about what he’s up to and what the Kingdom of God is like. And a marriage feast gives him the perfect context for describing the Kingdom.

Way back in the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah foresaw a day when Heaven and Earth would be married together—God’s Kingdom would be present. He pictures it as a great feast with the finest wine and the choicest of beef. Sorrow would be removed, death would be swallowed up forever and God will wipe away all tears. But this celebration—this wedding—wasn’t just between God and his people Israel; In Isaiah’s vision, all the nations of the world attend this party (see Isaiah 25:6-8).

Everyone is invited to participate in what God is creating, and to eat the flesh and drink the wine that God is providing—not just a kind of people. Regardless of nationality, skin colour, language etc., all are invited to become a part of God’s Kingdom people.

That’s the point Jesus is making—he wants his own people to know that the Kingdom of God is not exclusive to one nation. Later on in John’s gospel, Jesus would make it plainer, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32); In himself, Jesus is drawing all people together as one (cf. Ephesians 2:14-22).

And so the miracle’s not that Jesus turns water into wine, but that he transforms these purity jars from their use as boundary markers to being vessels of invitation. What once contained water for separating from others now contained a substance that beckoned people to celebrate together.

The Bridegroom can pour away this gift, if he chooses; but if he does, then he is also choosing to reject the Kingdom of God; in refusing to embrace others, he is also refusing to join in with the celebration of the marriage of Heaven and Earth, and refusing to be a part of what Jesus is doing.

We don’t know what happens; we’re not told what decision the Bridegroom makes. But the response to this challenge is also required of us. Do we really grasp that the Kingdom of God is bigger than “us”?

FLAGS OR CROSSES?

In the book of Revelation, John the Seer gets a glimpse of God’s people. In Revelation 7:9a he writes, “…I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb” and they’re all praising God![iv]

What an amazing vision—a vision that should impact our hearts. When commenting on this passage, theologian Michael Gorman, in his book Reading Revelation Responsibly, says:

If Christians around the globe truly understood themselves as part of this international community, and fully embraced that membership as their primary source of identity, mission and allegiance, it is doubtful that so many Christians could maintain their deep-seated national allegiances, or their suspicions of foreigners.

Michael J. Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb Into the New Creation (Cascade, 2011), p.134. [Italics mine]

Gorman makes a pertinent point.

The Kingdom of God is more important than our tribal marks; our nationality, our language etc. And if God’s Kingdom is bigger than our nationality, then our allegiance, as the people of God, belongs to something superior to our nationality, language and tribal marks.

And yet, we love our tribal marks, our “purity” rituals, and our borders. Horribly, Christian’s have been known to endorse racism, xenophobia and genocide! Sadly, it’s easier to turn water into wine than it is to turn the human heart towards others.

Some of us are more proud of our nationality than of being a part of God’s global family (i.e., for some people, it matters more that we’re British).

God calls us to mercy, justice, hospitality, peace and love for all people, but we can often limit these things, or prioritise these things, to those who sound like us, act like us, and identify as being one of “us”.

We can be found to be more committed to observing our civil obligations and celebrating our nation’s “holy days” than we are of keeping God’s fast (Isaiah 58:6-14): God’s call to care for the orphan, the widow and the stranger/foreigner.

We’re more intoxicated with our nation’s vision than God’s vision.

Our nation’s prejudices can steer our hearts more than Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We’re often more willing to hate and kill our nation’s enemies, and scapegoat and neglect those that our culture scapegoats and neglects, than we are to lay down our lives for them in love, for the Kingdom’s cause. Instead of being counter-cultural and demonstrating the global inclusiveness of God’s Kingdom, we can, and do, make our own culture the primary source of our identity.

In short, we’re more prepared to carry our flag, than to shoulder our cross.

I’m not saying that we should forget or disdain our nationality or language. I’m proud to be English. I hope you’re proud of being Irish, or Congolese, or Italian, or Mexican, or Pakistani, or Latvian, or Kenyan, or Jamaican… I’m proud that you’re proud. They’re all good! They’re all beautiful! But they’re all merely a fragment in the mosaic of God’s Kingdom: the Kingdom isn’t monotone!

So please don’t misunderstand me today. Jesus’ sign is not about his people forgetting their Jewishness or the special role they’ve had in this story of God. The challenge to them, and us, is to honour and participate in the international community of God’s Kingdom more than we do our own.

I’m using the example of nationality because it’s an obvious one that is affecting many across our globe. Being proud of your nationality is one thing, but nationalism is something else, and it has many insidious faces. Whether it be the desire to build a physical wall between two worlds, or the ingrained prejudices towards immigrants, or the far-right political parties who are advocating new terms for racial purity, our world, I sense, is becoming increasingly tribal. But despite my focus on nationalism, the challenge of this miracle is applicable to all our ‘little clicks’.

Like the Bridegroom, we too have a choice: We can either join the wedding feast of Heaven and Earth by drinking the communal wine Jesus has freely given, or, we can pour out God’s gift and keep our private parties going. We either pour out our prejudices, indifference and hostility towards others, or we pour out the plan of God.

But know this, if you pour away Jesus’ gift, and continue to drink the old, cheap and nasty stuff, then you’re turning down the finest, most beautiful, intoxicating human experience there is.

Jesus gives us a sign to follow; but the choice of what happens next in this story, is up to you.

Prayer

SCRIPTURE VERSE FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

“God’s purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” – Ephesians 3: 10-11 (NLT)

ENDNOTES:

[i] For some insights on the importance of the purity laws, and how they are approached in the New Testament, see: L. William Countryman, Dirt, Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today (Fortress Press, 2007); Richard Beck, Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality (Cascade, 2011).

[ii] By the way, this isn’t the only place where Jesus would tamper with this important purity regulation—take a look at the story in Luke 11:37-41.

[iii] Just like Jesus’ ‘Table Turning’ in the Temple does in the next passage of John: John 2:13-23. But that’s another story, for another time.

[iv] Revelation 7:9a (NLT)