John 2:1-11 Epiphany 2
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Tucson, AZ
January 16, 2022
Dear Friends in Christ, At Jesus’ time, the marriage of a couple was finalized with a great celebration, a wedding party. You can probably picture the scene: Family and friends gathered to celebrate with the couple. The bride and groom would supply the food and drink, which was a big deal because these celebrations could last for days! How terrible it would be to run out of food and wine. The hosts would feel bad for miscalculating, the guests would be unhappy, and the bride and groom embarrassed because of their mistake. What was at first joyful would be tainted, less fun, and the impact and memory of that day would stick with them and all their guests. That may seem overly dramatic, but this was their culture. You can probably picture this scene: Adam and Eve, having been joined in marriage by God himself, were enjoying their perfection in a perfect world full of wonderful things put there to bring them pleasure. There were beautiful plants and trees and flowers, interesting animals to look at and interact with. There were things to do to manage God’s amazing creation. God loved this couple that he had created, and he had given them so much to enjoy. But they miscalculated. They thought they could enjoy things more by becoming like God, knowing good and evil, so they listened to the lie of Satan. They ate fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat from. Of course, afterward they felt terrible, they were unhappy, they were embarrassed before their Creator. Their existence and their world were at first joyful, but they and all of it were then tainted, and the impact and the memory of that day would stick with them and everyone else after them. A wedding just a handful of miles from Jesus’ hometown brought Jesus, his mom, his brothers, and his first disciples there to celebrate with a happy couple. It took place just a couple days after John the Baptist had pointed out to a crowd that Jesus was the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, which began with that first married couple (John 1:29). That day followed his baptism and his temptation by Satan in the desert. The timing is important as we think about this account because it means that Jesus had just recently begun his public ministry, which helps to explain Jesus reaction to his mom. Today we get to consider the first recorded miracle of Jesus. As we do so, we can’t help but see that God delivers more than we ask for. We might be tempted by the idea that following God means that we will have less joy and pleasure in this world or that we should expect that to be the case! If so, we have been looking at this all wrong, because the fact is, Jesus Brings Joy & Pleasure to Life. Imagine a big, glossy, colorful balloon filled with helium and floating in the air, happily drifting here and there, going wherever it wants to. What a good life that is, if that balloon represents a person making their way through life in this world. Now imagine the knot tying the balloon closed coming undone and all the helium shooting out, and that beautiful, full balloon making an unflattering noise as it deflates into a pathetic little pile. Then there is no dancing on the wind, and taking in the beauty of the world, and receiving happy smiles from those who watch it. Now it can do nothing fun at all.
That’s what some people think life is like for anyone who trusts in God and lives according to what the Bible says. That it sucks all the fun out of life. That following God means limiting joy and pleasure in this world. That Christians have to give up all the good stuff here, in hopes of having lots of good things in heaven. But all of that isn’t true. And the words about Jesus before us today help us understand this. What is the first thing we see Jesus doing as begins to publicly reveal himself as the Savior of the world? He’s attending a party! He is celebrating with friends and family one of life’s most important and fun events—plenty of food and wine and conversation and laughter. Jesus’ presence at this wedding made an already joyful occasion even better! The situation that arose at the wedding threatened to bring the joy to a screeching halt. Running out of food or wine at the party would do that. So, in steps mom—Jesus’ mom, Mary. She asks Jesus to help. Well, she didn’t really ask. But she didn’t really not ask either! “They have no more wine” was really presenting Jesus with an expectation. So was, “Do whatever he tells you,” as she addressed the servers at the wedding. Kind of a funny response by Jesus, wasn’t it? “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My time has not come yet.” The trouble was, Mary knew who her son was and had faith that he had the power to help. But she didn’t know his divine schedule for uncovering who he was. The time for unveiling everything about him had not come yet, but Jesus offered a glimpse of his divine power to a few that day. At least mom and the servants knew what Jesus had done. And what he had done was save the celebration! Not only did Jesus prevent embarrassment for the bride and groom, he made it so the party could continue, so that people could be happy. And he delivered in an over-the-top way! Those were the BIG stone jars—the kind that you had to scoop out of, not the kind you poured from—and they were filled higher than normal too. Jesus instantly made the equivalent of about 1,000 bottles of wine! SO MUCH WINE! And it was amazing! You heard the banquet manager’s reaction. Our lesson from Ephesians this morning says that God is working to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine (3:20). Jesus showed that kind of love and power here— not merely to put his impressive, miraculous power on display—but to bring joy and pleasure to people that day in Cana. Christians who gather for worship have on their minds, first and foremost, what Jesus did for them spiritually. Today, we’re hearing about the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but we know what the end of his ministry looked like. We know what it was like when his time did come. Through the pages of Scripture, we witness the years in between the wedding miracle and the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. What we witness is a life of perfection, a willingness to suffer for our sins, and payment for our sins on the cross. We witness our Savior going above and beyond, showing a love so excessive that we have trouble comprehending how wide and long and high and deep his love is (Ephesians 3:18)!
Jesus stepped into that married couple’s life and made a difference in their earthly situation. As he did so, he uncovered himself as the Son of God with out-of-this-world power and love. He does this for us too. We have seen his power and love through his Word and baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We have also seen it in all the everyday things he provides to bring us joy and pleasure. We have a Savior who has blessed us with what ought to bring us the greatest joy— forgiveness and eternal life. He is also the One who blesses us with all that we need in this life—and even more, often more than we would ever ask or imagine! And so, we see Christ and his hand of blessing in everyday things where worldly people see their hard work or luck or karma or coincidence—or simply see nothing at all. But because we have sinful hearts and minds that can easily get off track, Jesus is also the one who gives us the warning that we are not to love and live for the things in this world (1 John 2:15), and that we are to not set our minds on earthly things, but on things above (Colossians 3:2). We know that temptation and we probably remember how we have sinned by focusing too much on worldly things, so we often remember those warnings, and we might shy away from the idea that Jesus gives things in this life with the intention that they bring us joy and pleasure. While we should rightly repent of falling in love with earthly things to the detriment of our love for God, it is okay to be happy about the things God gives us in this life! Maybe it helps to see Jesus here providing amazing and abundant wine for a celebration, and then remember that back in the Psalms it says that God provides “wine that makes people’s hearts glad (104:15).” Jesus talked about observing the beauty of the flowers of the field. As Paul served Jesus, he expressed great joy in God’s people, like the Philippians. God fills our lives with all sorts of things for us to enjoy—and on a whole different level than people who live without God in their lives. Our joy and pleasure over life here is only enhanced by knowing Christ, who gives us so many good things! Recognizing his blessings brings joy to our hearts and praise from our lips. This is the opposite of the idea that there is less joy and pleasure for Christians in this world. Many have been looking at this all wrong—and maybe we have too. It is possible for us to have a heavenly focus even while enjoying God’s gifts to us in this life. Jesus had just set out on a focused, three-year journey to the cross, and yet he enjoyed the blessings of food and wine, family and friends, and the fun and excitement of a wedding too. We pray that Jesus’ presence and miracle at Cana will help us to remember that our enjoyment of life can be pleasing to God, who gives us all things. We pray also that we are able to set aside the idea that a life of following God is boring or somehow less than what life without him can offer. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.