The Marriage at Cana

        This record, in John 2, is most often talked about because of the miracle it contains. Jesus’ first recorded miracle certainly should tell us a great deal about Him. But I want to look at the total event, again using a little bit of that “sanctified imagination”. 

        This was a wedding—what greater cause could there be for a gathering of family and friends: religious and irreligious, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile. And why, particularly, was Jesus there? Somebody there was his friend. He wanted the best for not just the bride and groom but for everyone there. Maybe He got to say a few words in the after-dinner speeches.

        Here is where we can learn a few lessons about spreading the Good News, about fulfilling the Great Commission. I find the whole incident “culturally apt”— I can picture the exact same event taking place in exactly the same way, in a thousand towns or villages in, for example, Italy or France. Maybe just to solidify the picture in our minds, the following sonnet will help:

 

The happy bride and groom have made their vows;

    They’ve traded rings and greeted every guest.
The food and wine are good. The lights burn low.
    The sun has long since sunken in the west.

A waiter whispers that “The wine’s run out!”

 

“No way! We bought enough for everyone!”

“Don’t worry,” a soft voice nearby calls out.
“My Son is here and He can fix what’s wrong.”

“Just fill those pots with water, fresh and cold,

Then take it to the master of the feast...”

The master is amazed and speaks up, bold:—

“This is the wine of heaven, at the least!”

And so, you see, when life and joy decrease,

We know to Whom to go to get real peace.