The wedding hour
Commentary
The wedding liturgy in my denomination begins with a paragraph that includes this line: "Our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding of Cana in Galilee" (Book of Common Prayer, 423). That reasoning has always seemed shaky -- Jesus endorsed the idea of marriage simply by attending one? He spent a lot more time on the Sea of Galilee; are we to conclude that boating is a sacred occupation, and fishing a sacrament?
The Bible actually tends to move in the other direction. It argues from the lesser to the greater; that is, from human relationships, such as marriage, to our relationship with God. The most intimate of human relations is held up as a faint metaphor for the more basic relation between the human being and God. Thus wedding imagery is used throughout the Bible to describe the connection between God and God's people, and "adultery" is used as a stand-in for idolatry. The wedding service gets it right in the next line, when it says that marriage "signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his church." Jesus' presence at the wedding in Cana doesn't tell us much about his view of marriage (he had plenty to say on that subject elsewhere); it does hint at many important ideas about our relationship to God.
Isaiah 62:1-5
The prophetic prayer that opens Isaiah 62 picks up its wedding imagery from chapter 61: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (61:10). Continuity with chapter 61 is one reason that most modern scholars think that the first-person narrator of chapter 62 ("I") refers to the prophet, rather than God. The prophetic oracle is cast as a prayer, continuing the speech of the servant figure who said, "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners" (61:1). This prophet is commonly designated "Third Isaiah," and is said to be working in Palestine after the Babylonian exile, though there is an ongoing debate as to whether this is a different prophet(s) from "Second Isaiah," or merely a change in location.
The prophet's prayer focuses attention on the fulfillment of God's promise to Jerusalem (62:1; note the parallelism, which is characteristic of this poetic prayer throughout). The prophet picks up the imagery of "light" in 60:1-3; the glorification of Zion is a major theme in Third Isaiah (cf. 58:12; 59:20). The image is vivid, referring to the rising of the dawn in the morning and a burning torch in the night, evoking the Shekinah glory that accompanied Israel in the wilderness during the Exodus; the prophet speaks of such "glory" in the next verse (v. 2). Visual "vindication" is necessary to prove God's glory, and is signified by the word zedek, which usually is translated "righteousness," considered an attribute of God. The idea is that God's right and proper treatment of the people of Israel has been visibly proven. Jerusalem's "salvation" is at hand, and the prophet cannot keep from shouting it from the rooftops!
Zion will be given a new name in this act of vindication (v. 2). The new name denotes a change in status and identity, not to mention a change of mission. In fact, the prophet will give the city more than one new name (v. 4). The new names are Hephzibah, "My Delight is in Her," and Beulah, "Married," in place of "Forsaken" and "Desolate." Most scholars see the renaming in verse 2 in light of verse 4, and include it as part of the wedding imagery that is so prominent in this passage, with Zion envisioned as the bride.
The wedding imagery continues in verse 3. The reference to the "royal diadem" leads scholars to think that the allusion is not to just any wedding, but a royal wedding. The "crown of beauty" is a particularly apt image, since the walls of the city topped the hill like a crown. Again, the prophet moves from the familiar imagery of the wedding to make a theological point: The city will no longer look like an abandoned bride, neglected and shabby, but will take on a new identity in marriage, that of a people loved by God. The relationship between God and Israel is so intimate that only the most intimate of human relationships could serve as an analogy: "For the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married" (v. 4).
Thus the prayer concludes with a poetic repetition that forms a chiastic parallel with verse 4: "For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (v. 5). (Note that some scholars see the prayer as continuing through verse 7, though the emphasis changes slightly in verse 6.) The NRSV follows a reconstruction of the Hebrew text in reading "your builder," which may reflect the translators' speculation that this passage dates from the time of the reconstruction of Jerusalem; many scholars see this change as an unwarranted intrusion. Those who read the original, "your sons," believe that the sons represent the returning people, coming back to establish a close relationship with the city, their mother (cf. 54:13). It is hard to say which reading makes less sense.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Paul also deals with the most intimate of human relations in discussing theology; in his case, the community gathered by Jesus is the place of God's revelation. 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the longest sustained argument in the letter, a section that addresses a hot issue in Corinth: the gifts of the Spirit. At the center of Paul's advice to the community stands chapter 13: All gifts are subordinate and subject to love. Chapter 14 will lay out his directions on the specific issues of prophecy and tongues-speaking; chapter 12 presents a foundation for what is to come.
Most scholars think that Paul is responding to issues raised in a letter from the Corinthians; he seems to be dealing with a checklist of items, one after another. He introduces the issue with characteristic understatement: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed" (1 Corinthians 12:1). The NRSV makes an interpretive decision when it translates pneumatikon as "spiritual gifts," since the word that Paul uses for "gifts" (charismata) will not appear until verse 4. Some would translate pneumatikon as "spiritual persons" in light of 2:13-16, which uses the same word to describe "the spiritual person." On this view, the Corinthian letter may have been about certain people in the community making elitist claims to spirituality, rather than spiritual gifts per se. But in light of the section's focus on gifts rather than persons, the NRSV translation is probably correct (Paul had no problem addressing personalities when needed; cf. 2 Corinthians 10-13). At any rate, Paul's desire to "not leave them uninformed" would be ironic, since at least some Corinthians seem to have considered themselves experts on the topic.
Paul begins his teaching session by taking them back to their beginnings. They were once "pagans" (or "Gentiles," i.e., nonbelievers) who could not help themselves in the face of idolatry (v. 2). Paul draws on traditional Jewish polemic when he says that such idols "could not speak"; in sharp contrast, the Spirit of the true God will have much to say to the churches, by means of the spiritual gifts. In Paul's view, demons actually stood behind those idols, so there was more danger from a mute idol than one might think (cf. 8:4-6; 10:6-14).
The Corinthians were delivered from the demonic idols by the Spirit, who introduced them to the earliest Christian confession, "Jesus is Lord" (v. 3; cf. 8:6; Romans 10:9; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11). Paul has already made clear that the Spirit is the foundation of Christian life (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:16-17; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 3:1-2). His assumption is that the Spirit is at work among them through their speech. The question is not whether the community engages in spiritual speech, but the content of that speech. All words from the Spirit must conform to the original confession and claim the lordship of Jesus. The reference to one who says, "Let Jesus be cursed!" may be a wink at Paul's former life as an oppressor of the church (cf. Galatians 1:3; 2:17; 3:13; Acts 9:1-2); it is probably a rhetorical antithesis to the traditional confession, not a quote of any group in the Corinthian community.
In a tightly woven rhetorical unit, Paul lays out the true source of Christian ministry (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). "Varieties" stands in the emphatic first position in each Greek clause; it can also be translated "distributions" or "allocations." The idea is that the Spirit is the source of diverse gifts. Here at last Paul employs the term charismata, "gifts," which is derived from the word commonly translated "grace." As grace is God's free gift of unmerited favor toward human beings, so these "gifts" come as unmerited free benefits, signs of grace. The gifts are described further as "services" and "activities"; that is, they are part of the work given to the church, not personal perks. They cannot be a matter of boasting, since they come from God, and are meant to be used as a part of God's mission. Paul uses a proto-Trinitarian formula to make it clear that these gifts are in the service of God's work in this world, accomplished through Christ and the Spirit.
Paul sets forth the basic purpose for this variety of spiritual allotment: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (v. 7). The "common good," that which is "helpful," is a recurring theme in the letter (cf. 6:12; 7:35; 10:23, 33). The various gifts are given for the benefit of the community, not just the individual. All members of the community receive the gifts, not just the leaders or an elite group. All the gifts come from the same Spirit.
In a series of parallel clauses, Paul articulates a number of specific gifts (cf. similar lists in 12:28-30; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Speech gifts head the list: "the utterance (literally, 'word') of wisdom" and the "utterance of knowledge" (v. 8). "Wisdom" is a theme in the letter (cf. 1:18-25; 2:6-16), as is "knowledge" (1:5; 8:1-13; 13:2, 8). It is not clear what distinguishes a "word of wisdom" from a "word of knowledge"; some people see the former as more practical, the latter, more speculative, though the variation may be purely stylistic. Similarly, it is not clear whether "faith" is to be taken as some special ability, or garden-variety Christian commitment, considered as a gift from God (v. 9; cf. Ephesians 2:8). "Healing" and "miracles" (literally, "works of powers") are well-attested gifts of the Spirit in early Christian tradition (vv. 9-10; cf. 12:28; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 3:5; Acts 14:8-10). "Prophecy" will be the topic of chapter 14, along with "the discernment of spirits," the ability to distinguish between true and false prophecy (v. 10; cf. 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; Acts 16:16-28). "Tongues" here refers to unintelligible spiritual utterances (as opposed to "prophecy"), which stand in need of another gift, "the interpretation of tongues" (cf. 14:5, 13, 26-28). Though prophecy and tongues, which will be the main focus of chapter 14, stand last in this list, Paul makes it clear that all the gifts "are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses" (v. 11). The gifts are sheer grace from God, at the Spirit's sole pleasure.
John 2:1-11
The first of the "signs" in the Gospel of John may strike some as a frivolous miracle, one step above apocryphal accounts of him tossing out bedbugs. But John gives more than one hint that this story is not to be read as just another miracle. It is actually the first look at Jesus' "hour," which will be a peculiar manifestation of God's "glory," a "sign" that leads to "faith."
In John's Gospel, the wedding at Cana is the first event of Jesus' public ministry. "On the third day" (2:1) connects the story back to the gathering of disciples in chapter 1. The Cana miracle takes place primarily for the benefit of these disciples. John tells us that the end result is that they see his "glory" and thus believe in him; they see fulfilled the promise of 1:51, "heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Certainly for the disciples, this sign has deep significance.
The reference to the "third day" also points forward to the end of the story, giving the reader a further hint that there is more here than meets the eye. The story is ripe with symbolic elements. Wine was a Jewish eschatological symbol; it was a joyful sign of God's arrival at the last day (cf. Amos 9:13-14; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 14:7; Joel 3:18; 1 Enoch 10:19; 2 Baruch 29:5). It will, of course, take on Christian symbolism in the Eucharist. The wedding feast itself has eschatological overtones (cf. Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Mark 2:19, 22), as well as the traditional symbolic connection between God and Israel (as in today's lesson from Isaiah). Even the six stone jars offer symbolic possibilities; they stand for the old Jewish rites of purification, but are to hold something new and wondrous. While one may speculate about their number, clearly their size is outrageous. Filled to the brim, they presented a visible spectacle of the superabundance of God's grace. Something new, astonishing, and grand is happening here.
Even the invitation of Jesus and his disciples serves a larger, theological purpose. No reason is given for Jesus' presence at the wedding; apocryphal traditions hold that Mary was the aunt of the bridegroom, who was John the son of Zebedee. Nor do we know why Mary was so confident about Jesus' intervention. His words to her, "What concern is that to you and to me?" (v. 4; literally, "what is with me and you?") sound harsher in English than in Greek, though he does put some distance between him and his mother by addressing her as "Woman." The exchange allows Jesus to speak of what will become a crucial concept in the Gospel of John, Jesus' "hour" (v. 4). As the story goes on, it becomes clear that his "hour" is the hour of his death, resurrection, and ascension, understood as one event (cf. 4:21; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). This hour is willed by God and results in the glorification of both Father and Son. It is beyond human control, so the most intimate of human relations, even that between a mother and her son, cannot take precedence over it. John points the reader beyond the literal level to the broader story, in which God, acting freely beyond all human imagining, reveals the divine nature through Jesus. As such, the story uncovers Jesus' coming glory, to the extent that the disciples believe in him (v. 11).
The episode concludes with a bit that foreshadows the story to come: the reaction of the "chief steward" (perhaps a servant acting as headwaiter, or a guest acting as master of ceremonies). The steward typifies those who think they know what is going on in the gospel, but do not really understand. The knowledge of the servants is underlined, in order to create the contrast (v. 9). The steward does not know where the wine has come from, just as throughout John's Gospel, people will not know where Jesus has come from (cf. John 8:40-44). The steward gives a conventional explanation of the wine (the good saved for last), just as unbelievers try to give a conventional explanation for Jesus (he comes from Nazareth, not heaven; cf. 6:42). But the steward says more than he knows, for the "good wine" is Jesus himself, who will give himself to bring in God's new joyful age. The disciples correctly see the wine as a sign of God's glory in their midst.
Application
The mundane simplicity of a wine miracle betrays its deeper significance, just as the miracle of bread and wine in our mouths on Sunday speaks of God's work through a human being, and the formation of a diverse community enables God's whole revelation to come to fruition, and the marriage of two people can stand in some small way for the miracle of God's concern for humanity. God moves from the lesser to the greater, but always to the greater; as much as we value our human relationships, God places even more value on a connection to us.
Clearly there is more to be seen here than what shows on the surface. Those who do not have eyes to see will look at Cana and see only a trivial magic trick, or perhaps the justification for a church wedding. But they can also look at the praying prophet and see only wedding jewels, without realizing that the jewel in God's crown is the people Israel itself. They can look at the Corinthians and see only bickering church members, fighting fiercely because there is so little at stake; they cannot see in that mass of human weakness the possibility of diverse spiritual gifts at work for one purpose.
The God with whom we have to deal relativizes all human relationships, while using them to show us how much we mean in heaven. Marriage hints at God's level of care, but only hints. The bond between mother and son suggests but does not exhaust. The importance of community is but a shadow of God's true gift to us. This God loves us so much, so intensely, that any human analogy will pale by definition.
With such a deity so persistently after us, how could we refuse to be wooed?
Alternate Applications
1) Isaiah 62:1-5; John 2:1-11. Epiphany is the season of "light" and "glory," themes that appear throughout these lessons. Third Isaiah described Jerusalem's vindication as the rising of the dawn, a burning torch that lights the way at night. Such glory is visible, for all the Gentiles will see it; it is the glory of God. The crown of beauty that is Zion can be seen on that hill from some distance. Similarly, the Gospel of John speaks of Jesus' wine miracle as a "sign" of his "glory" which led to new faith in his disciples. John's view of the glory of God is rooted in Jesus' "hour," the moment of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Just as God's glory became evident in the people's exile and return to Zion, Jesus shows God's glory in his death and subsequent vindication.
2) 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. One cannot stress too much the significance of the local community for Paul. Despite the ongoing problems he had with the Corinthians, he was convinced that the Spirit was at work among them. His assumption was that inspired speech was taking place there; the only question was how to interpret and evaluate it. Clearly, Paul regarded God's revelation as a work in progress, still taking place among the Corinthians. They would need every last member to get the whole message, because each was given a gift from the Spirit, and each contributed as the Spirit directed. Communal intimacy is intimacy with God, because only as a whole community can the whole of God's revelation reach full disclosure; to lack even one member, with that member's one gift, is to lack part of the Spirit's work. Thus human intimacy is a necessary part of God's revelation.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 36:5-10
If we wanted to give a name to this psalm, we might call it "A Song of Exuberant Praise." The psalmist is unrestrained in voicing his praise to God. And the list of things for which God is praised is impressively exhaustive. Within the scope of five short verses, God is praised for his steadfastness, faithfulness, righteousness, judgment, and salvation. These divine qualities affect not only human existence but also extend to the heavens, clouds, mountains, the great deep, and even animals.
The true significance for the psalmist, or course, is the way in which these qualities of divine character affect human life. The range of God's character creates a shelter, like the wings of a great bird, under which her young might hide and find protection or comfort. God's love and grace create a feast that nurtures human life and creates hope. God's goodness is the very source of life itself. And God's great power provides protection from anyone who would seek to disturb the faithful. Salvation is for God's people. They are the focus of all God's goodness.
It is not that other parts of creation are unimportant. We ought to know by now the inter-related nature of our existence with the natural order. We do not stand alone as living beings on this planet. Our life is part of a life system that we ignore or damage at our peril. But the psalmist draws ever-narrowing lines from the far reaches of creation to a focal point in human existence. The salvation God offers is offered to us.
Of course, there is good reason for this narrowed focus, both theologically and scientifically. God has given humankind a singular role to play in creation. It is human beings who bear the image of God. It is human beings who have been entrusted with the care and stewardship of the earth. This is what is meant by "dominion" (Genesis 1:26). God wants us to care for the earth, not dominate it.
Because of this unique calling and relationship to the created order -- at least the part of it we occupy -- it is necessary to first redeem the human mind and spirit so that the other beloved features of God's creation may also be cared for. God reveals in Jesus what human life is supposed to look like. Our commitment to this vision redeems us and restores our broken humanity. Once we are healed, then it becomes possible for us to work for the fulfillment of the psalmist's vision, that God can "save humans and animals alike" (v. 6).
The Bible actually tends to move in the other direction. It argues from the lesser to the greater; that is, from human relationships, such as marriage, to our relationship with God. The most intimate of human relations is held up as a faint metaphor for the more basic relation between the human being and God. Thus wedding imagery is used throughout the Bible to describe the connection between God and God's people, and "adultery" is used as a stand-in for idolatry. The wedding service gets it right in the next line, when it says that marriage "signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his church." Jesus' presence at the wedding in Cana doesn't tell us much about his view of marriage (he had plenty to say on that subject elsewhere); it does hint at many important ideas about our relationship to God.
Isaiah 62:1-5
The prophetic prayer that opens Isaiah 62 picks up its wedding imagery from chapter 61: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (61:10). Continuity with chapter 61 is one reason that most modern scholars think that the first-person narrator of chapter 62 ("I") refers to the prophet, rather than God. The prophetic oracle is cast as a prayer, continuing the speech of the servant figure who said, "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners" (61:1). This prophet is commonly designated "Third Isaiah," and is said to be working in Palestine after the Babylonian exile, though there is an ongoing debate as to whether this is a different prophet(s) from "Second Isaiah," or merely a change in location.
The prophet's prayer focuses attention on the fulfillment of God's promise to Jerusalem (62:1; note the parallelism, which is characteristic of this poetic prayer throughout). The prophet picks up the imagery of "light" in 60:1-3; the glorification of Zion is a major theme in Third Isaiah (cf. 58:12; 59:20). The image is vivid, referring to the rising of the dawn in the morning and a burning torch in the night, evoking the Shekinah glory that accompanied Israel in the wilderness during the Exodus; the prophet speaks of such "glory" in the next verse (v. 2). Visual "vindication" is necessary to prove God's glory, and is signified by the word zedek, which usually is translated "righteousness," considered an attribute of God. The idea is that God's right and proper treatment of the people of Israel has been visibly proven. Jerusalem's "salvation" is at hand, and the prophet cannot keep from shouting it from the rooftops!
Zion will be given a new name in this act of vindication (v. 2). The new name denotes a change in status and identity, not to mention a change of mission. In fact, the prophet will give the city more than one new name (v. 4). The new names are Hephzibah, "My Delight is in Her," and Beulah, "Married," in place of "Forsaken" and "Desolate." Most scholars see the renaming in verse 2 in light of verse 4, and include it as part of the wedding imagery that is so prominent in this passage, with Zion envisioned as the bride.
The wedding imagery continues in verse 3. The reference to the "royal diadem" leads scholars to think that the allusion is not to just any wedding, but a royal wedding. The "crown of beauty" is a particularly apt image, since the walls of the city topped the hill like a crown. Again, the prophet moves from the familiar imagery of the wedding to make a theological point: The city will no longer look like an abandoned bride, neglected and shabby, but will take on a new identity in marriage, that of a people loved by God. The relationship between God and Israel is so intimate that only the most intimate of human relationships could serve as an analogy: "For the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married" (v. 4).
Thus the prayer concludes with a poetic repetition that forms a chiastic parallel with verse 4: "For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you" (v. 5). (Note that some scholars see the prayer as continuing through verse 7, though the emphasis changes slightly in verse 6.) The NRSV follows a reconstruction of the Hebrew text in reading "your builder," which may reflect the translators' speculation that this passage dates from the time of the reconstruction of Jerusalem; many scholars see this change as an unwarranted intrusion. Those who read the original, "your sons," believe that the sons represent the returning people, coming back to establish a close relationship with the city, their mother (cf. 54:13). It is hard to say which reading makes less sense.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Paul also deals with the most intimate of human relations in discussing theology; in his case, the community gathered by Jesus is the place of God's revelation. 1 Corinthians 12-14 is the longest sustained argument in the letter, a section that addresses a hot issue in Corinth: the gifts of the Spirit. At the center of Paul's advice to the community stands chapter 13: All gifts are subordinate and subject to love. Chapter 14 will lay out his directions on the specific issues of prophecy and tongues-speaking; chapter 12 presents a foundation for what is to come.
Most scholars think that Paul is responding to issues raised in a letter from the Corinthians; he seems to be dealing with a checklist of items, one after another. He introduces the issue with characteristic understatement: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed" (1 Corinthians 12:1). The NRSV makes an interpretive decision when it translates pneumatikon as "spiritual gifts," since the word that Paul uses for "gifts" (charismata) will not appear until verse 4. Some would translate pneumatikon as "spiritual persons" in light of 2:13-16, which uses the same word to describe "the spiritual person." On this view, the Corinthian letter may have been about certain people in the community making elitist claims to spirituality, rather than spiritual gifts per se. But in light of the section's focus on gifts rather than persons, the NRSV translation is probably correct (Paul had no problem addressing personalities when needed; cf. 2 Corinthians 10-13). At any rate, Paul's desire to "not leave them uninformed" would be ironic, since at least some Corinthians seem to have considered themselves experts on the topic.
Paul begins his teaching session by taking them back to their beginnings. They were once "pagans" (or "Gentiles," i.e., nonbelievers) who could not help themselves in the face of idolatry (v. 2). Paul draws on traditional Jewish polemic when he says that such idols "could not speak"; in sharp contrast, the Spirit of the true God will have much to say to the churches, by means of the spiritual gifts. In Paul's view, demons actually stood behind those idols, so there was more danger from a mute idol than one might think (cf. 8:4-6; 10:6-14).
The Corinthians were delivered from the demonic idols by the Spirit, who introduced them to the earliest Christian confession, "Jesus is Lord" (v. 3; cf. 8:6; Romans 10:9; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11). Paul has already made clear that the Spirit is the foundation of Christian life (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:16-17; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 3:1-2). His assumption is that the Spirit is at work among them through their speech. The question is not whether the community engages in spiritual speech, but the content of that speech. All words from the Spirit must conform to the original confession and claim the lordship of Jesus. The reference to one who says, "Let Jesus be cursed!" may be a wink at Paul's former life as an oppressor of the church (cf. Galatians 1:3; 2:17; 3:13; Acts 9:1-2); it is probably a rhetorical antithesis to the traditional confession, not a quote of any group in the Corinthian community.
In a tightly woven rhetorical unit, Paul lays out the true source of Christian ministry (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). "Varieties" stands in the emphatic first position in each Greek clause; it can also be translated "distributions" or "allocations." The idea is that the Spirit is the source of diverse gifts. Here at last Paul employs the term charismata, "gifts," which is derived from the word commonly translated "grace." As grace is God's free gift of unmerited favor toward human beings, so these "gifts" come as unmerited free benefits, signs of grace. The gifts are described further as "services" and "activities"; that is, they are part of the work given to the church, not personal perks. They cannot be a matter of boasting, since they come from God, and are meant to be used as a part of God's mission. Paul uses a proto-Trinitarian formula to make it clear that these gifts are in the service of God's work in this world, accomplished through Christ and the Spirit.
Paul sets forth the basic purpose for this variety of spiritual allotment: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (v. 7). The "common good," that which is "helpful," is a recurring theme in the letter (cf. 6:12; 7:35; 10:23, 33). The various gifts are given for the benefit of the community, not just the individual. All members of the community receive the gifts, not just the leaders or an elite group. All the gifts come from the same Spirit.
In a series of parallel clauses, Paul articulates a number of specific gifts (cf. similar lists in 12:28-30; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10-11). Speech gifts head the list: "the utterance (literally, 'word') of wisdom" and the "utterance of knowledge" (v. 8). "Wisdom" is a theme in the letter (cf. 1:18-25; 2:6-16), as is "knowledge" (1:5; 8:1-13; 13:2, 8). It is not clear what distinguishes a "word of wisdom" from a "word of knowledge"; some people see the former as more practical, the latter, more speculative, though the variation may be purely stylistic. Similarly, it is not clear whether "faith" is to be taken as some special ability, or garden-variety Christian commitment, considered as a gift from God (v. 9; cf. Ephesians 2:8). "Healing" and "miracles" (literally, "works of powers") are well-attested gifts of the Spirit in early Christian tradition (vv. 9-10; cf. 12:28; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 3:5; Acts 14:8-10). "Prophecy" will be the topic of chapter 14, along with "the discernment of spirits," the ability to distinguish between true and false prophecy (v. 10; cf. 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; Acts 16:16-28). "Tongues" here refers to unintelligible spiritual utterances (as opposed to "prophecy"), which stand in need of another gift, "the interpretation of tongues" (cf. 14:5, 13, 26-28). Though prophecy and tongues, which will be the main focus of chapter 14, stand last in this list, Paul makes it clear that all the gifts "are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses" (v. 11). The gifts are sheer grace from God, at the Spirit's sole pleasure.
John 2:1-11
The first of the "signs" in the Gospel of John may strike some as a frivolous miracle, one step above apocryphal accounts of him tossing out bedbugs. But John gives more than one hint that this story is not to be read as just another miracle. It is actually the first look at Jesus' "hour," which will be a peculiar manifestation of God's "glory," a "sign" that leads to "faith."
In John's Gospel, the wedding at Cana is the first event of Jesus' public ministry. "On the third day" (2:1) connects the story back to the gathering of disciples in chapter 1. The Cana miracle takes place primarily for the benefit of these disciples. John tells us that the end result is that they see his "glory" and thus believe in him; they see fulfilled the promise of 1:51, "heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Certainly for the disciples, this sign has deep significance.
The reference to the "third day" also points forward to the end of the story, giving the reader a further hint that there is more here than meets the eye. The story is ripe with symbolic elements. Wine was a Jewish eschatological symbol; it was a joyful sign of God's arrival at the last day (cf. Amos 9:13-14; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 14:7; Joel 3:18; 1 Enoch 10:19; 2 Baruch 29:5). It will, of course, take on Christian symbolism in the Eucharist. The wedding feast itself has eschatological overtones (cf. Matthew 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Mark 2:19, 22), as well as the traditional symbolic connection between God and Israel (as in today's lesson from Isaiah). Even the six stone jars offer symbolic possibilities; they stand for the old Jewish rites of purification, but are to hold something new and wondrous. While one may speculate about their number, clearly their size is outrageous. Filled to the brim, they presented a visible spectacle of the superabundance of God's grace. Something new, astonishing, and grand is happening here.
Even the invitation of Jesus and his disciples serves a larger, theological purpose. No reason is given for Jesus' presence at the wedding; apocryphal traditions hold that Mary was the aunt of the bridegroom, who was John the son of Zebedee. Nor do we know why Mary was so confident about Jesus' intervention. His words to her, "What concern is that to you and to me?" (v. 4; literally, "what is with me and you?") sound harsher in English than in Greek, though he does put some distance between him and his mother by addressing her as "Woman." The exchange allows Jesus to speak of what will become a crucial concept in the Gospel of John, Jesus' "hour" (v. 4). As the story goes on, it becomes clear that his "hour" is the hour of his death, resurrection, and ascension, understood as one event (cf. 4:21; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). This hour is willed by God and results in the glorification of both Father and Son. It is beyond human control, so the most intimate of human relations, even that between a mother and her son, cannot take precedence over it. John points the reader beyond the literal level to the broader story, in which God, acting freely beyond all human imagining, reveals the divine nature through Jesus. As such, the story uncovers Jesus' coming glory, to the extent that the disciples believe in him (v. 11).
The episode concludes with a bit that foreshadows the story to come: the reaction of the "chief steward" (perhaps a servant acting as headwaiter, or a guest acting as master of ceremonies). The steward typifies those who think they know what is going on in the gospel, but do not really understand. The knowledge of the servants is underlined, in order to create the contrast (v. 9). The steward does not know where the wine has come from, just as throughout John's Gospel, people will not know where Jesus has come from (cf. John 8:40-44). The steward gives a conventional explanation of the wine (the good saved for last), just as unbelievers try to give a conventional explanation for Jesus (he comes from Nazareth, not heaven; cf. 6:42). But the steward says more than he knows, for the "good wine" is Jesus himself, who will give himself to bring in God's new joyful age. The disciples correctly see the wine as a sign of God's glory in their midst.
Application
The mundane simplicity of a wine miracle betrays its deeper significance, just as the miracle of bread and wine in our mouths on Sunday speaks of God's work through a human being, and the formation of a diverse community enables God's whole revelation to come to fruition, and the marriage of two people can stand in some small way for the miracle of God's concern for humanity. God moves from the lesser to the greater, but always to the greater; as much as we value our human relationships, God places even more value on a connection to us.
Clearly there is more to be seen here than what shows on the surface. Those who do not have eyes to see will look at Cana and see only a trivial magic trick, or perhaps the justification for a church wedding. But they can also look at the praying prophet and see only wedding jewels, without realizing that the jewel in God's crown is the people Israel itself. They can look at the Corinthians and see only bickering church members, fighting fiercely because there is so little at stake; they cannot see in that mass of human weakness the possibility of diverse spiritual gifts at work for one purpose.
The God with whom we have to deal relativizes all human relationships, while using them to show us how much we mean in heaven. Marriage hints at God's level of care, but only hints. The bond between mother and son suggests but does not exhaust. The importance of community is but a shadow of God's true gift to us. This God loves us so much, so intensely, that any human analogy will pale by definition.
With such a deity so persistently after us, how could we refuse to be wooed?
Alternate Applications
1) Isaiah 62:1-5; John 2:1-11. Epiphany is the season of "light" and "glory," themes that appear throughout these lessons. Third Isaiah described Jerusalem's vindication as the rising of the dawn, a burning torch that lights the way at night. Such glory is visible, for all the Gentiles will see it; it is the glory of God. The crown of beauty that is Zion can be seen on that hill from some distance. Similarly, the Gospel of John speaks of Jesus' wine miracle as a "sign" of his "glory" which led to new faith in his disciples. John's view of the glory of God is rooted in Jesus' "hour," the moment of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Just as God's glory became evident in the people's exile and return to Zion, Jesus shows God's glory in his death and subsequent vindication.
2) 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. One cannot stress too much the significance of the local community for Paul. Despite the ongoing problems he had with the Corinthians, he was convinced that the Spirit was at work among them. His assumption was that inspired speech was taking place there; the only question was how to interpret and evaluate it. Clearly, Paul regarded God's revelation as a work in progress, still taking place among the Corinthians. They would need every last member to get the whole message, because each was given a gift from the Spirit, and each contributed as the Spirit directed. Communal intimacy is intimacy with God, because only as a whole community can the whole of God's revelation reach full disclosure; to lack even one member, with that member's one gift, is to lack part of the Spirit's work. Thus human intimacy is a necessary part of God's revelation.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 36:5-10
If we wanted to give a name to this psalm, we might call it "A Song of Exuberant Praise." The psalmist is unrestrained in voicing his praise to God. And the list of things for which God is praised is impressively exhaustive. Within the scope of five short verses, God is praised for his steadfastness, faithfulness, righteousness, judgment, and salvation. These divine qualities affect not only human existence but also extend to the heavens, clouds, mountains, the great deep, and even animals.
The true significance for the psalmist, or course, is the way in which these qualities of divine character affect human life. The range of God's character creates a shelter, like the wings of a great bird, under which her young might hide and find protection or comfort. God's love and grace create a feast that nurtures human life and creates hope. God's goodness is the very source of life itself. And God's great power provides protection from anyone who would seek to disturb the faithful. Salvation is for God's people. They are the focus of all God's goodness.
It is not that other parts of creation are unimportant. We ought to know by now the inter-related nature of our existence with the natural order. We do not stand alone as living beings on this planet. Our life is part of a life system that we ignore or damage at our peril. But the psalmist draws ever-narrowing lines from the far reaches of creation to a focal point in human existence. The salvation God offers is offered to us.
Of course, there is good reason for this narrowed focus, both theologically and scientifically. God has given humankind a singular role to play in creation. It is human beings who bear the image of God. It is human beings who have been entrusted with the care and stewardship of the earth. This is what is meant by "dominion" (Genesis 1:26). God wants us to care for the earth, not dominate it.
Because of this unique calling and relationship to the created order -- at least the part of it we occupy -- it is necessary to first redeem the human mind and spirit so that the other beloved features of God's creation may also be cared for. God reveals in Jesus what human life is supposed to look like. Our commitment to this vision redeems us and restores our broken humanity. Once we are healed, then it becomes possible for us to work for the fulfillment of the psalmist's vision, that God can "save humans and animals alike" (v. 6).
