Cana Wine

Cana Wine 

As the mother of an adult son, my first observation as I reflected on this week’s Gospel, was the relationship between Jesus and his mother, Mary. We see here a mother who believes in her son, who has some innate sense of his calling, who knows he can do something to help save the hosts of a wedding from embarrassment. And this is what makes me smile, because I have done it myself too many times, she puts him on the spot and makes it difficult for him to say “no”. And Jesus, as an adult who is still living at home with his mother, does what my son has done so often in response to my subtle requests: he resists, but then goes ahead anyway and does what she asks. And so begins his public ministry as told in the Gospel of John. 

But let’s take a closer look at what actually happened on that day at Cana. It was a party, a wedding celebration, an occasion of joy, and Mary, who noticed everything, noticed that the hosts had run out of wine and she didn’t want them to be embarrassed. Like all mothers, she knew her son’s strengths, knew  that he could help, perhaps she was even more aware than he was. As parents, we see the gifts and strengths of our children, often from a very early age; “they have a beautiful singing voice, they like to draw, enjoy sports, read a lot.” And as parents we notice other qualities in them like kindness, generosity, compassion, a sense of justice. Mary would have learned over the years that she could trust Jesus, trust his actions and his timing; he was after all thirty years old by this time, but on this occasion, he needed a nudge from mom to act! Which makes their mother/son relationship very relatable. 

And then there are those stone jars standing innocuously in the corner:  filled with water, likely for the purpose of washing the feet of guests as they arrived from the dusty roads. And we can certainly be impressed that Jesus performed a miracle and turned that water into wine. It was the finest wine that was served that day, and the next time Jesus blesses and distributes wine will be at his last meal with his disciples before his death. 

So what does Jesus want us to learn from this?  We’re impressed by the miracle, but what does it mean? What is the point?  

One of my favourite prayers that we say regularly here at St. Matthias is Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Where are the stone jars standing in the corners of our lives? What can God do with our empty stone jars if only we will trust him? Our stone jars may be our time. Our resources, our love and care for those in our parish and beyond, and let’s not minimize the power of prayer. 

Perhaps the point of this story for us is less about the miracle that Jesus performed and more about us recognizing him as the Son of God and being able to trust him to fill our own stone jars. Today, as we reflect on the first of Jesus’s signs recorded in John’s Gospel, I have to ask:  is there a greater sign than the Son of God washing his disciples’ feet, is there a greater sign than the Son of God dying on a cross for us all? Is there a greater sign than Jesus offering us a simple meal of bread and wine, and declaring this bread and this wine to be his very self? 

Jesus turned water into wine and it was a great sign; one that we remember all these years after it happened. But if we really want to see a sign involving wine, we need look no further than what we find on this altar every Sunday morning. When we give thanks and remember the cup of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood, shed for us and for all people for the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of the fullness of life. It turns out that it is not wine that makes life extraordinary, but Jesus who pours out his life and his love lavishly and unconditionally, like the wine that flowed so freely that day at Cana.