Second Sunday after Epiphany

 Jesus’ Miracle at the wedding

1/19/25

This week is the second Sunday after Epiphany and we will be looking at the miracle at the wedding feast in Cana. A link to all of the scripture for this week can be found at the bottom of the page. The Gospel passage is John 2 1-11. The first verse of chapter 2 starts with “On the third day there was a wedding…’. I don’t know about you but this made me ask, on the third day of what? What is this the third day of. It seems like a strange way to start a new chapter. So I had to begin by looking backwards.

John 1 begins with the introduction of Jesus as the Word. I am sure this is something we will spend some time talking about, but not today. The next part of chapter one introduces us to John the Baptist (not John the writer of this book). It tells us a little about what John has been doing and how he has testified about Jesus. This second section ends by telling us that John is at the Jordan River in Bethany as he is baptizing and testifying about Jesus. Neither of these sections make any reference to a day or even a timeline. What seems to be clear is these two sections are setting the stage at a very high level. First it tells us who Jesus is, and then it tells us what John is up to.

The next section begins “The Next Day…” which indicates to me we are leaving the introductions and begin to talk along a timeline. So the next day, day 1, Jesus comes by where John is doing his preaching. Then without telling us directly it seems that John baptizes Jesus, and then following the baptism he testifies to what he sees take place. He concludes by stating that Jesus is the Son of God.

The next section begins once again with “The next day…”  and John speaks to his disciples about Jesus as he once again passes by. This time two of John’s disciples get up and follow Jesus. One of them, Andrew, goes to tell his brother Simon Peter that they have found the messiah and are following him. Simon Peter follows along and Jesus greats him and welcomes him into this small group.

By now you may have a guess as to what is coming “The next day…” Jesus has decided to leave Bethany and travel to Galilee. So here we are on day three of these events. We have gone from an introduction of Jesus and John through a three day progression that starts with a focus on John, but transitions to a focus on Jesus. On this day, as they travel, Jesus begins to call his first disciples. He already has a couple of John’s disciples as well as Peter with him, but they came based on the word of John. Here we see Jesus making the initial contact with people who quickly drop what they are doing to follow him.

Now we have reached our passage for this week and it begins “On the Third day…”. So in three says we have gone from Introduction of Jesus and a quick review of John’s ministry to the establishment of Jesus as a ministry in his own right with a small group of followers. So what happened on the third day? Jesus arrives in Cana, which is in Galilee, where Jesus decided to start traveling to as he called his first disciples, and there is a wedding taking place.  

As I read this it really struck me that this was quite a rapid progression in the life of Jesus. Likely these events took place shortly after the 40 days that the other Gospels tell us Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. In these three Short days our narrative moves from focused on the ministry of John to Jesus. John was in the river drawing crowds and talking about the Messiah who is to come and Jesus walks by and is Baptized. Day 2, Jesus is still hanging around and John inspires some of his own disciples to connect with Jesus. Day 3, Jesus moves out from the region John is preaching and begins to establish his own ministry. As I thought about the phrase “On the third day” I could not help but think about other places that we hear that phrase. The first to come to mind was “On the third day he rose again”. We say it every time we read The Apostles’ Creed. But that isn’t all. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. Abraham travelled with Isaac for three days, and then he laid eyes on the mountain where he was to make his sacrifice. Before crossing the Jordan river into the land that God promised them Joshua had the Israelites spend three days in prayer, to prepare themselves. There is something going on with these three day periods.

So before we even look any further into what happened at Cana, let us think a minute about what is going on. Why didn’t Abraham just take Isaac three hours away from his home in order to offer his sacrifice. What was that three day journey like for Abraham and Isaac? Isaac was probably excited. He and his father were going to worship God alone, and God was going to provide the sacrifice when they got there. What a powerful experience for him. Probably less enjoyable to Abraham. For three days he was considering what God had asked of him. God had made a promise to give Abraham a legacy of descendants through Isaac, but now he was asking him to put him on the altar as a sacrifice. What was God’s plan? How could he give up the son he had waited so long to have. How would God fulfill his promise? After three long days Abraham was faced with this great task from God, and he had to choose. We know how it turned out, but Abraham did not, especially for those three days. He just walked and talked with Isaac and in the end put his faith in God. What a transformational moment in his life, more so because he spent three days building up to.

The story is similar for Jonah, and for the Israelites on the banks of the Jordan river. They faced monumental tasks. They believed in God, but they also saw their situation and not just a passing glimpse. In both of these cases they sat and viewed their circumstances and evaluated their faith and then decided to act.

So three days was a significant period of time for many of God’s followers from the start. A time that turned Abraham from a father of one, to a faithful servant of God and a father of nations. A time that turned Jonah from an unwilling prophet into a spokesman for God who turned the hearts of a City. So perhaps in these three days we see the journey of Jesus from a carpenter who loved God into something more. Into the Son of Man that was ready to bring his message to the people. What amazing things God can do in three days.

Now, before we return to Cana I have to make a small confession. I don’t know that the third day was the same day as the third “the next day” in these passages. One commentator said that from Bethany to Cana was a three Day Journey across Galilee. Ok, maybe this was the sixth day after Jesus was baptized and not the third. But I think either way the writer's choice to note that “On the third day” Jesus arrived at the wedding was significant. I think it invites us to look at all that God has done in so little time and ask what could God do through us on the third day, if we joined in right now.

Now, back to our hero in Cana. Jesus, and his newly formed group of five disciples, arrive at a wedding. Jesus’ mother is there and appears to be helping with the refreshments. It is likely this was a family member's wedding and it is typical for various members of the family to help to serve and provide for the feast. The servants come to Mary and let her know that the wine has run out. Mary turns to Jesus and says simply “they have no more wine”. To which Jesus asks, what does this have to do with me? Apparently Jesus hadn’t been given responsibility for refreshments for the celebration. He goes on to say that his time has not come. Maybe he had a feeling that his mother was asking him to perform a miracle, and not just go buy some additional wine. Mary’s response was simple. She does not even address Jesus’ question. Instead she turns to the servants and says “Do whatever he tells you”. I think maybe Mary knew something that Jesus was still working through. Mary knew that Jesus’ three days had passed and now was his time. He had passed through his transition from God fearing carpenter to messianic minister. But she did not argue her point to Jesus. She did not instruct him to take action. She did not rebuke him for not stepping into his appointed role. She simply told those who were waiting to do what he said, and she went on her way.

While the miracle of turning water into wine is amazing, maybe it isn’t the greatest lesson we can take from this event. The miracle was part of the epiphany, at least for the disciples that witnessed it, that Jesus was more than a man. But the subtle actions and quiet guidance of a mother is something that everyone can take something from. Mary has been quietly watching Jesus from the day he was born in a stable. The wise men came proclaiming the appearance of the star in the East, and she hid that in her heart. Jesus stayed behind at the temple causing his parents to have to search for him, for three days according to Luke’s Gospel, and when they found him talking to the priests everyone was amazed, and Mary hid that in her heart. Mary was always watching Jesus as he grew and developed. So it only seems right that now, after another three day transformation, that she sees more in him then he is ready to step into. So she just opens a door and invites him to step through.

In our lives we have probably experienced both sides of this event. We have probably been a new member of a team, not feeling ready to fully participate, when a coach or boss encourages us to step out. How we were encouraged has a massive impact. Were we shoved out or gently encouraged? Did we feel invited and supported or did we feel crushed by expectations? How we feel can often have a far greater impact on the outcome than how ready we are. 

We may also have been in our workplace watching a new, young employee growing into their position and knowing they are ready for more. We have probably seen hesitation at taking on a responsibility that seems too heavy. We know that the other person may think the risk is too great and they would prefer to just hang back. However, we see that they are ready. We know that they may need support, but we know that we are ready to give it. How we express our confidence in them may determine how they move forward.

We have a multitude of opportunities to take the role of Mary. If we pay attention to the people around us we can get a sense for who they are and what they are called to do. Mary knew who Jesus was, and who he was meant to be at his fullest. So she he opened the door. We can not overlook the first part of the process. Mary watches Jesus. Are we taking the time to get to know the people around us? Are we opening doors when we can, and inviting them into a higher version of themselves? I think this is the greatest thing we can do for the people around us and for our community and beyond. However the first step is to develop the relationship that lets us know who a person is, and where they are going. The second step is to see the opportunities that are around them, and to open the door. What relationships are you building and what doors are you watching for others that will help them step up into something more than they are today?

Thanks for reading.

David

Want to know why I am writing these articles? Look here.

You can find all of the readings for today at this link.

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/Epiphany-2C