Ep. 12: The Wedding

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JOHN 2:1-12

Jesus’ conversation with Nathanael was in fact his first sermon and here he made use of a significant expression concerning himself, Son of Man. Nathanael had referred to his divinity, the Son of God and so. Here, Jesus reminds them too of his humanity. Both were equally important in understanding his mission to come. A Christ, God, King, and not primarily ‘the Son of Man,’ would not have been the Christ of prophecy, nor the Christ of humanity, nor the Christ of salvation, nor yet the Christ of sympathy. Help, and example.

This idea of the ‘Son of Man’ in its full and prophetic meaning provides a telling background to the miracle at the marriage of Cana. We are now entering into the ministry of ‘The Son of Man’ as he freely mingles with humanity, sharing its joys and engagements, entering into family life at this wedding ceremony, then by transforming the water into the wine showing himself also to be ‘the Son of God’.

On the evening of the actual marriage, the bride was led from her paternal home to that of her husband. Edersheim describes the scene most vividly:

‘First came the merry sounds of music, then they distributed wine and oil and nuts among the children. Next, the bride, covered with the bridal veil. Her long hair flowing, surrounded by her companions and led by ‘the friends of the bridegroom’ and ‘the children of the bride-chamber.’ All around were in festive array, some carried torches, or lamps on poles, those nearest had myrtle branches and chaplets of flowers. Everyone rose to salute the procession or join it and it was deemed almost a religious duty to break into praise of the beauty, the modesty, or the virtues of the bride.’

Arrived at her new home, she was led to her husband. The bride and bridegroom were crowned with garlands, then a formal legal instrument, called the Kethubah, was signed, which declared that the bridegroom now had the responsibility to honour, keep and care for her. Then, after the prescribed washing of hands and benediction, the marriage supper began, the cup is filled and the solemn prayer of bridal benediction was spoken over it. It might be more than one day until at last ‘the friends of the bridegroom’ led the bridal pair to the bridal chamber and bed.

So Jesus arrives at this wedding. He is now about to embark on his ‘Father’s business’ and what passed at the marriage feast marks the beginning of this period. We stand on the threshold, over which we pass from the old to the new. The Messiah is about to declare himself.

Outside the reception room were six stone pots of wine, most likely holding 11 to 16 gallons each. At some point, Mary informed her son that the wine had been used up early, surely a major embarrassment for the hosts. Although Mary knew that a new period in his life had opened, was she really expecting such a miracle? What she had learned in those thirty years of bringing him up was to have absolute confidence in him, but what she also had to learn was that his submissiveness to family life was just a phase and things had now changed. Her words indicated that perhaps she was ready to let him flow into his destiny.

This was a true miracle; ‘the conscious water saw its God, and blushed’. This, his first miracle, was intended as a sign pointing to the deeper and higher that was to be revealed and of the manifestation of his Glory. Perhaps we now see the deeper purpose in this? And his disciples believed in him.

Although St. Augustine spiritualises this as an allegory, this only trivialises our view of the miracle. For it is a miracle is and will ever remain; power with a moral purpose. And we believe it because this ‘sign’ is the first of all those miracles in which the Miracle of miracles gave ‘a sign’ and showed his glory, the glory of his Person, the glory of his Purpose and the glory of his Work.

This is an extract from the book, Jesus : Life and Times, available for £10 here (Finalist for Academic Book of the year at 2023 CRT awards)