1 And the third day there
was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called,
and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine,
the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have
I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the
servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there
six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with
water. And they filled them up to
the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and
bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the
feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but
the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the
bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every
man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk,
then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him. (John 2:1-11)
Jesus is the
Alpha and Omega of all things - the Beginning of Creation and the end thereof.
It is no coincidence that the first institution of God at Eden was the
Institution of Marriage (Gen 2:21-24); and the first miracle Jesus
wrought was at a Wedding in Cana of Galilee. The miracles of Jesus were to
emblazon upon our minds who He was, and what was His purpose in establishing
His Church. The Church is very much related to that first institution in Eden,
and it is considered the second Institution of God, though a type and figure of
the very first.
The marriage covenant involves a solemn on the part of both parties to the
marriage to remain faithful and subject to one another until death does them
part. That is also the covenant entered into between Christ and His Bride, the
Church; except rather than parting the parties to that covenant, death simply
seals and perpetuates that great marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.
The beautiful wedding ceremony of the Book of Common Prayer - so beautiful that
most traditional churches use it - opens with these words:
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EARLY beloved, we are gathered
together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join
together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable
estate, instituted of God, signifying unto us the mystical union that is
betwixt Christ and his Church: which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified
with his presence and first miracle that he wrought in Cana of Galilee, and is
commended of Saint
Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be entered
into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly,
and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate these two persons present come
now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined
together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace.
The above paragraph is the opening introduction to the Wedding Ceremony in the
Book of Common Prayer. Then follows a solemnly serious charge to the two who
are betrothed:
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REQUIRE and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day
of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either
of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in
Matrimony, ye do now confess it. For be ye well assured, that if any persons
are joined together otherwise than as God’s Word doth allow, their marriage is
not lawful.
The charge follows explicitly the counsel of Holy Scripture concerning God's
will and moral law for the institution of marriage. This means that Marriage is
for life. It is a serious entering into an estate in which both are to love and
cherish one another for as long as they live. The Scriptures are very clear in
condemning any plurality of marriages, or unlawful so-called marriage between
persons of the same sex. That which God has ordained from the beginning
(marriage between one woman and one man) cannot be abrogated by any manmade
governors or sitting legislatures. If a minister conducts marriages of
perversion, he is immediately disqualified as a minister of the Living God.
This passage from St. John 2 under study is directly related in every marriage
ceremony I have ever witnessed or conducted!
In my view, this phrase: This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, Is the most beautiful of all the Bible to me. When we
look at John 1:1, see how it correlates to the beginning verse in Genesis: “In
the beginning….” John 1 and Genesis 1 refer to beginnings.
Now look at John 2 and Genesis 2: both refer to the institution of the first
marriage, and every lawful marriage to follow:
Gen 2: 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he
slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had
taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of
my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
This is the first
relationship God ordained for man – marriage – even before the church!
Now we come to John 2 and what do we find? Once again, God is honoring and
sanctifying, before Christ’s Church has been inaugurated, the institution of
marriage.
The town with poetic name, Cana of Galilee, was a neighboring community of
Nazareth where Jesus grew up. These people were doubtless close friends. The
wedding couple were perhaps near the same age of Christ (thirty) and may have
been personal friends to Christ or the family of Mary.
His mother, Mary, was also there along with the disciples. This occasion
immediately follows the beginning of the earthly ministry of Christ. Remember
in John 1 Jesus is baptized of John the Baptist and undertakes his ministry at
that time. So the marriage at Cana is the first miracle and blessing that Jesus’
wrought in His ministry. He did so to emphasize its importance in the eyes of
God.
If marriages fail, so does God’s Church because marriage is the building block
for, not only the church, but families and nations.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him,
They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet
come.
How could our gracious Lord but rejoice at the commencement of that stupendous
work of Divine mercy which, determined upon before the world began, by the
kindness of God the blessed Trinity, He had now come to effect? Yet whilst the
Lord Jesus cheered His heart at the commencement of His ministry by adorning
the marriage feast with His presence, and so contemplating His own union with
His spouse, the Church, there is melancholy in these words, "Mine hour is not yet come," which speaks
to the heart of everyone who truly weighs their meaning.
The time will come for Christ when the wine of life is no longer His. He must
lay down His life for us. He understood this, while Mary, His mother, did not
know these things. His mother
saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." This is
also Godly counsel for us today: "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it!
It was a great
humiliation to exhaust the wine supply at a wedding in the time of Christ. And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled with the Spirit". (Eph
5:18) The Holy Spirit is the Wine of God. It
makes us behave in ways the world does not understand.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
Here is an example to us of obedience. They are out of wine. Jesus has been
called upon to remedy the matter. He tells the servants to fill the waterpots
with water. Does this make sense? But notice, no one questions Christ. They
obey this seemingly ridiculous counsel without so much as a question. We should
also unquestioningly be obedient to Christ in all circumstances, good and bad,
of our lives. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and
bear unto the governor of the feast.
It was customary that the Master of ceremonies first taste all new wine before
serving. But, this wine is different. It is the new wine of Heaven which cannot
be placed in old bottles.
9 When the
ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence
it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast
called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at
the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that
which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. As we have witnessed in the life of
Joseph, of Moses, of Job…God most often saves the best wine of life until last.
Do we remember the Ninth symphony of Beethoven, 5th Movement -
The Ode to Joy at the last? All of my life, I have longed to have fine young
men and women as my family. I could never physically have so many children as
God has given me in His Kingdom. God has given me so many fine young people who
have inspired and encouraged me! He has saved my best wine for last, and
God has given it to me during the Winter of my life….AMEN.
