2nd Sunday after Epiphany, January 14, 2007 “Series C”
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, during this season of Epiphany, as we focus on the various ways in which your word and grace was manifest in the life of Jesus, help us to come to a deeper faith that he is your beloved Son, whom you sent for our redemption. Enable us to embrace Jesus as the Christ, and to transform our Lives by what he reveals to us of your loving purpose. We ask this in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
I wish to acknowledge that the following sermon was inspired by my professor of New Testament at Waterloo Lutheran Semniary, Dr. David Granskou, and also by a sermon written by Richard F. Bansemer, published in his book, In Plain Sight, C.S.S. Publishing, 1982.
When I was in seminary, I took a yearlong course on the Gospel of John, in which my professor often point out that the book was filled with humor. And so, it is with a sense of humor that I explore our Gospel text for this morning. For I have learned that humor can often reveal the truth about ourselves, as well as the grace of God.
According to John, when Jesus made his trip to Cana, five men had decided to follow him, to become his disciples. Most Biblical scholars believe that all five of these persons were, in one way or another, connected to John the Baptist. The first two disciples of Jesus were first disciples of the Baptist, and the other three were their friends and relatives.
As you know, John the Baptist led an austere life, going about the countryside preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sin. One could certainly not classify the life that John lived as being gay and frivolous. Rather, I would say that it was rather serious and somber. He lived by eating locusts and wild honey, and we can assume that his followers did the same.
So imagine what these men must have thought when they discovered the reason for this journey to Cana. “We came all this way to go to a party? This isn’t the kind of thing John would have us doing.” And I can picture two reactions these former disciples of the Baptist might have expressed. A couple of them may have thought to themselves, “Heaven forbid! Jesus is taking us to a party when there is a lot of better things we could be doing with our time. The Baptist must have been suffering a sunstroke to think that this Jesus was greater than him.
I can also picture the others thinking to themselves, “Now this is my kind of teacher. Look at all that food! This is going to be a blast. We’ve paid our dues with John, now its time to celebrate!”
There is also a hunch lurking in the back of my mind that suggests that those disciples who may have frowned upon this venture, sat erect in their seats, carefully watching Jesus to size him up, to see if his actions would meet their approval. They may also have occasionally issued dagger-like stares at the other disciples, to let them know that they shouldn’t enjoy themselves so much.
On the other hand, I can picture the disciples who were enjoying the party also watching Jesus, looking for hints of approval, testing the limits of acceptability. They may have even cast an occasional smirk across their faces in response to the glares of their friends who were disturbed by their enjoyment of the festivities.
What a tense situation this must have been for Jesus and his fledgling disciples. And when Jesus stood and walked into the kitchen, where the jars of purification would have been kept, his disciples watched intently. Perhaps a sense of hope welled up within those who sat erect in their chairs, that Jesus was going to suggest serving a little less food, so that some could be given to the poor. The other disciples may have held their breath, hoping that Jesus wouldn’t do something stupid, like volunteering them to do the dishes, since they enjoyed themselves so much.
The disciples didn’t have to wait long to discover the purpose of Jesus’ trip to the kitchen. The servants soon emerged with flagons of wine, which, when tasted by the steward of the feast, was proclaimed to be of excellent quality.
And when the disciples realized that Jesus had miraculously turned water into wine, that the feast might continue without embarrassment to the host, we might have expected them to react according to form. Those who viewed the party as a frivolous act may have shrieked, “Egad! Jesus turned water into wine. He should have turned the wine into water and drank punch.” Those who enjoyed the celebration may have exclaimed, after breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t have to do the dishes, “All right! 600 quarts of wine. Let’s get back to the celebration!”
They could have reacted in this way – but they didn’t. After setting up this story filled with humor, John shocks us with the news that through this action, Jesus manifested his glory, and his disciples, who to this point may have been struggling with their allegiance between John the Baptist and Jesus, came to believe in Jesus.
Perhaps the real significance of this story, this epiphany of our Lord, is not his turning water into wine, but the fact that his disciples came to believe in him. Here, in the midst of a wedding feast, in contrast to the austere life of the Baptist, these first five disciples of our Lord perceived that through Jesus, the glory of God was manifest, and they came to believe in him.
And I believe that it was their belief in Jesus, their understanding that through Jesus, the glory of God would be manifest, that provided the glue that united the disciples in faith.
I have heard many discussion over the years about what might constitute appropriate celebrations of Christian marriage, or, more precisely, is it appropriate for Christians to party, to consume alcoholic beverages, to dance, and in other ways, to let their hair down. And I have heard this passage from John’s Gospel quoted in support such activities. Yes, Jesus celebrated life, and in this case, participated in a traditional wedding feast. Yet even though Jesus contributed 600 quarts of wine to this feast, and most like consumed some of the wine himself, there is nothing in this story that would support drunken bashes, either.
Wedding feasts were traditionally three-day celebrations at that time, and if the host could afford it, involved many persons living in the community, not to mention the relatives and guests invited from other towns. And although wine was consumed at weddings and other feasts as a part of Israel’s tradition, the purpose was to get drunk, but to be shared in celebration with one another.
I believe that God wants us to enjoy the gift of life that he gives us. Some of us may enjoy dancing and parties. Some of us may find other kinds of activities more to our liking. We would be missing the point of this text if we focused on the act of water becoming wine, or tried to force persons to embrace a particular lifestyle. It is not about whether we should party and consume alcohol, or abstain from such activities. That is a matter of personal preference.
But through this miracle, Jesus reveals his power and his glory. In it, we see plain water become bubbling wine, not cheap wine, but the very best of the feast. Through this act, he teaches us that he is the Christ, the incarnate Son of God. In addition, he teaches us that there is no activity outside of the concern of God. He teaches us that there is no place that Jesus might not be revealed, and that persons might come to behold the glory of God.
I believe that the point of this story is an epiphany of our Lord. If we focus on what John tells us was revealed to the disciples, instead of the act of water becoming wine, then God’s Spirit might lead us to experience the presence of Christ revealed to us in the various activities that we engage in, whether they include wine or not – and our faith would be strengthened, and our life become more meaningful and enjoyable.
Amen.
