A Quiet Miracle
A Quiet Miracle – John 2:1-11
It has been said that Presbyterians are cold and boring people who deny themselves pleasures when it comes to life – at least life in the church. In days gone by, it was believed that solemnity was to be maintained at all costs. Everything done within the church had an air of seriousness not found in other parts of life. Frivolity or anything approaching unbridled joy or enthusiasm was frowned upon.
And yet it is clear from the reading in John’s gospel today that even Jesus himself took part in festive celebrations and was not opposed to the serving of wine. Of course we could always contend that the wine served in those days was not as strong as what we have today but the Scripture clearly indicates that it was quite possible to get drunk on the wine being served. Now saying this is not to suggest that we should not show discretion or sensibility when it comes to frivolity or festive celebrations; nor do I mean to suggest that we approach them with reckless abandon; but perhaps we need to ponder how best we can honour God with our lives and still allow ourselves to be joyful and celebratory in our living.
Well, I digress; but clearly Jesus was at the wedding of a friend of his mother’s and his new disciples were with him. At this time, Jesus had been quietly gathering followers. Among the new recruits were two of John the Baptist’s followers. One of them, Andrew, then went and brought his brother. The next to join were Philip and Nathanael. As far as we know these were the only ones who were with Jesus at Cana.
It is also obvious from the record in the Gospel that Mary was well aware of the powers her son possessed even though he had not ever revealed them in public. Remember that Mary pondered everything that she had heard from God concerning this child and everything that the prophets and the magi had confirmed. If indeed her Son was truly the incarnation of God himself, then it was more than likely – even inevitable – that he could do anything he desired.
Her desire was that he use the power he had to help out her friend who had obviously miscalculated either the number of guests that were expected or how much each one would be capable of consuming. Whatever the case, there was a crisis. Mary knew that Jesus was capable of solving the crisis. Her faith in him was great. She instructs the servants to do exactly as Jesus will tell them. He points to jars that are reserved for solely for the rites of purification. In other words, these jars were not just common vessels but vessels to be used for religious purposes. Jesus then tells the servants to fill each to the brim with water. He then proceeds to perform the miracle of turning water into wine – 180 gallons worth. When the servants take the new wine to the steward, he is amazed at the quality. He remarks to the bridegroom how unusual it is to reserve the best wine for the latter stage of the party when many of the guests would not appreciate what they were drinking.
But what is so interesting about this story is not the water turning into wine so much as the fact that the servants never disclose to the steward how it came to be; and none of Jesus’ disciples speak of it again. But it makes an impression upon them. Somehow this miracle reveals to them the truth about Jesus. And I think that what makes the difference in terms of this being a true miracles is not the mere turning of the water into wine but that it is the best wine the steward has tasted all night. Jesus not only will do signs that will amaze people, he will do signs that will reveal his desire to not just give people what they need but give them the best he can possibly give. When he heals a blind man, it is not partial sight he gives but full sight. When he heals a crippled man, it is not partial restoration but full mobility. This miracle is meant to announce to the disciples that the one in whom they have put their faith and trust is indeed the Son of God, indeed God Himself in human form and that this person has come to bring full and lasting healing and life to all who will listen and follow.
It is also meant to show the disciples that Jesus will act not out of showmanship but out of love and compassion. When it comes to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he is reminding the people of the very mind of Jesus when it comes to sharing the gifts of the Spirit. To receive spiritual gifts is the hope and desire of all Christians. And in fact all of us receive spiritual gifts. But Paul wants the people to be aware of the fact that not everyone will receive every gift and that the gifts are given to us not as a matter of personal pride but as a means of encouraging and building up the people of God.
What the Spirit of God gives to one person will not necessarily be given to another. Further Paul is concerned that we might seek to rate the gifts of the Spirit in an attempt to claim that our gift is of more benefit to the community. As tempting as it is to want to show off our gifts and make sure that everyone is ever aware of our wisdom or powers, it is so important to remain mindful of the reason for the gift and the purpose and end to which the gift has been given.
When I was a much younger man, I learned a valuable lesson from my friendship with three clergy of various backgrounds. We all came from different religious schools of thought and followed different forms of worship and government but we shared one thing in common – our faith in God as expressed through Jesus. We also firmly believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. I had struggled with the whole notion of the gifts of the Spirit especially when it came to speaking in tongues. It seemed that many people I had met who had that gift made a great show of it and told others that it was a true sign that the Spirit of God was in them. These three friends reminded me that speaking in tongues was just one sign of the presence of God’s Spirit and not even to be counted as the greatest. One of them then said this: “The gifts of the Spirit are not given to us so that we can let them jangle; they are given for the building up of the people of God.” When our gifts become a matter of pride and perhaps arrogance, we lose sight of the reason for the gift of the Holy Spirit from God and the gifts that come with the presence of the Spirit in our lives.
How does all this relate to what I said at the beginning of this message? Well, for one thing, we are encouraged to be joyful in our living recognizing that God has given us gifts in order that we may live a full and blessed life. For another, the wedding in Cana and the miracle of the water into wine is a sign that the miracles of Jesus were ever about drawing people to God by opening up to them the best possible path for them in their lives. He did it not for honour or prestige but out of love and compassion.
And so we in this time and place are to do what we do as a community of faith not for our honour or prestige but out of love and compassion for one another. It is for each of us to be committed to live this life to the fullest with our God and to encourage others to do the same!