WORKING WITH THE SCRIPTURES
Jan. 17,
2010 (John 2:1-11)
“There
was a wedding …”. Picture the excitement, the preparations.
The daughter of some friends of ours was married recently.
The church and reception hall had been reserved for months;
shower and wedding invitations mailed; china and silver patterns
registered; final dress and tuxedo fittings scheduled; photographer
and caterer hired. It was an exciting time for everyone involved.
And all because one young woman and one young man wished to
declare publicly that they loved each other so much that they
were prepared to commit themselves to one another for the
rest of their lives.
It
was in precisely this setting that Jesus chose to perform
his first public miracle. He could have chosen to spin the
sun, or to call down fire. Spinning the sun and calling down
fire would surely have pointed to the power and glory of God.
But Jesus did not choose to point to God's power.
Mary
and Jesus were guests at the wedding. Mary noticed the problem
first. The wine had run out. The couple would be embarrassed,
the guests disappointed, the party ruined. Could Jesus help?
“… how does your concern affect me?” Of what concern is the
wedding of two very ordinary people (we aren't even told their
names) in a very ordinary town in Galilee to the God of Heaven
and Earth? And then it happened. A celebration of human love
and commitment became the occasion for the first public miracle
of the Beloved Son.
The
prophet, Isaiah, uses wedding imagery to reflect the relationship
between God and Jerusalem. “…you shall be called 'My Delight,'
… for the Lord delights in you … as a bridegroom rejoices
in his bride…” On her wedding day the bride's face said it
all. There was no question that her groom is her delight,
as she is his. They have committed themselves to one another
and declared their love publicly. Perhaps this is why Jesus
chose this human occasion to image God's love for us, not
by spinning the sun in the sky but in the committed love of
husband and wife right here on earth.
-Vinal
Van Benthem |
