The humiliation of the exile and captivity of the people of Israel generated negative labels for Jerusalem and the nation. God proposed a change, and names like “desolate” and “forsaken” were gladly exchanged for “my delight” and “married.” The names signified the renewal of the nation and restoration as God’s beloved people.
Names and labels can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. In our own day, a nation recently enacted a law allowing women to change the negative and shame-based names that they were given at birth — names such as “useless” or “unwanted” — to more pleasing and dignified names. Calling people, groups and nations by names that evoke goodness and beauty can have a positive transforming power.
One-upmanship is an age-old human tendency. People love to display their plumage and paint themselves in ways superior to others. This is even (especially!) the case in the area of spirituality and religion. Some of the folks in Corinth were quite impressed with themselves. After all, they were endowed with some flashy spiritual gifts — prophecy, tongues, healing and teaching — so they were “obviously” more favoured by God. In his usual manner Paul deflated their egos with his combative rhetoric. All of these gifts were manifestations of one reality: the Spirit. There was only one Spirit, and the gifts that were distributed were all for the common good. They did not belong to anyone but were merely on loan. The spiritual journey and life in a Christian community is not about self-aggrandizement — it is about God and it is entirely God’s show. Using spiritual gifts or office for self-advancement is a sign of selfishness and ingratitude.
The story of the miracle at Cana is mysterious. It is reported only in the Gospel of John, and unlike the many other miracles of Jesus in the New Testament, it was not in response to physical or psychological suffering. We are not even sure where Cana was because there are three contenders today for the site of the miracle. It even seemed to interrupt the ministry of Jesus at a premature and inconvenient time, but Jesus was flexible in responding to changing situations.
During a wedding feast to which Jesus, His mother and some of His disciples had been invited the hosts ran out of wine. Wedding feasts usually went on for several days and in a traditional culture the honour and reputation of the family was now at stake. The humiliation would not have been forgotten or diminished by time or apologies. The nameless mother of Jesus — she is not named in the Gospel of John — approached her son and laid the problem before Him. Surprisingly His response to her seemed brusque and to our ears a bit rude. It was not the proper time to begin His ministry. But the mother of Jesus knew her son and seemed to have a role in His ministry. She merely told the attendants to do whatever He ordered.
The six huge stone jars filled with water became the finest wine, much to the amazement of the chief steward.
This miracle was not performed merely to dazzle people but to communicate a message. Indeed, in the Gospel of John miracles are called “semeia” or signs, and they always signify something important about the person and identity of Jesus. In the Old Testament (e.g., Amos 9:13; Joel 3:18; Isa 25:6) abundant fine wine signified the time of the last days. When the steward observed that the best wine had been saved for last, the signal was clear: the last days had begun and Jesus was the herald of the dawning new age. This was the first of His seven signs and it was here that He first revealed His glory — divine power — drawing some of His disciples into a deeper faith. Compassion, revelation and the increase of faith were all part of this miracle.
We are invited to drink deeply of the wine of the new age, which in John means the Spirit.