SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

[cappie]

Today's Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus' ministry and his first miracle. We can think of these first weeks after Christmas as a season of “epiphanies.” The Gospel is showing us who Jesus is and what He has revealed about our relationship with God. Last week and the week before, the imagery was royal and filial—Jesus is the newborn king of the Jews who makes us co-heirs of Israel’s promise, beloved children of God. Last week in the liturgy we went to a baptism. This week we’re at a wedding.

In John’s Gospel, the first of Jesus’ signs—what the other Gospels call “miracles”—was turning water into wine.   The other things John calls “signs” that Jesus did include healing the sick, raising people from the dead, feeding a multitude on five loaves and two fish, and appearing, resurrected from the dead, among his amazed disciples. So “signs” are big, important, reality-shifting events.

As a “sign,” what does turning water into wine point to? What makes this wine so important?  Well, a wedding or another big family celebration then, as for many  now, was a time for good wine, a time to spend scarce money on the rarer things of life—a time to share food and drink that was special, not every day. And because wine was something connected with special times and celebrations, it was a great sign in the Bible of the heavenly banquet, a feast at the end of time as we know it.

 Furthermore, as we heard in our first lesson, a symbol of God’s joy over God’s people, of God’s deep love for people, is a bride and a bridegroom and the delight and rejoicing they share, like at a marriage celebration.
So, when Jesus makes gallons and gallons of wine at a wedding reception, it is a sign¬, pointing to the scriptural promises that God will bring all people to God’s own self, that God will pour down God’s love and the abundance of God’s joy on all people, that the perfection that lies in God’s great future is real. But more—that the future abundance and grace and joy has begun in Jesus Christ.  

That’s why turning water into wine is the first of the signs Jesus did, and the rest of the signs follow. It’s saying, look! God’s future has begun in Jesus.  God’s future is available now. In the present. In this life. We don’t have to wait, and we can trust that God will keep God’s promises for the end of time, because Jesus already brought the possibility of joy and hope and new life now, even into this world. Perfection is not yet fully present; perfect wholeness still lies ahead. But trust Jesus—God will keep God’s promises. God’s future has already broken into the present in Jesus.

So, how do we participate in this ? Mary gives the answer: do whatever he tells you. Seek to know what Jesus Christ asks of you. This is the essence of discipleship.  This is the key: do whatever he tells you.

Notice that the people who knew where the water turned into wine had come from, were the servants. The ones who did what Jesus told them to do. While everyone else around them was caught up in whatever was going on at the party, the servants got to witness a miracle.

And they got to participate. They got to have a hand in Jesus’ first sign. They just did what Jesus told them to do: “Fill the jars with water” and they do. No arguing,  “Now draw some out” and they do. “And take it . . . So, they took it.” No, “Hey, Jesus, I have a better idea . . .”

They just do the simple, straightforward things Jesus tells them to do and they get to participate in a miracle.

Do whatever Jesus tells you. Water becomes the finest wine. The mundane becomes miraculous.

Jesus tells us all some very simple, straightforward things to do. There are lots of verbs in the gospels.  Jesus tells us to do things: love, share, give, serve, listen, learn, worship, pray. It’s probably not so much what we do as why we do it, knowing that “the same God” produces these different works and services in his very different children.   Do it. You may participate in a miracle, you may get a glimpse, a sign of God’s perfect future, a sign of God’s heavenly feast, even right here, right now.