John 2:1-11
There was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus’ mother told him, “They’re just about out of wine.”
Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn’t my time. Don’t push me.”
She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”
Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, “Fill the pots with water.” And they filled them to the brim.
“Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host,” Jesus said, and they did.
When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn’t know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you’ve saved the best till now!”
This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
While we are in Cycle “C” and the bulk of our gospel readings this year will indeed be coming from Luke’s gospel, today’s story is only found in the gospel according to John. It is generally considered to tell the first of Jesus’ miracles following closely upon Jesus’ meeting with John the Baptist at the Jordan River and so is one of the standard readings for Epiphany season.
The day after the baptism, John pointed Jesus out to his own disciples and announced that this was the one they should follow. One of those who left John to follow after Jesus was Andrew, who, after listening to Jesus for a while ran home to get his brother Simon (later Peter). The two went along with Jesus, listening and believing that this was indeed the One. The next day they added Philip and Nathanael to their number.
Jesus and the four disciples were headed into Galilee and decided to stop to attend a wedding (presumably of someone they all knew). Jesus’ mother, Mary, was also at the celebration – and that is where things got really interesting.
I’m sure we all know this story. There had been some really poor planning on someone’s part and the hosts began to run out of wine way too early in the evening. Even if we’ve never experienced it ourselves we can all imaging the huge embarrassment of inviting a group of folks to a party and running out of an essential part of the eats and drinks.
This where Mary comes in. We’re so used to Mary always being portrayed in works of art as a silent, passive, angelic little person who always looks perfectly turned out, without a hair out of place, even bare minutes after giving birth, that it comes as a shock to us when she actually speaks.
And when she does speak it most certainly isn’t passive and mild. She points at Jesus and comes out with the first century equivalent of “Yo, fix this!”
When Jesus replies to her with, “Is this any of my business? Don’t push me!” her response to him is basically. “Pfft!” as she proceeds to ignore his protests and tell the servants to do whatever Jesus instructs them to do.
The Bible is not a book known for it’s big laughs, but the language of this particular conversation sounds so funny to our twenty-first century ears that it’s hard not to laugh. Especially when we imagine a little-bitty Jewish lady and her thirty year-old son.
But in truth, once we get past the initial giggles this is a very serious story. “What’s any of this got to do with me?” Jesus asks. “It’s not my party!” Mary is the teacher here as she reminds him, in no uncertain terms, through her orders to the servants (and, we suspect, a certain ‘mom’ look) that yes, indeed, this is our business. We live in a community, her look implies, these are our neighbors and they need some help, so...help!
I’ve spoken many times here about the Hebrew adherence to the principle of hospitality – offering food and drink – and whatever else they might need – to friends and even enemies, because “we were once the strangers in a strange land,” the ones who needed help ourselves. In many of the rough times through which the Jewish people had gone, it was literally the hospitality of strangers that sometimes meant the difference between life and death.
Helping those who need our help was then, and still should be for us all, now, one of our most important spiritual laws.
In our poor battered country today I hear with sickening regularity, “It’s not my responsibility. I take care of my own, it’s not my job to feed some stranger who I don’t think even belongs here,” or “What’s it to me? I work for my money. If they need something let them get a job,” even when there is no job to get.
People who say such things are often willfully ignorant of just how often they themselves have been helped or lifted up by the hands of others. They don't know and they don’t want to know. They prefer the ignorance that allows them to turn their backs and walk away.
I’m pretty sure God does not see it that way. I know God does not see it that way.
According to this story, even Jesus, still brand new to this whole “this is my beloved Son” stuff, wanted a little more time to think about it all. He really needed a good, solid nudge from his mother before he could act – before he could recognize that, “oh yeah, this is who I am now.”
This is who we all are now, because in his three years of traveling around, teaching and healing – helping – Jesus told us repeatedly that this is our job too. Regardless of convenience, regardless of human-made laws.
There is, right now in Arizona, a trial taking place of four volunteers with an organization called No More Deaths. These people go out into the deserts where migrants attempt to cross the border and leave water and food for them. This in an area where at least 32 people have died in recent years. 32 desperate people who died when they ran out of water. These four people attempted to stop those deaths and are now on trial. They face jail time and $5000 fines. For giving water to people dying of thirst. [Since I originally wrote this, the four have been found guilty. They are currently awaiting sentencing.]
Yes, they broke a human law. They drove a jeep into a protected territory – that’s what they’re charged with – but that was the only way they could get water and food in there, so they did it. There are at least five others who are awaiting trial for the same “crime.”
Human law or God’s law? It should not come to an either/or choice. But in today’s “what business is it of mine?” world there is increasing conflict between God’s law and human law.
At Cana, water was transformed into wine – not just wine, but fine wine.
Lost and confused and mixed-up as we humans often are, may we too be transformed -- transformed into something fine and wholesome – something life-giving – something caring - something to quench the thirst of all who long for the water of life. Something that draws us back to God’s law of love and plenty.
Is this any of our business – yours and mine? Oh yes, this is exactly our business. If we see a person in need and have the ability to help in some way – whether with food or safety or respect – that is our business. That is the reason we are here sharing the earth with each other.
Let us then be about our business.
The day after the baptism, John pointed Jesus out to his own disciples and announced that this was the one they should follow. One of those who left John to follow after Jesus was Andrew, who, after listening to Jesus for a while ran home to get his brother Simon (later Peter). The two went along with Jesus, listening and believing that this was indeed the One. The next day they added Philip and Nathanael to their number.
Jesus and the four disciples were headed into Galilee and decided to stop to attend a wedding (presumably of someone they all knew). Jesus’ mother, Mary, was also at the celebration – and that is where things got really interesting.
I’m sure we all know this story. There had been some really poor planning on someone’s part and the hosts began to run out of wine way too early in the evening. Even if we’ve never experienced it ourselves we can all imaging the huge embarrassment of inviting a group of folks to a party and running out of an essential part of the eats and drinks.
This where Mary comes in. We’re so used to Mary always being portrayed in works of art as a silent, passive, angelic little person who always looks perfectly turned out, without a hair out of place, even bare minutes after giving birth, that it comes as a shock to us when she actually speaks.
And when she does speak it most certainly isn’t passive and mild. She points at Jesus and comes out with the first century equivalent of “Yo, fix this!”
When Jesus replies to her with, “Is this any of my business? Don’t push me!” her response to him is basically. “Pfft!” as she proceeds to ignore his protests and tell the servants to do whatever Jesus instructs them to do.
The Bible is not a book known for it’s big laughs, but the language of this particular conversation sounds so funny to our twenty-first century ears that it’s hard not to laugh. Especially when we imagine a little-bitty Jewish lady and her thirty year-old son.
But in truth, once we get past the initial giggles this is a very serious story. “What’s any of this got to do with me?” Jesus asks. “It’s not my party!” Mary is the teacher here as she reminds him, in no uncertain terms, through her orders to the servants (and, we suspect, a certain ‘mom’ look) that yes, indeed, this is our business. We live in a community, her look implies, these are our neighbors and they need some help, so...help!
I’ve spoken many times here about the Hebrew adherence to the principle of hospitality – offering food and drink – and whatever else they might need – to friends and even enemies, because “we were once the strangers in a strange land,” the ones who needed help ourselves. In many of the rough times through which the Jewish people had gone, it was literally the hospitality of strangers that sometimes meant the difference between life and death.
Helping those who need our help was then, and still should be for us all, now, one of our most important spiritual laws.
In our poor battered country today I hear with sickening regularity, “It’s not my responsibility. I take care of my own, it’s not my job to feed some stranger who I don’t think even belongs here,” or “What’s it to me? I work for my money. If they need something let them get a job,” even when there is no job to get.
People who say such things are often willfully ignorant of just how often they themselves have been helped or lifted up by the hands of others. They don't know and they don’t want to know. They prefer the ignorance that allows them to turn their backs and walk away.
I’m pretty sure God does not see it that way. I know God does not see it that way.
According to this story, even Jesus, still brand new to this whole “this is my beloved Son” stuff, wanted a little more time to think about it all. He really needed a good, solid nudge from his mother before he could act – before he could recognize that, “oh yeah, this is who I am now.”
This is who we all are now, because in his three years of traveling around, teaching and healing – helping – Jesus told us repeatedly that this is our job too. Regardless of convenience, regardless of human-made laws.
There is, right now in Arizona, a trial taking place of four volunteers with an organization called No More Deaths. These people go out into the deserts where migrants attempt to cross the border and leave water and food for them. This in an area where at least 32 people have died in recent years. 32 desperate people who died when they ran out of water. These four people attempted to stop those deaths and are now on trial. They face jail time and $5000 fines. For giving water to people dying of thirst. [Since I originally wrote this, the four have been found guilty. They are currently awaiting sentencing.]
Yes, they broke a human law. They drove a jeep into a protected territory – that’s what they’re charged with – but that was the only way they could get water and food in there, so they did it. There are at least five others who are awaiting trial for the same “crime.”
Human law or God’s law? It should not come to an either/or choice. But in today’s “what business is it of mine?” world there is increasing conflict between God’s law and human law.
At Cana, water was transformed into wine – not just wine, but fine wine.
Lost and confused and mixed-up as we humans often are, may we too be transformed -- transformed into something fine and wholesome – something life-giving – something caring - something to quench the thirst of all who long for the water of life. Something that draws us back to God’s law of love and plenty.
Is this any of our business – yours and mine? Oh yes, this is exactly our business. If we see a person in need and have the ability to help in some way – whether with food or safety or respect – that is our business. That is the reason we are here sharing the earth with each other.
Let us then be about our business.
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