John 2:1-12 – Transfiguring the Common into the Amazing
/Lectionary Readings for July 11, 2021 Seventh Sunday After Pentecost, Year B
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
Psalm 24 v1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
Ephesians 1:3-14 v4-5 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
Mark 6:14-29 The Death of John the Baptist
But this week we continue our series exploring the book of John, now with Chapter 2.
Peace through Leadership Quotes
“Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our Lord may wish to work in you. It is certainly a higher virtue of the soul, and a greater grace, to be able to enjoy the Lord in different times and different places than in only one.” ~ Saint Ignatius
“Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.” ~ John Lewis
We must remember that every moment and every situation may be an opportunity for us to help someone experience God’s peace. This may take us out of our comfort zones, but such is the path of creating peace in our homes and communities.
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading
Today we’ll hear the story of Jesus transforming water into wine. For several reasons, this is a strange miracle – or as John describes it – a sign of God’s presence among us. As you hear today’s reading, notice some the small but profound details:
John only mentions Mary twice in his gospel, here and at the crucifixion. He never uses her name. Such was his intense focus on Jesus’ divinity and purpose – Mary was not essential to his core message.
Jesus initially rebuffs his mother’s request yet eventually does as she asks. Some speculate this reminds us that even Jesus obeyed the Hebrew Bible’s commandment to honor our parents.
Jesus seems to be indifferent to the impending social embarrassment of running out of wine before the week-long wedding celebration wrapped up. We’re not accustomed to an indifferent Jesus.
The first miraculous sign John records was NOT performed in a synagogue nor for devout Jews. To the contrary, this sign benefited everyone present, an entire community, whether they noticed it or not, whether they even noticed Jesus or not.
Few people witnessed the moment of God in the flesh transforming the mundane into the spectacular – only the servants, the lowliest people of everyone present, as well as Jesus’ earliest disciples were there.
The moment would be easy to miss. Jesus never prayed, never laid hands on anyone, never shared any wisdom to go along with the miracle... He did nothing to put the spotlight on Himself.
This over-the-top miracle is almost comical when we consider the volume of water Jesus transformed – somewhere around 150 gallons. That’s 50 CASES of today’s wine. Jesus provided with an abundance of both quality AND quantity. Reminds me a lot of the abundance our food pantry has experienced during the past year.
Finally, nobody praises Jesus for this miraculous sign. Nobody “comes to Christ” because of it. But it was proof enough for His disciples to believe Jesus was the real deal.
This brief section has been theologically and historically dissected more times than a high school frog. Every expert seems to have a different opinion about what every word and movement means.
Let’s put all the speculation aside and open our ears, minds, and hearts to God’s Spirit as we enjoy today’s readings.
Read Exodus 20:12 and John 2:1-12. (And all of Chapter 2 when you can!)
At this point, Jesus is about 30 years old and thoroughly understands the variety of cultures and customs in the political and religious melting pot He calls home. Mary simply pointed out the problem – they’re almost out of wine. Jesus would immediately understand that this would be a HUGE embarrassment to the newlyweds and their families. Nobody wants to run out of anything at their wedding, then OR now.
But Jesus doesn’t respond with a sweet, angelic, “Yes mother! I’ll get right on that.” No, He argues with her. 1) How is this our problem? 2) I don’t think I’m quite ready for the spotlight.
His first argument reveals the first major point of our story: Our lives are not just about us and what makes us happy or not, comfortable or not. God offers us opportunities to bless others, to solve other people’s problems as a continuation of how God blesses us and solves our life problems.
If today’s story was presented as a one-act play, I am increasingly convinced that Mary could steal the show with a few gestures and a mother’s glare – and wink – that silently speaks volumes.
“Don’t talk back to me boy. I’m Your mother, and I know You better than You might know Yourself. Who taught You how to pray? Who taught You our faith? Yes, You ARE a special one, AND You’re my son too. Trust me, my child.”
But Mary didn’t have to say any of that. Jesus knew the depths of her love for Him and for God. He knew He could trust her. He knew she wanted the best for Him. When called into action, Jesus responded with obedience.
We now turn with Jesus to the servants. He doesn’t explain what’s about to happen, nor does He explain the short and long-term significance of this moment. He doesn’t explain anything, he just commands. And they just obey. When called into action, the servants responded with obedience.
This brings us to the second major point of our story: When God calls us into action, even if we don’t feel like it, even if we don’t understand why... we need to respond with obedience. As I was reading commentaries on this passage, one quote stood out to me: “Obedience to uncommon commands often yields uncommon results” (Feasting on the Gospels--John, Volume 1. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle 1835).
To what uncommon faith, to what uncommon action is God calling you to join with Him?
Here’s something uncommon about this miraculous sign: Unlike the fish and bread miracles, Jesus did not turn some wine into MORE wine. No, He took the water that was at hand, mundane as it was, and converted it, transformed it, transfigured it into something very different. He didn’t make what was, slightly better – this is not the story of turning non-drinkable water into Perrier – no. Jesus converted what was raw and unfiltered into something stunningly different that blessed others.
This is the third major point of our story: miraculous transformation into new life. Wherever you are in life, no matter what you have or have not done, God can take you as you are – raw and unfiltered – and make you pure, healthy, and spectacular, NOT for your own benefit or glory, but so that you may be an abundant blessing to others.
Unlike water or wine, God has given us souls and the ability to be in a personal relationship with Him. When we obediently respond to God’s nudgings, God can transform who we are and bless others through us. This is the transformative Good News of God’s love. This is the Kingdom of God made present in us and through us.
Amen? Amen!