“Pastor, we are running out of food. What shall we do?” I’ve only heard those words twice in my ministry. Both times the anxiety and desperation went right to my gut. Is this my problem? What am I supposed to do about this?
Jesus’ response to his mother was somewhat the same. “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?”
In Jesus’ day, running out of wine would have been shameful – the family and the wine steward would never live it down. And, as much as we would like to think that we have progressed since the time of Jesus, some things don’t change. . No one wants that to be the story of their event. That’s why, in most situations whether it is a wedding or a funeral or even a church picnic, there are tons of leftovers. People are so afraid of “running out” that we often over-plan. I know I do. I have a lot of tomato soup from a Synod conference meeting we held here on Wednesday if anyone is interested.
In Jesus’ day, weddings lasted for days. And often the guests brought gifts of food and wine to share. So what went wrong? Who is to blame?
In the big scheme of things, running out of wine on the third day isn’t world shattering news. It seems as if it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I mean – they got married, right? It’s true that they would never live down the shame. But is this really a crisis worthy of the son of God? Weren’t there other more important problems to solve? Like proclaiming world peace? Or healing the blind, deaf and mute? Or something like that?
But in this story, Jesus’ mother, Mary thinks it is important. And she somehow knows that Jesus can do something about it. And she is not put off by Jesus’ response that it is not “his hour.” She simply tells the servants, “Do what he tells you to do.” This simple statement always makes me smile. It’s the perfect response. She isn’t arguing with Jesus. She doesn’t tell him what to do. She simply has faith that Jesus will do the right thing.
Maybe we should all adopt her statement. “Do what Jesus tells you to do.”
We don’t know why Jesus acts. Maybe he could not resist his mother’s nudging – and didn’t want to be reminded of it every time he went home for Passover.
Or maybe Jesus remembers, as Biblical scholars have since pointed out, that in Scripture, the wedding banquet is often used as an image of the restoration of God’s people Israel and wine is used as a symbol of the joy and celebration of salvation. The prophet Amos speaks of the day when “the mountains shall drip sweet wine. and all the hills shall flow with it.” Isaiah prophesizes the feast that God will prepare for all peoples, “a feast of rich food, a feast … of well-aged wines strained clear” (Isaiah 25:6)1
Or maybe, Jesus was simply reminded that he was a guest at this wedding and as a guest at the party, he had an opportunity to give a gift.
For whatever reason, Jesus gives a gift – and this gift is generous –abundant and extravagant.
He asked the servants to fill the six stone water jars that had been used for purification rites with water. These were not little table jars. These were huge - 20-30 gallon vessels - and each of them were filled with water – which Jesus then turned to wine. And since there are about 5 bottles of wine to a gallon that is well over a thousand bottles of wine. That’s a lot of wine for a party. And, when the wine steward tasted it, he remarked on the amazing quality of the wine. That’s a lot of really good wine.
It's even more remarkable when you consider that villagers in Jesus’ day were typically not wealthy – they were subsistence farmers, shepherds, townspeople who got by, most of the time, with enough food for their day-to-day needs. They couldn’t afford expensive wines and foods. And yet, Jesus supplies them with an abundance of delicious wine.
The Gospel of John calls Jesus’ extravagant gift of wine – and all of the other amazing things that Jesus does in this Gospel – such as healing the sick, feeding the five thousand, walking on water and raising Lazarus from the dead, as “signs” rather than miracles. All of these things seem pretty miraculous to me. But John calls them “signs” instead of miracles. Signs point us towards something beyond themselves. A road sign alerts you to the direction you want to go – and also can warn you against going the wrong way. The sign of Jesus changing water into wine points to something bigger and even better than a thousand bottles of the best wine ever. It points us to Jesus, the source of all life and joy.2
As pastor and theologian Elisabeth Johnson writes, “Jesus’ extravagant miracle of changing the water into wine is a sign that in him, life, joy, and salvation have arrived. At the beginning of John’s Gospel, the narrator told us that “in him was life, and that life was the light of all people” (1:4). And later in the Gospel, Jesus will tell us, “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (10:10).2
Abundant life. This is what Jesus wants for you. Abundant life is more than simply “getting by.” Abundant life isn’t about having a lot of material “stuff” or money. There are lots of rich people who have riches and luxuries and a lot of stuff – but they don’t have “Abundant life.” Abundant life is to know and to be known by Christ Jesus. Abundant life is to have a relationship with Jesus, the one who loves you so much that he gives to you grace and mercy. It is a life of faith and grace and love. And it is a life that Jesus wants for you.
Having an “Abundant Life” does not, of course, shield you from all misfortune or challenges or trials. But the Abundant Life which we have in Jesus, means that even when challenges, sorrows and trials come our way, we do not need to fear or be anxious because we are joined to Christ who is the source of true life. As Paul writes to the Romans, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38).
There are challenges of course. We still live in a world that is hurting and badly in need of healing. Our world is full of bad news. And it is easy to get caught up in it. But we are called to be messengers of GOOD NEWS. We can’t turn our backs on the evils around us. But we can offer a different perspective – and challenge others to live into the abundant life of sharing God’s generous gifts, caring for the poor, the hungry, the non-members, the migrants, the “other” – whoever is “other” in your mind - and all those who do not know and experience the love of God.
We have been given this incredible gift of abundant life and this is why we come ourselves and bring our children to be baptized into the life of Christ. For this is an amazing gift that Jesus gives to each one – for you are individually called by name by God to be a part of God’s family. This is the gift of Abundant Life.
Most of the people at the wedding party enjoyed the wine. But only some knew that the wine was a sign that God has come into the world to bring life and abundance and JOY.
Like the servants, Mary and the disciples, you know the Source of the sign. And just as Dylan today will be claimed by Christ as he is baptized into God’s family, you too will be reminded that God claims you as God’s beloved child and gives you new life in Christ Jesus. And later, you will be invited forward to the Lord’s supper to taste and see that the Lord is good.
And so, Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Mary said, “Do what Jesus tells you to do.” Live into the abundant lifes so that through your words and your actions, others may see and experience God’s abundant love and grace and mercy. Amen.
1Elisabeth Johnson https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/second-sunday-after-epiphany-3/commentary-on-john-21-11-8