SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
18 January Anno + Domini 2009
"The Lord Gives a Vintage Signâ€
John 2:1-11
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus and His mother and His disciples were at a wedding feast. Such celebrations were big affairs in Israel and often lasted several days. It is quite possible that either the bride or the groom was a relative of Mary and thus also of Jesus. At a certain point during the feast, the wine ran out - tragic! It meant, according to the Israelites, that God's blessing would not be upon the marriage. At His mother's prodding, Jesus had the servants fill six large stone jars with water, each of which held 20-30 gallons. Jesus then miraculously turned all of that water into wine. When the new wine was taken to the master of the feast, he was certainly pleased, but also bothered that it wasn't served first. For it was better - far better - than any of the other wines.
Now what can we learn from all of this? First of all, we learn from this account that Jesus is indeed true God. For no mere man can change one substance into an altogether different one. It is as we sang last week: Jesus is "God in flesh made manifest." This miracle reveals Jesus to be the divine Lord of the elements of creation.
Second of all, we learn in this Gospel of how Christ approves of marriage and honors it. For if He didn't uphold marriage, He wouldn't have sanctioned it here with His presence. We must constantly remind ourselves that matrimony is truly a holy thing. For it was established by God Himself before sin ever entered the world. The Lord is the One who joins together a man and a woman and makes them to be husband and wife. Therefore, the marriage relationship must be valued and held in the highest regard. It is just as our order of marriage puts it: "This is an honorable estate, which God Himself has instituted and blessed, and by which He gives us a picture of the very communion of Christ and His bride, the Church. God has both established and sanctified marriage and has promised to bless therein all who love and trust in Him and who seek to give Him their faithful worship and service, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ." That's the second thing we learn, that marriage is approved of, and sanctioned, by Christ.
Third of all, we learn from this Gospel that alcohol is not inherently sinful. Alcohol can certainly be misused for self-indulgent purposes; drunkenness, Scripture tells us, is clearly a sin. But, alcohol, in and of itself, is not. There are certainly those who use alcohol in such a way that it unleashes the sinful nature. Nevertheless, all of those who would call the good gifts of God's creation evil - all of those who say that drinking alcohol at any time is a sin - must reckon with the fact that Jesus here produced about 150 gallons of vintage wine for the people to enjoy. We do better simply to follow the words of St. Paul in I Timothy: "Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because the word of God and prayer make it holy."
All of this is the plain meaning of today's Gospel. And yet John clues us in that there is still more for the church to grasp in this account. The way in which the Apostle records this miracle guides us to see its continuing and eternal significance for the people of God. John calls this miracle a "sign." And as we all know, signs are not self-contained things. Rather, their purpose is to point beyond themselves to something else. Signs seek to direct your attention to a larger reality. This changing of water into wine, then, is a sign of something far greater.
We begin to perceive what that "something greater" is in the very opening words of this passage. For those words state that this miracle occurred "on the third day." In this way the believer is told right from the start that the events at Cana are directly connected with the death and resurrection of Jesus, who rose from the grave "on the third day." Therefore, this sign points us to Christ's greater work of overcoming the consuming power of the grave and restoring all of creation to its original newness and abundance.
We see how this is so in Jesus' conversation with His mother. When the wine ran out at the wedding banquet, Mary said to Him, "They have no wine." And then Jesus responded to her with these unusual words: "Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." Now when Jesus refers to His "hour" in John's Gospel, it is always a reference to His impending crucifixion. So the fact that the wine ran out is somehow related to the necessity of Christ's death. And the relationship is this: The reason that the things of this creation fail us and run short is because of the destructive entry of sin into the world. Our rebellion against God has brought a curse on His handiwork, and now the blessings of His good creation are passing and temporary; they don't last. Cars rust, food runs out or spoils, clothes wear out and fade, good weather is replaced by bad, as all have learned, especially this winter. Indeed, even our bodies fail us, ultimately in death. The Scriptures say that the world in its present form is in bondage to decay and is passing away.
So, when the wine ran out, that drew attention to Christ's mission of suffering and dying in order to redeem His dead and dying and fallen creation. Through this first miracle of our Lord, then, Jesus was beginning to bring about that redemption, which would come to fulfillment on Good Friday and Easter. For He was reversing the draining force of sin so that there was bounty once again. You see, in order for the creation to be made new and restored, the curse on it had to be removed. And it was removed through the flesh of Christ sacrificed on Calvary. Galatians 3 declares, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" Jesus took creation's curse into Himself so that by His death sin's crippling domination over us would be undone. All that brings deterioration and degeneration He has subdued and destroyed. His holy cross conquered and did away with the temporariness and the impermanence of this old order of things.
And then our Lord performed the greatest miracle of all on the third day by rising from the grave in everlasting triumph over it. The risen body of Christ is the beginning of the new order of things. In Him and through Him creation is renewed and revitalized. That renewal is perceived now only by faith. But we see signs of it in miracles such as this - such as the turning of water into wine. For it was prophesied of the Messiah's kingdom in the Old Testament that there would be an abundance of wine. The prophet Amos said: "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when . . . new wine will drip from the mountains and flow from the hills." And Isaiah foretold a day when the Lord would swallow up death forever. Of that day he said this, "The Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine--the best of meats and the finest of wines." In this Gospel, then, dear friends, we see breaking into the old order of things the very kingdom of God and the new creation which comes with the Messiah; the new creation which will be revealed in all its glory on the Last Day.
Indeed, just as Jesus used six stone jars in this miracle, so also it was on the sixth day of the week, Good Friday, when He broke sin's curse. And just as in the beginning the creation of man took place on the sixth day of the week, so now man is recreated by the water and the blood that came forth from Christ's holy side at Calvary. Do you see what the water and the wine are signs of here at Cana? They are nothing else than the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, which flow to us from the cross of Jesus. This Gospel tells us that the six jars were used for purification ceremonies. And don't the Scriptures say that Baptism is a washing of regeneration? Likewise, in regards to the Lord's Supper, is it not written that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin? These Sacraments, these Holy and Blessed Gifts, these means of grace, are the purification jars that bring us into, and keep us in, Christ's Kingdom. As it is written, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!"
And so you can see, as we go through this first miracle, this first sign, of Jesus that there is much more than initially meets the eye. You must learn to see and believe that the miracle of Cana continues; the wedding banquet goes on. The heavenly groom, Jesus Christ, comes in the Divine Service to you, His bride, the Church, to celebrate your everlasting marriage with Him and to comfort you with His love. By water and the Word He has made you His own. And in Holy Communion you become one with Christ in a joyous and holy and blessed union. He who showed Himself to be Lord of the elements at Cana continues to show Himself to be Lord of the elements on the altar. He causes His Body and Blood to be present under the wine and the bread, and through this miracle, through this sign, He continues to create new life in those who receive. He causes His Body and Blood to be of the greatest benefit to all those who receive in repentance and faith. These elements of creation will never fail you; for just as our Lord produced an abundance of wine for the wedding at Cana, so in this holy supper His goodness and mercy overflow to you. There is more than enough, no matter what sins you bring to the table. His wine-Blood cleanses you and gladdens your hearts. His grace doesn't run out; there is always enough. Thus, the Scriptures say, "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."
Dear bride of Christ, the Lord has given you a vintage sign: at Cana, at Calvary, and on the altar - a sign of His glory, glory revealed in His love for you. Both then and now, He has saved the choice wine for last. He has given His best; and it is all for you, His beloved. Come, then, in faith to His table, that you may partake in the great wedding feast when He returns in great glory on the Last Day. For it is written, "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9). Blessed are you - you His beloved - for you are invited now and always to receive the great benefits of His Most Holy Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. In His Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.