John 2. 1-11
I was a bit surprised to find that I preached on this only once, nine years ago. Perhaps it’s not so remarkable when we think about what was happening three and six years ago! That was at Newington and Seabrook, so you may think that I could offer the same sermon.
Don’t worry: I’m not doing that, and there are two reasons. The first is that at that time I did not have the advantage of the wonderful commentary by David Ford (published 2021). It’s not just a commentary: it includes text, and poetry etc. I am looking forward to having the time to read it through, rather than just as source for sermons.
The second reason, partly influenced by Ford and others, is that I have changed as a preacher, I hope for the better. Nine years ago I tried to cram in too much, trying to explain everything in this wonderfully rich story. As result people probably didn’t remember anything.
This time, I want to focus on two aspects only. Don’t know how many of you may have visited the Louvre, in Paris. There you could see a life-size painting of this story by Paolo Veronese (looted by Napoleon?) There is a huge number of characters: one of the musicians is a self-portrait. But it is clear that Jesus is central to this occasion. He is right in the middle, defying most artistic conventions. (I have a miniature version which people can look at if you wish afterwards: I’m not going to pass it round like some primary school “visual aid”. If someone falls in love with it as I did, I may never see it again!). Everything that happens is centred on Jesus. He’s there with his friends and his mother at this wedding feast. They could last at least 7 days. The wine runs out, his mother asks him to help. But he knows that his time “has not yet come” He is not saying that he doesn’t feel ready to start his ministry: he knows already that “his time” will come at the Cross, the only other time when he and mother are together. He wants freedom to do things his own way, wants people to trust him.
We hear that at the start: his mother ignores the apparent rebuff, and tells the servants to obey him. He doesn’t do anything: he just tells the servants to fill water jars (huge, used for ritual washing). We don’t how the miracle happened, we must just accept it. As Ford comments, our usual concept of the ordinary (water) needs to be enlarged to take account of the reality of God’s creativity, freedom and generosity as symbolised by wine.
The second point I want to look at comes right at the end of the story. Almost as an afterthought, we are told that Jesus revealed his glory, and the disciples believed in him. This seems a bit surprising: don’t they already trust him? They are there with Jesus and have been invited. But if we look back to chapter 1 and the formation of the “Jesus team” we may be able to understand much better. John the Baptist has recognised and endorsed Jesus as “Lamb of God”: two disciples, Andrew and Another, decide to join Jesus on his advice. Andrew (the first missionary?) tells his brother, Simon Peter. Later Philip is called by Jesus, and speaks to Nathaniel. He is rather sceptical (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”), and needs a lot of convincing. It’s only after this revelation of Jesus’s glory through the miracle that they are all convinced completely.
That’s quite a contrast with Mark’s gospel, which we are mainly using this year. There, the disciples usually misunderstand: at the last they abandon Jesus in the Garden, and are not seen at the Cross, not do they see the resurrection. I have said before that Mark forces us to confront our discipleship. This story early in J’s ministry in Jn raises another question. What does it take for us to believe in Jesus unconditionally? It’s not so hard to believe in parts of Jesus, his teaching, his healing ministry. For many that’s as far as they can trust themselves to go. But understanding Jesus as revealed especially in John, what Jean Vanier called “the mystery of Jesus” is much harder, much more demanding. I ask again: what made any of us decide to place our confidence in Jesus as our own Lord and Saviour? What would convince those who are undecided? Would it take a miracle? AMEN.