Read John 2:1:12
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days.
ACT I, SCENE V
Cana of Galilee, a wedding. Enter MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS, DISCIPLES, GUESTS, SERVANTS, and MYSTERIOUS STRANGER, masked.
This would be the last scene of the first act. The audience has been introduced to most of the principal characters and the central question: “what are you looking for?” has been asked. The Mysterious Stranger has only spoken a few lines of dialogue, and is now ready for the precipitating event to kick off the main action of the play as a whole. In the case of the book of John, Jesus begins to unmask himself with his first miracle at the wedding in Galilee. This is not Jesus’ climactic moment or even a terribly consequential act, but it does serve the important purpose of introducing the “glory revealed” to us that was mentioned in the opening lines of the gospel. John points back to the prologue with this miracle and says, ‘remember what I told you? You’re about to become witnesses to the glory of God through Jesus. This miracle is just the beginning!’
Act II will see Jesus embarking on his ministry throughout Jerusalem and the surrounding area. His disciples, who have been called as representatives of the tribes of Israel, follow him from one miracle to the next as witnesses to the truth of Jesus’ teaching but also to the revelation of his glory. Again and again they think they have his true identity, and then another miracle, another parable, another encounter knocks their theories aside. “What are you looking for?”
As we continue to read through the book of John, let’s try to respond to that question that Jesus seems to ask over and over: What are we looking for? Are we guilty of the same hasty labeling that seems to plague the disciples? Are we approaching the scriptures with an idea of who Jesus is already so firmly closed and bolted that the real Jesus is locked out? To be reliable witnesses, as Jesus calls us to be, we must be willing to have our eyes opened from our blindness (John 9:30), to unplug our noses from the stench of death that has disappeared (John 11:39), to truly hear him (John 18:21), to touch him (John 20:27), and even to taste the flesh and blood shed for us, (John 6:55). Jesus calls us to witness his glory with the evidence of our senses rather than clinging to our idols.
Pray: Holy Jesus, Son of God, we offer ourselves to you. Grant us the ability and the will to receive your word. You have erased our sins with your sacrifice. Send us out as witnesses to your glory and to build your kingdom on earth as in heaven. Amen.
Exeunt MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS, DISCIPLES, GUESTS, SERVANTS. The MYSTERIOUS STRANGER removes his mask.
