JOHN 2:1-11
SEVERAL YEARS AGO JOHNNY
CARSON HAD AN EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY ON HIS SHOW. THE BOY HAD SAVED A
FEW LIVES, AND IN THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION, HE TOLD MR. CARSON
THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN. JOHNNY ASKED HIM WHETHER HE WENT TO SUNDAY
SCHOOL. HE REPLIED THAT HE DID. HE ASKED HIM WHAT THEY HAD TALKED
ABOUT. HE TOLD THEM THEY HAD DISCUSSED THE STORY OF THE WEDDING
FEAST AT CANA. THEN JOHNNY ASKED HIM WHAT LESSON HE LEARNED FROM
THAT. THE BOY THOUGHT FOR A FEW SECONDS, AND REPLIED, “IF YOU ARE
GOING TO HAVE A WEDDING, YOU HAD BETTER INVITE JESUS.”
JOHN'S GOSPEL IS VERY
RICH; YOU CAN FIND LAYERS AND LAYERS OF MEANING PRACTICALLY
EVERYWHERE YOU TURN. IT REALLY IS A WORK OF GENIUS, OR MORE LIKELY,
INSPIRATION. AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE SIX WATER
JUGS, OR ABOUT MARRIAGE, OR ABOUT JESUS' RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS
MOTHER, AND WHAT HIS STRANGE STATEMENT TO HER MEANT. BELIEVE ME,
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT WRITTEN ABOUT THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE.
BUT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT
EVERYTHING.
DID YOU EVER NOTICE HOW
THE MIRACLES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ARE GENERALLY PRETTY SPECTACULAR –
PARTING THE RED SEA, HAVING THE SUN STAND STILL, HAVING LIGHTNING
CONSUME ELIJAH'S SACRIFICE, SOAKED IN WATER, ALTAR STONES AND ALL, IN
FRONT OF A HUGE CROWD. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, NOT SO MUCH. WE HAVE
THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND, WE HAVE RAISING LAZARUS; BUT MOST
OF THE TIME THE MIRACLES OF JESUS ARE KIND OF QUIET, LIKE THIS ONE.
IT SAYS THAT THE SERVANTS NOTICED, BUT THE STEWARD, THE ONE WHO WAS
SUPPOSED TO NOTICE EVERYTHING, THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE MADE SURE
THERE WAS ENOUGH WINE IN THE FIRST PLACE – HE DIDN'T NOTICE. AND
WE CAN PRESUME FROM THE CONVERSATION THAT THE BRIDE AND GROOM, AND
PROBABLY ALL THE WEDDING GUESTS EXCEPT THE APOSTLES, DIDN'T NOTICE.
EVERYONE WAS HAVING A GREAT TIME AND IT APPEARS FROM THE STORY WE
JUST HEARD THAT A LOT OF THE GUESTS WERE A LITTLE LOOPY BY THE TIME
THE GOOD WINE THAT JESUS HAD MADE WAS SERVED.
AND LOOK AT THE
SITUATION. IT ISN'T A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION; IT'S JUST A COUNTRY
WEDDING, AND THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN IS THAT THE COUPLE
WOULD HAVE TO LIVE DOWN SOME EMBARRASSMENT BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PLAN
AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD HAVE.
WHEN WE COME TO MASS, WE
OFTEN SAY LOFTY PRAYERS; WE PRAY FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD, WE PRAY THAT
OUR POLITICAL LEADERS WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON THE POOR; WE PRAY THAT
ALL PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR. BUT WHAT WE PRAY
FOR PUBLICLY ON SUNDAY IS CERTAINLY NOT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT MOST OF
THE TIME. WE THINK ABOUT OUR HOMEWORK OR OUR NEXT GAME OF SOCCER OR
BASKETBALL; WE THINK ABOUT THE NFL PLAYOFFS; ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GOING
TO PREPARE FOR SUPPER; ABOUT THAT NEW ACHE OR PAIN THAT WE HADN'T
NOTICED BEFORE. WE THINK ABOUT LITTLE THINGS, THINGS THAT DON'T MEAN
MUCH ON A COSMIC SCALE; THINGS LIKE WHETHER WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH WINE
ON HAND FOR OUR WEDDING GUESTS.
THERE ARE TWO THINGS TO
NOTICE HERE. FIRST, JESUS CARES ABOUT THESE LITTLE THINGS. HE CHOSE
TO WORK HIS FIRST MIRACLE – AND JOHN CALLS THEM “SIGNS” – AT
A WEDDING IN A LITTLE TOWN AT A TIME WHEN VERY FEW PEOPLE EVEN
NOTICED. AND HE WORKED THE MIRACLE TO SAVE A YOUNG COUPLE FROM
EMBARRASSMENT OR PERHAPS, TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING. THE YOUNG COUPLE
GETTING MARRIED WOULD LOOK BACK ON THIS DAY, AND SAY, WHAT A
WONDERFUL WEDDING WE HAD! JESUS WORKED HIS FIRST MIRACLE BECAUSE HE
LOVED THEM, HE WANTED THEM TO BE HAPPY, AND HE WANTED THE WEDDING
GUESTS TO BE HAPPY.
THE SECOND POINT IS THAT
MARY SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN HIM TO CHANGE HIS MIND. HIS INITIAL
RESPONSE WAS NEGATIVE – “WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME,
WOMAN? MY HOUR HASN'T COME.” JESUS “HOUR” MOST SCHOLARS
THINK, REFERS TO HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS, THE MOMENT WHEN HE OFFERS
HIMSELF TO THE FATHER, ACCEPTING THE PUNISHMENT FOR SINS THAT WE
DESERVE. BUT MARY SAYS, “THIS YOUNG COUPLE'S PROBLEM IS ALSO WORTH
YOUR ATTENTION. YOU MAY HAVE GREAT THINGS TO DO, IT MAY BE YOUR JOB
TO SAVE THE WORLD AND CONQUER SIN AND DEATH, BUT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT
NOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO CHANGE YOUR
PLANS. AND JESUS, WHO AS A HUMAN BEING GREW IN WISDOM AND STATURE,
LEARNED FROM HIS MOTHER, THE SAME PERSON WHO AFTER BEING TOLD THAT
SHE WAS TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE MESSIAH, WENT TO COOK AND CLEAN AND
HELP OUT HER OLDER COUSIN ELISABETH.
I HAVE A PICTURE ON MY
WALL AT HOME. MY 85 YEAR OLD UNCLE, WHOSE FACE SHOWS EVERY HARD YEAR
OF BEING A FARMER IN MONTANA, SITTING WITH MY SON, WHO WAS ABOUT TEN
AT THE TIME. MY SON IS TALKING, AND MY OLD UNCLE IS LISTENING WITH
FULL ATTENTION. MY UNCLE COULD HAD BEEN HAVING AN ADULT CONVERSATION
WITH ANYONE ELSE AT THE PARTY. BUT HIS WHOLE ATTITUDE SAYS, “I
CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT. I CARE ABOUT YOU.”
AFTER THINKING ABOUT THIS
GOSPEL, I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MIRACLES IN MY OWN LIFE – THE ONES THAT
I HARDLY NOTICED. THE WAY GOD LED ME TO FIND MY WIFE. THE SEEMINGLY
RANDOM CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MADE ME CHOOSE MEDICINE FOR A CAREER, AND
LATER FIND MY VOCATION TAKING CARE OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. THE MANY
MOMENTS WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT SOMETHING CAME ALONG THAT
SHOWED ME THE ANSWER. I GUESS I COULD DECIDE THAT THESE WERE ALL
COINCIDENCES, BUT IF WE ARE REALLY CHRISTIANS, IF WE REALLY BELIEVE
IN AN ALL-POWERFUL, LOVING FATHER WHO IS OUR GOD, WE HAVE TO ADMIT
THAT THERE AREN'T COINCIDENCES. AND THEN WE BEGIN TO SEE HOW HE HAS
BEEN ACTING IN OUR LIVES TO LEAD US TO THIS PRESENT MOMENT.
THE SIGNS IN THE GOSPEL
OF JOHN, AND THE MIRACLE AT THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA IS THE FIRST OF
THOSE SIGNS, TELL US ABOUT HOW GOD IS. AND WE CAN BE CERTAIN THAT HE
IS ALWAYS THERE IN THE MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES WHERE WE WOULD LEAST
EXPECT HIM TO BE, SHARING OUR PAINS AND PLEASURES, ANSWERING OUR
NEEDS EVEN BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED; AND OFTEN DOING IT SILENTLY,
BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT WHAT WE CARE ABOUT, HE CARES ABOUT US.
THIS WEEK WHEN YOU HAVE A
FEW MINUTES, LOOK BACK ON YOUR OWN LIFE, AND ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU HOW
HE WAS THERE WHEN YOU NEEDED HIM; HE WAS THERE IN LITTLE THINGS, IN
UNIMPORTANT THINGS, IN WHAT WE CALL COINCIDENCES. WHAT WERE THE
TURNING POINTS IN YOUR OWN LIFE? AND GOD WAS THERE.
IN THE MIRACLE WE HAVE
JUST WITNESSED, A MIRACLE WHICH THE BRIDE AND GROOM DID NOT EVEN
NOTICES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ABOUT THEM, JESUS TELLS US THAT NOTHING IS
TOO SMALL OR TOO UNIMPORTANT FOR HIM TO BE INVOLVED. HAVEN'T WE GOT
AN AWESOME GOD?
