The Wedding at Cana

By mmayer
John 2:1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’

‘Woman,[a] why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’

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

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from eighty to a hundred and twenty litres.

Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

This is a very simple account: Jesus attends a local wedding, the wine runs out during the week long celebrations, his mum tells him to help, so 600 l of water becomes superb wine, and only the servants and a few others initially know what has happened. Simple account, but so deep with meaning.

The servants have to bring in all the water. At 9 litres a bucket, that is 67 trips from the local watering point.  If that was a low pressure tap, or bucketed up from a deep well, that’s a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of hard work.  How often are we caught up in drudge work that seems pointless? Not everything is quick, fun, and you know exactly how it will all work out. They did their job, they trusted that it had a purpose, they persisted until every stone jar was filled to the brim, and the results were unexpected, and amazing.

Jesus was there at an ordinary celebration at an ordinary village, with ordinary people. The same Jesus is present in our ordinary lives, to transform and bless what we do. That promise of abundance is there for each one of us. When we are running on empty, Jesus is there to do the unexpected and undeserved. He touches us with grace and mercy, and catches us up into his plenty. Trust and keep stepping out!

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