Water Into Wine
Sermon
The novelist Catherine Cookson was born in East Jarrow, Tyne and Wear (England) in 1906. Because she was illegitimate, she had a miserable childhood, spurned and derided by both children and adults. She lived in considerable poverty in a tiny terraced house with no modern conveniences, where her mother struggled against prejudice and destitution to provide the basic necessities of life.
In her lonely misery, young Catherine used to gaze longingly at the big manor houses in the area, inhabited by the wealthy. She vowed that when she grew up, she too would live in a house like that and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.
It was a long time before that happened, for Catherine, with very little formal education, didn't begin to write until in her 40s, publishing her first novel in 1950. Most of her novels are set in the NE of England, where she grew up, and she used all those painful childhood memories to very good effect, becoming one of the country's leading best-seller writers.
In Catherine Cookson's life, the water of those early experiences was turned into an abundance of good wine, just as Jesus turned water into an abundance of good wine, at the wedding at Cana in Galilee.
St. John is the only one of the gospel writers to relate this story of the wedding at Cana. John's Gospel is quite different in character from the other three gospels. It's written in a very symbolic style, and it doesn't follow the same order or record the same stories as the other gospels. Much more than the other gospels, it's the result of a developed theological reflection some years after the death of Jesus. It's thought to have been written towards the end of the first century, probably in the 90s.
The gospel contains a series of signs, gradually revealing the glory of God through Jesus. The author seems to be mainly interested in the significance of the deeds of Jesus. And the purpose of the gospel is stated in what's thought to have been the original ending of the gospel at the end of John 20: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may [come to] believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name."
The transformation of water into wine at Cana (John 2:1-11) is the first sign. It's a sign which symbolizes the creative and transforming work of Jesus, but already, even at this early point in his ministry, it could be interpreted as flagging up what was thought to be his dismissive attitude towards the law. The law was all important to Jews, especially to the Pharisees, who had refined the law to such a degree that any contingency in life would be covered by rules and regulations.
Jesus had been invited to the wedding along with his disciples. It would have been a great society occasion. A celebration probably for the whole community. We don't know how many days the party had been celebrating when the wine ran out. Weddings were traditionally occasions for festivities lasting a week or more. Relatives sometimes travelled great distances, and friends and neighbours poured in. The groom's father usually paid the bill!
This, then, is the scenario when the wine gave out, and Jesus' mother (who, incidentally, is never mentioned by name in John's gospel) asked Jesus to do something. Although actually, she didn't ask, she merely passed a remark: "They have no wine." It was Jesus who took up the remark and responded.
We're permitted a glimpse of an intimate little scene between Jesus and his mother. The sort of scene that's repeated in different ways in every family. It's a scene where at first glance, the conversation doesn't make a lot of sense, and bears no relation whatsoever to what actually happens.
Mary remarks on the lack of wine. Jesus responds, but doesn't mention wine. He says to his mother: "What have you to do with me?" And then adds: "My hour has not yet come." Mary seems to know exactly what he's implying, for she turns straight to the servants and says: "Do whatever he tells you."
A similar scenario in my house goes a bit like this:
Me: "I'd love a cup of tea."
My son: "I'm busy. Can't you see what I have to finish before tomorrow?" Then yells: "Becki!"
Becki from another room and not having heard this conversation, groans. But responds: "All right. I'll put the kettle on!"
Families tend to develop shortcuts in conversations which make perfect sense to the family, but are often completely mystifying to anyone outside the family. To me, this short conversation between Mary and Jesus gives one of the most intimate pictures in the New Testament of the very close relationship between them.
Jesus tells the servants to fill six stone jars with water. They were normally filled with water for the Jewish rites of purification. And they held a good deal of water, enough to purify the whole community. Probably between 120 and 180 gallons in total. Not even a whole community could drink that much wine. So Jesus goes way over the top in the amount of wine he produces. Wine must have been overflowing. And by using purification jars for such a very different purpose, perhaps Jesus is making a statement about his opinion of the purification rites.
Rather than bothering too much about ceremonial washing, about outward effects, he had turned his attention to what goes into human beings, to what feeds and nourishes them. He had given them the finest possible quality of wine, no matter what had gone on before. No matter that they may have been too drunk by this stage to have appreciated it, they still had the best offered to them.
Perhaps John was making a comment on the Eucharist, which was already well established in the early church by the time this gospel was written. Perhaps he was pointing out that Jesus gives himself fully, goes over the top in his gift of himself, every time we receive wine at the Eucharist. It doesn't matter if we're not in a fit state to really appreciate his gift, he gives it anyway. What has gone on before in our lives is disregarded, he gives himself utterly.
The young Catherine Cookson only wanted a decent lifestyle with enough money to live comfortably. But she became a multi-millionaire. She received way over the top of her wildest dreams.
And Jesus treats all of us in exactly the same way. So long as we don't deliberately limit him in our requests, he pours his gifts into us in huge over-abundance. We don't have to earn them or deserve them, they're ours for the taking. All we have to do is to ask and to receive, and allow God to work within us.
Good wine is rich and nourishing and wholesome and satisfying. It brings good health and pleasure, and is best enjoyed in company. That's what Jesus has in store for us. And he offers it in over-abundance.
