Glory at Cana

January20, 2013
Second Sunday after the Epiphany

John 2:1-11
2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.


Goal: That we, too, see His glory and believe in him.
Malady: We are content with the inferior wine, or are drunk so we cannot taste the good wine. = sin and unbelief.
Means: Jesus reveals himself to us.

Jesus performs many miracles in the Bible: Turning water into wine, walking on the sea, feeding the 5000, healing the sick, raising the dead, dying and rising on the third day. The purpose of the miracles, as John tells us at the end of today’s Gospel reading, is to reveal his glory so that we might believe in him.

A miracle is not a magic trick. In magic there is always a trick to deceive people. There is a potion or mirrors or slight of hands or something. Sometimes the purpose of magic is to hurt someone, like in voodoo. Or magic becomes a show, a theater act to entertain people and to make money for the magician. Jesus never uses magic. He never uses a trick to deceive people. He uses the power of God. That is the power that created the heavens and the earth and still preserves us. The miracles of Jesus show God’s love.

In the Bible we see the Glory of Jesus in these miraculous signs.

At the Wedding in Cana, Jesus performs his first miracle, he changes water into wine. And like all of his miracles, when Jesus does something, he does it well. The lame walk. The blind see. 5000 are fed and there are 12 baskets of leftover bread. And the wine at the marriage feast is excellent. As the steward said to the bridegroom says, 2:10 “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This is the glory of excellence.

Like all of his miracles, Jesus does not perform this miracle for himself, but rather for the good of others. In the desert when he was fasting for 40 days and then was tempted and challenged by the devil to do a miracle by changing stones into bread, Jesus refused to do that for himself. When he could have come down from the cross and ended his suffering, he refused to do that for himself. Jesus had love and compassion for people. He healed the sick. He fed 5000 hungry people by the lake. He showed the love of God by helping and healing people. At Cana, he helped people celebrate their marriage. This was an expression of compassion and love. This is the glory of God’s love.

All the miracles of Jesus show that he has the power of God. He is a good teacher. He is a mighty prophet. And then people saw that he had the power to turn his teaching into practice. This is when they realized that Jesus was the Christ, the Savior. This is the glory of faith.

But not everyone who saw the miracles believed in Jesus. The bridegroom and the chief steward tasted the excellent wine, but they did not see the glory of Jesus. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law saw the signs of Jesus, but did not believe in him. They did not see his glory. Why not? Were they drunk on the inferior wine? Were they satisfied with the water of the old purification rites?

Why don’t people see the glory of Jesus and believe in him? Why don’t miracles automatically create faith? Miracles and signs do attract attention. Christians of all ages have been fascinated by the miracles of the Saints, the healings of Evangelists, and the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. But what is the miracle that keeps people in the church? I think it is the miracle of love. People see the miracle of God’s love and the miracle of the love of Christians. And when we see the love of Christ when he was on the cross, we see that the cross was not shame and defeat for Christ. We see that the cross was the glory of Christ. Then we believe in Him.

Jesus does not do miracles for himself, but for others. He does not show-off his glory for hisown pleasure or profit, but in order that people might be saved through faith. Jesus did not change water into wine just to show off. He did not do it to show off or to make a show of his glory. When his mother told him the wine had run out, he said to her, 4　“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” The hour of glory for Jesus will be when he is on the cross. This is when he will be revealed as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” Jesus, the Messiah of the World. And so we see that the cross was the glory of Jesus. Then like the disciples we believe in Him.

In the Bible, salvation is often pictured as a wedding feast. People come together. Families and friends are united. Vows are exchanged. The wedding comes after a time of promise and waiting and planning. It is a time of fulfillment, and a time of hope for the future. Marriage gives strength and stability and security. It is freedom that is found when bound to someone else. It is a time of love and joy. Therefore it is often a picture of heaven and of our relationship with Christ. This is our life with Jesus. Our happiness is not because Jesus made a lot of wine, or because of healing or becoming rich or having a good feeling. Our happiness is because Jesus has revealed the glory of salvation and we have believed in him.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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