How could Mary, knowing what she did (Lk. 1:45), still not understand that Jesus must be about His Father’s business (Lk. 2:50)? How could John the Baptist, knowing what he did, still send from jail to find out if Jesus was really the Christ (Lk. 7:18-19)? The answer has to do with Jesus’ humanity. He looked very much like an ordinary human being, which He was. He was God, but He became “flesh.” He was Mary’s baby. He was John’s cousin. But it was now time for Jesus to reveal that the Son of Man was also the Son of God.
His “reveal” was at a wedding feast in Cana of
Galilee. It was a very human event. The bride and groom were joined by friends
and relatives for a celebration that could go on for days. Mary was there, and Jesus and His growing
group of disciples were also invited. While
this is a “nice” story, we need to keep in mind: it is not about Jesus’
drinking (and creating) wine nor about Jesus’ support of marriage. The point is that at this wedding, Jesus “manifested
His glory” (2:11).
The story turns in v3-5. Mary, who may have had some responsibility
for this feast, told Jesus they were out of wine. Jesus’ answer was not disrespectful when He
called His mother “woman.” This was how
He said it (cf. Jn. 19:26; 20:15).
Literally, His question is, “what to Me and to you?” Why should I be involved in your affair? Jesus’ reason for this question is, “My hour
has not yet come.” Up to this point,
Jesus has been a son in a family, “the son of Joseph” (Jn. 1:45). What Mary was asking for required that He become
much more open about who He was and why He had come to earth! It was time to show the signs of His
glory. She was releasing Him from the
family to do His Father’s business.
The miracle is pretty straightforward. Jesus performed a creative act, something
only God could do. He did it without a
magic wand or reciting some incantation.
He truly manifested His glory. As
John the Apostle, the human author of this Gospel account, put it: this story
was written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you may have life in His name (20:31). Faith in Christ brings conversion, as water
to wine, so it is from sinner to saint.
William Hendrikson’s
summary of this event is well put:
… everything else remains in the
background. Who was the bridegroom? We do not know. Who was the bride? We are not told. In exactly what relation did Mary stand to the
wedded pair: was she, perhaps, the aunt of bride or groom? Did Nathanael serve as ‘best man” (friend of
the bridegroom)? Also on this our
curiosity receives no satisfaction whatever.
In the full light of day stands the Christ. All the rest is shadow. What Rembrandt did for art, John, under the
Spirit’s guidance, does for religion.”
The issue is the person of Christ: is He the
Son of God?
No comments:
Post a Comment