John 2:7-9a (CSB)
7 “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did.
9 When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
I think this account is very uncomfortable for us. Why? Well, because Jesus turns water to wine. We are uncomfortable because our Christian paradigm in the Protestant United States does not allow for this. Oh, It allows the ability, but not the outcome. We don’t generally drink. We are absolute teetotalers. We see no acceptable place for alcohol. Now, I often see the devastating effects of alcohol, but historically alcohol has been present in all cultures. It is a reminder that Christianity is historical. It is a religion that exists in real time, in a real place, with real people. The account is here, so what does it tell us?
So what do I think? There is a whole conversation around the use of alcohol. I will not be having that conversation here.
First of all, what about this wedding – who were they? We do not know.
Second, what about this request and response? Why? We do not know.
What do we know.
- Jesus is able. His is above and outside our physical world. This is definitely true now, but was also true during His sojourn here on earth in human form. It was simple enough for Him to simply change the water to wine. This is a unique moment in history. Others can not do the same.
- His mother asked Him to. An abundant amount of ink has been spilled over this. I don’t know why, but He did what she asked. I think it is a very human story. It is the story of Jesus and Mary in the home of friends meeting their need. He does this miraculously.
Why?
- I don’t know…because He could. It sounds flippant, because we are so familiar with the story. But, the water jars contained water, then they contained wine. Nothing happened in the interval between. They were not emptied of water and subsequently filled with wine. No one planted grapes, picked them, crushed them and fermented the juice. Nobody then placed the juice in the jars. The wine was previously water. While it may seem simple, this has never been done before nor since. This can not be done. This can only be done by someone with influence over the physical world.
- John the apostle called this the first “sign” Jesus performed. This is a sign not just because it was exceptional or miraculous. It is a sign because it should tell us something about the person who performed the sign. It is not just a deed done, it is evidence of the nature of the doer. It points us to Jesus’ unique nature.
- The text tells us that the disciples did not miss any of this. “He displayed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” John 2:11