Jesus at Cana

Feasts were a big deal in Jesus’ day. Wedding feasts in particular. The celebration would last for a whole week. Everyone looked forward to this kind of event because it meant good food, good wine, and good times with friends. I think it is so beautiful that at one of these feasts Jesus performed his very first miracle.

Here’s how it all played out. Jesus mother had been invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus had just gathered around him the friends that we would call the 12 disciples, and they too were invited to the celebration. Perhaps Jesus saw this event as a time to strengthen the bond with his new friends. Whether because of His wisdom, or His kind eyes, or some other incredible reason, they were drawn to Him. This time, however, they would just hang out. Sure, that sounds slightly less reverent than one might to like to hear Jesus described. Many probably like to picture Him with a solemn look or a kind smile as he taught his disciples. And there were surely times that he was that way. But can you imagine that Jesus, here at this wedding, laughed with his friends. He enjoyed their company and they enjoyed his. He probably told some good jokes too. For Jesus, it was a special time. He knew that he would have about three years with these men. His first miracle would begin an all too short ministry. But here, at this feast, he was just with them. The King was dining, and dancing, and celebrating with his people.

As Jesus sat enjoying the feast, his mother, Mary, approached and informed him that the wine supply had run out. This was a big deal. In a culture that saw hospitality as an important duty, it was an embarrassment for the host to run out of wine. Jesus’ mother may have been helping the hostess prepare and serve the banquet or perhaps just overheard the bad news, either way she no doubt was very concerned for the reputation of the wedding hosts. So when she approached Jesus and asked him to intervene, he said, “’Woman, why do you involve me?...My hour has not yet come.” I do not see Jesus as solemnly, even poetically, asking his mother why she would bother him with a problem like that. Nor do I see him as being stern with her. I think Jesus looked at His mother, while in the middle of a laugh, and said these words in a kind, joyful manner. Did you ever have a moment when you were playing a game with friends or brothers and your mom comes in and tells you that you need to load the dishwasher? I remember times like this. Sometimes we’d be jokingly say, “Isn’t that your job mom?” and she’d laugh at our witty response but we knew she still meant business. So we’d say, “I’ll do it in just a minute. 5 more minutes?” and she would say, “No, now”. I see this sort of interaction with Jesus and his mom. Jesus was almost saying, “C’mon mom, 5 more minutes?” She probably smiled back and gave a look that mother’s often give their children, one that’s masqueraded as stern, with raised eyebrows that mean business but a half-smile that shows understanding and says, no, now. She doesn’t give Jesus much of an option, does she? She just tells the servants to do whatever He tells them to, and Jesus obeys. Jesus loved his mother dearly.

This story is so beautiful because we see Jesus as wanting, if just for a moment, to feel the friendship and fellowship of the people He created, without thinking about the price He would have to pay. “Please Just 5 more minutes just being with my people before they know how serious things are going to get?” Perhaps He wanted to savor the moment, and His mother’s words brought him back to the reality of His path. The moment He did the miraculous, the moment people knew who He was, the closer He came to the cross. Jesus knew what He would have to do, and it was time. So Jesus turned the water to wine. He “revealed His glory (John 2:11).” And we aren’t talking a couple of bottles of wine as a gift for the bride and groom. The amount of water that Jesus turned into wine would be the equivalent of 908 BOTTLES of wine. And it was the best wine, because host of the banquet was surprised that the groom had saved the best wine for last. In this Jesus revealed His deity, and His friends stood in awe. He did the impossible before their eyes, and scripture says that they put their faith in Him. Now, there was no turning back. The journey toward Calvary had begun.

I don’t think the story ended there though. As Jesus watched the people enjoy the wine he had miraculously made for them, I wonder if He longed for the day when He would rejoice with them again in the Kingdom of God. There nothing would run out. There they would all be free. At that point, as He watched the people He would die to save, perhaps Jesus’ fear of the cross changed to courage. He knew that this path would eventually lead Him right back to this very celebration. A path that began with a feast.