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Epiphany IV – The Wedding at Cana

One of the defining characteristics of both Welsh and Jewish culture is their attitude towards hospitality. The thought that a guest could possibly leave without being full to the gunwales is unthinkable; a source of potential shame, which would reflect extremely badly upon the host. We want to be generous, we believe that a full guest is a happy guest!  The widow of Zarephath, however, has very little, and she appears to be at her wits end, but what she has, she offers to Elijah. The woman is blessed by God, for her generosity and hospitality. The flour and oil do not run out, and she, her family, and the entire household are able to thrive in difficult times.

Everyone loves a party. What better excuse could there be than a wedding? The joining together of a man and a woman, a sign of love, and joy, and commitment, is made holy and fruitful by God. At one level it symbolises God’s relationship with humanity brought about by the Incarnation: where God becomes human, so that humanity might come to share the divine life. The sheer joy of salvation, of hope in Christ, is manifest in the uniting of that which what sin had destroyed. What the Hebrew Scriptures look forward to, is made real in Jesus Christ. And so the first of Jesus’ signs, His demonstrations of the Kingdom of God, takes place at a wedding, at Cana in Galilee. 

The wedding takes place on the third day. It was also on the third day that God’s Glory was manifest in thunder and lightening in Sinai in Exodus 19:16. The manifestation during the wedding banquet may be less dramatic, but is no less extraordinary. Jesus’ mother is present, so is He, and His Disciples. Marriages in the Bible are a community celebration. Lots of people are invited, the whole of the locality has come to the celebrations. On such an occasion it would be completely terrible for them to run out of wine. Such an event would reflect badly on the hosts’ hospitality and would be talked about for years to come. Mary tells Our Lord that there is no wine left. And while Jesus’ reply may look like He’s upset, He doesn’t ignore His mother, or fail to comply with her request. Jesus’ Hour has not yet come, and it will not, until He dies upon the cross. It comes when Christ dies for our sins; when He makes a new Covenant in His Blood. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, who, as both priest and victim, reconciles humanity and divinity, and gives us the hope of Heaven.

Mary instructs the servants to simply: ‘Do whatever He tells you’. She stands as a model of Christian obedience. The key to the Christian life is to follow Mary’s example, and to do whatever Christ tells us; nothing more, nothing less, just that. Our life of faith is rooted in obedience. We listen to God and we obey, for our own good, and the good of the Kingdom. We do so in order that we are not conformed to the world and its ways, but rather to the will of God. Through humble obedience we can truly enter into the joy of the Lord; fed by Him, who died for love of us, in obedience to the Father’s will.

At the wedding banquet were six stone water jars, for purification, holding twenty or thirty gallons each — about the size of a modern wheelie bin. In total they held one hundred and eighty gallons of liquid, over six hundred litres. It is a lot of wine to drink, and that’s the point. This is a sign of the super-abundance of the Kingdom of God. 

The wedding party sounds very extravagant to us, but it points to something greater than itself. It is a foreshadowing of the joy of the Kingdom. It is a taste of the lavish excess that our God, whose love and generosity are beyond our understanding, wishes to bestow on us, as a sign of His deep love for us.

The world today struggles somewhat with extravagance, and rightly so. When we see the super-rich riding around in gold-plated supercars we are right to be concerned. In the Gospel we witness something unexpected. The head steward has a point: you serve the best wine first, while people are sober and can appreciate it. The Kingdom of God, however, turns human values on their head — the joyous new wine of the Kingdom is finer than any human wine. It is lavished upon undeserving humanity, so that it might transform us, so that we might come to share both in the glory of God, and in His very nature. Christ therefore becomes the true master of the feast. He will feed humanity from the abundance of the Heavenly Wedding Feast [Revelation 19:6-9], just as He will feed us here, today.

Therefore, as we start this new year, we see a three-fold dawning of the Glory of God in Christ Jesus. First in Our Lord’s manifestation to the Gentiles; the proclamation of the Messiah to the whole world. Secondly in His Baptism, which shows us the way to the Father, a sign of love and obedience. Thirdly in the Wedding Feast at Cana, a sure sign of the superabundance of God’s love. This is manifest to us here today in the Eucharist, where we drink the wine of the Kingdom. Imbibing the Blood of Christ transforms us by the power and the grace of God, so that we may share His Divine life, and encourage others to enter into the joy of the Lord. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world [Jn 1:36]. He holds nothing back for love of us. His love knows no end

The Wedding at Cana points to the events at Calvary. This is when Jesus’ hour comes; when He sheds his blood for us.  The Cross removes all our shame, all the disobedience of humanity, so that we can forever enjoy the banquet of God’s love prepared for us in Heaven. This is demonstrated and foreshadowed here and now under the outward forms of Bread and Wine. Therefore let us joyfully feast on the Body and Blood of Christ, so that we may be transformed more and more into His likeness.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us commit ourselves to follow the advice of Our Lady. Let us do what Jesus tells us, and, in doing so, allow Him to transform us. With joy, let us celebrate His Kingdom, giving glory to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Duw Dad, Duw y Mab a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. To whom be ascribed all might, majesty, glory, dominion and power, now, and forever. Amen

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The Third Sunday after Epiphany (Year B)

Organising a wedding is not an easy task. They can be complex and expensive undertakings, even when they are relatively modest affairs, with only family and a few friends. In some cultures, however, weddings can be more like celebrations for an entire community. Indeed, even today in the Middle East and Asia when a couple marry the celebrations can involve large numbers of guests, and last for several days. Clearly, the logistics of such festivities are complicated, and the financial outlay considerable. It is good to take a moment to consider how much the events in Cana, described in today’s Gospel reading, differ from most of the weddings that we have attended.

That Our Lord, His Mother, and His disciples are invited to the wedding should not be a surprise. This is a community celebration, with everyone present. The idea of running out of wine is not simply a failure of logistics and hospitality, but could represent a situation that would bring shame and disgrace on the hosts. It is a crisis which could stigmatise the family for years to come, with the couple thinking that their union had been cursed with bad luck. Suffice it to say, it would be a complete disaster for all concerned. Mary, wanting to prevent this, lets Jesus know that there is a serious problem. The situation is critical, and something needs to be done quickly. Our Lord, however, seems a little dismissive:

“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

‘Beth sydd i mi a wnelwyf â thi, wraig? ni ddaeth fy awr i eto.’ (Jn 2:4)

Jesus is looking ahead to when His hour will come, anticipating His Passion and Death on the Cross. That is also the next time that Mary will feature in John’s Gospel, when she stands with John at the foot of the Cross. The Wedding at Cana and the Crucifixion are two events that are clearly linked, both by what Our Lord says, and by who is present. What is about to happen at a Galilean wedding is a significant moment, which is underlined by Mary’s instruction to the servants:

‘His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”’

‘Ei fam ef a ddywedodd wrth y gwasanaethwyr, Beth bynnag a ddywedo efe wrthych, gwnewch’ (Jn 2:5)

Once again Mary demonstrates perfect obedience, and she encourages the servants to do the same. When we listen to what Jesus says and act on it we are following their example. Living the Christian life is essentially trying to do this. We listen to Jesus and do as He tells us. 

At the feast are six stone jars each holding thirty gallons which adds up to over eight hundred litres of water. This is a huge quantity of liquid, even for a large wedding. The servants fill the jars to the brim, making them fuller than they would usually be. This speaks of the abundance and generosity of God’s love. It defies our expectations, just as water being turned into wine defies expectation. The extravagant Wedding party points to something greater than itself. It is a foreshadowing of the joy of the Kingdom. The celebration at Cana is a taste of the lavish excess that our God wishes to bestow on us. His generosity, which is beyond our understanding, is a sign of His deep love for us.

The master of the feast does not seem to be bothered by the quantity of wine, but rather its quality. Moments ago the refreshments were running out, now they are plentiful. He addresses the bridegroom saying:

“Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

‘Pob dyn a esyd y gwin da yn gyntaf; ac wedi iddynt yfed yn dda, yna un a fo gwaeth: tithau a gedwaist y gwin da hyd yr awr hon.’ (Jn 2:10)

The steward has a point. It makes sense to serve the best wine first, and then serve inferior wine when people’s palettes are dulled. But this wedding feast represents a dramatic reversal of usual practice. It illustrates how God’s generosity stretches far beyond what we can expect or understand as humans. The Kingdom of God turns our values on their head, and its joyous new wine is finer than any earthly fruit of the vine. This is lavished upon humanity, so that it might transform us, so that we might come to share in the glory of God, and in His very nature. Our Lord therefore becomes the true master of the feast, just as He will feed humanity from the abundance of the Heavenly Banquet. The Wedding at Cana points to both Heaven, and to the Eucharist, where Christ nourishes us with the new wine of the Kingdom: His Blood, poured out to save and restore us. God loves us this much. How should we respond?

As Christians we are constantly called to live lives of joy and love in Christ. Through Him, rejoicing in our new life in baptism, and filled with the sober intoxication of the Spirit, we are nourished by Word and Sacrament. In this way we are restored to communion with God, and with each other, to live the life of the Kingdom, here and now. At the Wedding in Cana Jesus gives the world a sign, which shows both who and what He is, and which also points to heavenly and eternal realities. God manifests His glory, showing us who He really is: the personification of love and generosity.

This passage ends by explaining that, in response to this sign, Christs’s disciples  totally believe in Him. They put their trust in Him, as the one who fulfils prophecy, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Let us also put our trust in the God who loves us, and who feeds us with Himself, so that we might have life in and through Him. Let us share His joy both here on earth and in Heaven. And let us give praise to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.

The Marriage at Cana (A. Mironov)