2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Simham)
What does the miracle at Cana mean
The story of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, I think contains one of the most powerful messages in all of Scripture. But often we look at it at the peripheral level and are satisfied with it. But we do not go deep into the actual message it contains. The reason why I say this is because St. John who wrote this gospel was not writing it as a story.
Therefore if you and me think that this story is about a great disaster at a wedding party and mother Mary coming to their rescue in their hour of need. And Jesus obliging to his mother’s request, we are missing the bus. I am not saying that it is wrong. But that is not the whole truth contained in it. But there is something more in it. None of the other Gospel writers saw the miracle at Cana as something worth recording. They were much more impressed with the healings and exorcisms. But John remembered Cana. John saw in the miracle at Cana a sign that served to define the very purpose for which Christ had come into the world. The servants at the wedding saw water turned into the finest wine. John saw a man who in this first sign declared himself as an agent of transformation.
Remember, it is only in the Gospel of John that Jesus is recorded as saying, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” This statement, I believe, is what the miracle at Cana is all about. Water, the basic necessity of life, is changed into wine–the symbol not just of life, but of abundant, joyous, and celebrative life. Wine in Scripture is a symbol of joy and warmth and celebration and abundance. In changing the water into wine and allowing the wedding celebration to continue, Jesus is clueing people about his own mission. Jesus has come to transform the world.
We often think of transformation in terms of opposites. We think God takes our ugly lives and transforms them into beautiful angels of mercy. God takes us when we are crawling along on our bellies and gives us wings to fly. God take us when we are broken and make us whole. But there is another type of transformation that is modelled at Cana. At Cana, the object of transformation is something that is already good and pure and necessary. There is nothing that needs fixing in the water. Water is good. The message of transformation at Cana is not about making the bad good, but about making the good even better.
It is first, I think, a message about the Law and Judaism. The jugs that Jesus had filled with water were the water jugs used for ritual purification and washing. They were there so that the wedding guests could comply with Jewish law. Jesus takes that ritual water and turns it into something that wouldn’t satisfy the law. Washing your hands in wine wouldn’t count. Jesus is making a statement about the Law. The Law is life-giving, necessary, good, and pure. But Jesus came to transform the Law into something that was not just necessary, but joyful. It wasn’t that the Law was ugly or evil or impure…what they had was good, but it was just the basics. Jesus came to transform the Law through Grace…put God back into it…put love into it…make it more than plain water…make it wine. Give it texture, taste, let it warm you as the glow spreads through your veins, let it free you to love and laugh. Jesus came to take the wholesome duty of the Law and make it giddy with joy.
And that message that Jesus gave to the Jews at Cana he also gives to us. This is not the message about the transformation of the sinner. This is the promise for those whose lives are really pretty good. The transformation at Cana is the promise for those who are pretty much on the right track–those with a basic level of faith in God, who treat their neighbour with respect and mercy, who live a life of basic moderation, gentleness and self-control. This is the message for those whose life is like water–good, nourishing, and life-sustaining. That is you and me.
And the message is, I think, “lighten up.” It is not God’s desire that we live our lives with only a sense of duty and resignation. It is good that we obey the commandments, but there’s more to life with Christ than obedience. “I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Not just life, but abundant life…joyous life…a life lived in freedom. This doesn’t mean God promises us material wealth. It doesn’t mean we are promised a life free from pain and suffering. It doesn’t mean you’ll never do another task you don’t enjoy. But, it does mean, that when the water of our lives becomes wine through the touch of Jesus Christ, that even the worst circumstances that life can offer have a richness and depth that they never had before.
Fr. Showreelu Simham