by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy

7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. v8And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. v9When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom v10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” v11This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. – Read: John 2:1-12
The story of the miraculous changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana appears in John’s gospel as “the first of his signs,” revealing his glory and evoking the faith of his disciples. The formula reveals the structure of the whole fourth gospel, formed around a series of major sign-events or divine disclosures. Later Christians interpreters have seen the water and wine as symbolizing the elements of baptism and Eucharist. A more modest interpretive claim might focus on the revelation of God in Jesus Christ in basic life experiences, such as wedding feast, where water and wine are integral to the occasion. This miracle is the first of Jesus’ miracles recounted in the Gospel of John, and as such it marks a decisive moment in the story of Jesus’ divinity. Jesus, his mother, and his disciples attend a wedding in the village of Cana. When the wine runs out at the feast, Jesus turns water into wine, thus demonstrating his divinity to his disciples. Jesus’ disciples know the truth, as do the servants, but it is clearly stated by John that the groom publicly gets the credit for the wine, and the governor or steward in charge of the feast doesn’t suspect that Jesus is behind it.
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Making a more in-depth analysis of the event points us to more meaning and significance and its relevance to our walk of faith today. We note that the miracle was performed with the utmost reluctance by Jesus and kept secret from most guests at the wedding. This is perhaps fitting, even significant, given Jesus’ championing of the poor, the lowly, and the meek in society. The fact that the servants are aware of what he did, but the (higher-class) guests at the wedding, and the ruler of the feast, are unaware of the divine origins of the wine they drink, is in keeping with Jesus’ determination to address the poorest among society and reveal his divinity to them. That he reveals his powers to them first, outside of his immediate family, is utterly in keeping with his message and teachings. Unlike some of his future spectacularly public miracles, what Jesus did by turning water into wine was done quietly, but by this miraculous sign, Jesus revealed his glory as the Son of God to his disciples. Amazed, they put their faith in him. This analysis would put the message of that miracle more relevant to us today.
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John referred to Jesus’ miracles as “signs,” indicators pointing to Jesus’ divinity. The Cana wedding miracle was Christ’s first sign. Jesus’ second sign in Cana was healing a government official’s son from afar. In that miracle, the man believed through faith in Jesus before he saw the results, the attitude Jesus desired. These two miracles are signs or manifestations of Jesus as the Son of God as proclaimed after his baptism in Jordan River with a voice from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17).
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Aside from being one of the epiphany events of Jesus’ divinity, his presence and first miracle performed in that wedding also tells us about the sacredness of the human relationship called marriage. Every wedding in church performed in the Anglican/Episcopal tradition will always hear these words in the preface of Holy Matrimony service found in the Book of Common Prayer, “The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.”
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A commentary of this epiphany event gives us a relatable description, “A wedding in the ancient world was an unparalleled feast. Celebrations continued for days on end. For the poor people Jesus grew up among, a wedding meant a pause from seemingly endless labor and a chance to eat and drink abundant food and wine, in stark contrast to the meager rations that made up their typical daily fare. The life that God intends for us is a life where there is enough: an abundance that springs from God’s own abundance.” But God intends more for us than mere sustenance. There should be enough wine, and it should be good wine, the finest wine. The marriage supper God invites us to be meant to bring us pleasure and joy. The life God intends for us is one filled with beauty and contentment and all good things. It is a lie to think of pleasure as immoral. At this wedding feast where Jesus reveals himself, the banquet day is also one of reconciliation, joy, and peace. Only when there is enough to go around, plenty to be shared freely, can old resentments be washed away and new companionship begin to grow.
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This would bring us to a deeper and practical application of this miraculous sign in relation to the moral and spiritual essence of marriage or the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. It is very desirable when there is a marriage, to have Christ own and bless it. Those that would have Christ with them at their marriage, must invite him by prayer, and he will come. While in this world we sometimes find ourselves in straits, even when we think ourselves in fulness. There was a human need during that marriage feast. Jesus and family was invited and by that honor and privilege reciprocated it by that miracle of abundance. Those who come to care for the things of the world must look for trouble, and count upon disappointment. In our addresses to Christ, we must humbly spread our case before him and then refer ourselves to him to do as he pleases. John’s narratives are full of otherworldly, mysterious and ethereal side of Jesus. But this miracle makes a strong case that the Christian life is grounded in simple, daily pleasures like good food and wine: following Jesus is more about earth than heaven. God became incarnate not to pull us out of our bodies and into heaven, but rather to bring heaven down to us, to bring the peace and abundance that is God’s intention for all people and places into every corner of human life.
Water into wine. A miraculous sign – a manifestation that Jesus is Lord!
Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Epiphany, BCP).**