This morning we continue in the season of Epiphany. The word “epiphany” literally means, manifestation or appearance. Epiphany is the season we celebrate and remember the manifestation, the appearance of Jesus especially to the Gentiles. In other words, Epiphany is often thought of and spoken of as the Gentile Christmas. Epiphany is the season to celebrate that not only is Jesus the Savior of His own people, the Jewish nation, but He is our Savior as well, indeed, He is the Savior of all people, all nations.
Three weeks ago we celebrated Jesus’ birth. Two weeks ago, the day after New Year’s Day we celebrated the circumcision and the naming of Jesus. Of course, unless New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, this celebration is usually skipped over by most churches. Although the coming of the wise men is usually included in most Christmas children’s programs, and as we have heard many times, the wise men really did not show up until some time after Jesus was a year to a year and a half old as the Gospel writer Matthew says, “And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (2:11). The day the wise men came to see Jesus is the day we call Epiphany and is celebrated on January the sixth. Here again, like the celebration of the circumcision and naming of Jesus, unfortunately, unless January the sixth falls on a Sunday it is usually skipped and not well celebrated by most churches. We do however celebrate the Sundays after the Epiphany of which today is the second such Sunday.
Anyway, two weeks ago we fast forwarded from the time of Jesus’ birth to the time of Jesus being twelve years old and going up to Jerusalem with His parents to celebrate the Passover, one of three festivals the children of Israel were required to attend. And as we noted it may have been His bar mitzvah celebration as well, that is the day He was considered an adult in the temple, something like our confirmation rite. Last week we again fast forwarded eighteen years to Jesus being thirty years old when He came to John the Baptist to be baptized by him in order to fulfill all righteousness and to begin His public ministry. So, up until this time we have really only seen the humanity of Jesus, that is, we have only seen Jesus as a human being.
Our text for today brings us to the point that Jesus has begun His public ministry. By the time of our text, Jesus has already chosen, at least some of, His disciples. In our text, His mother, Mary, was invited to a wedding, which was held in Cana. And Jesus, along with His disciples, went with His mother for this festive occasion. Yes, Jesus was human. Yes, He did have a good time. Yes, He did drink wine. And still, He did not sin. Some of you may be thinking of the way in which Jesus has been portrayed in movies and on television over the past years. The pendulum has swung from Jesus being quite a stiff, a King James speaking character, which portrayed His being God so much that He was almost not human. Now the pendulum has swung the other direction so much so that in movies and on television today Jesus is portrayed joking and having fun with His disciples, and, unfortunately in some shows, He is seen as actually doing sinful things and thinking sinful thoughts. Today we see Him in His humanity, in His humanness even to the point of Him not being divine, that is not being God. The fact of the matter is, no matter how Hollywood might portray Him, Jesus is both human and divine, He is both God and man and He is perfect in His humanity and divinity.
In our text for this morning we catch up with Jesus and at this time He had done no miracles. He was recognized as a “rabbi,” that is as a teacher. He was recognized as a prophet, but He had not yet begun to do the “signs, wonders, and miracles” to show Himself to be God.
This morning, in our text, Jesus begins to reveal His divinity. Jesus had gone down to Cana with His mother and His disciples. The wedding was into its third day. Jewish weddings usually lasted a week. The wine was exhausted, they were out of wine, which could be a social tragedy. Mary, who had been pondering all these things about her Son since His birth, came to Jesus in faith and expressed to Him that “They have no more wine.” Jesus’ words to His mother was that His time had not yet come. The time had to be right. Jesus was on a schedule. Time and again there is the expression by Jesus concerning time. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for the world and the timing had to be just right, so it begins with His ministry and with His first miracle, the time had to be right.
In faith, His mother told the servants to listen to Jesus and to do what He says. And He does not say much. He told the servants, “fill the jars with water.” He was talking about six stone water jars which held about twenty to thirty gallons of water each. These were jars which, we are told, normally were used to hold water for the ceremonial washings which were a regular part of Jewish life.
After the servants had filled the jars, then, when His time came, when the time was right, Jesus did a miracle. Notice that He did not wave His hands in the air. He did not say any magic words. He did not make any scene in which to draw attention to Himself nor what He was doing. He simply told the servants, after they had filled the jars of the one hundred and twenty to one hundred and eighty gallons of water, “Now draw some of it and take it to the master of the banquet.” These servants thought they were taking water to the master of the banquet. Certainly they were wondering why He would tell them to do this, because they were out of wine not water. Yet, on the way to the “master of the banquet,” the water was changed into wine, but not just wine, this was the best wine. Jesus had performed His first miracle. And of course, as God, His was a perfect miracle, a miracle changing water into the best wine.
John tells us that the reason for this miracle was to “reveal His glory,” in other words, as with all the signs, wonders, and miracles that Jesus performed, and that John so meticulously points out, they show that Jesus is truly God because no human could do the miracles that Jesus did. And in this instant John tells us that the affect of this miracles was that “His disciples put their faith in Him.” Indeed, as was the case many times when Jesus performed signs, wonders and miracles, many people believed in Him. Yes, there were those who refused to believe even when witnessing such proofs, such as the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, but many others did believe.
Okay, so what? Why does John tell us about this first miracle? Why do I need to know about this or any of Jesus’ miracles? Let me tell you something about John, especially John as a Gospel writer. One thing you will notice about John, as you read through His Gospel, is that he continually talks about and points to the “signs, wonders, and miracles” which Jesus performed in order to show Himself to be the Christ, the Messiah, true God in human flesh.
We know Jesus was a human. We celebrated all the human events in His life, His birth, His circumcision, His attending the Passover, His being baptized. He is a human and it is important that He is a human, because if He were not a human He could not be our substitute, He would not be able to live for us, in our place, the perfect life demanded of us. He would not be able to take our sins upon Himself and suffer the eternal death penalty of hell of us, in our place, He would not be able to die for us in our place. So, we know and we celebrate Jesus as a human.
Now, as we look back, we see, clearly, that Jesus is truly God. John shows us that Jesus is God through the “signs, wonders, and miracles” He performs. It is important that Jesus is God, because if He were not God then He would not be able to do the miracles He did. If He was not God He would not have been born sinless. If He was not God He would not be able to rise from the dead. So, we know and celebrate that Jesus is God.
Now, some might object, saying, that was then and this is now. The inference being that the past does not affect the present. Let me assure you, Jesus life was in the past, but His life affects us still today. And let me also assure you, Jesus is still alive. He is in heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father watching over us, ruling over us and interceding for us.
Likewise, Jesus death and resurrection were in the past, but they affect us still today. If Jesus were not human and divine. If Jesus had not lived His life for us. If He has not been perfect. If He had not fulfilled all the promises and prophecies of God. If Jesus had not suffered, died and rose for us, we would still be in our sins. There would be no hope for us. As Paul says, “we would be pitied the most.” These events are of such importance that our lives depend on them. For, to separate ourselves from these events is to separate ourselves from our Savior, and apart from our Savior there is no life, only death, even eternal death. Apart from Christ we would be pitied the most.
And so, we do review and relive the events of the past knowing that they do have an effect on us today. The account which we relive this morning happened in the past, but it shows us how our loving Lord deals with us yet today. The usual way of celebrating a wedding was to bring out the best first. You would serve the best first because everyone would be able taste it. It was after everyone had enough wine to drink and they began being a bit tipsy, after everyone had enough to drink so that they would not be able to taste the wine, then the other wine was brought out, the second best wine, the not so good tasting wine, but not so with Jesus. When Jesus does a miracle, He does it first rate. Jesus always gives His best.
Even so today, Jesus still brings us and gives to us the best. Jesus does not do things partial or second rate. He does not earn just a little of our salvation and expect us to earn the rest. What He gives to us is His best, His all, complete salvation. He even stirs in us our response to Him, that is our response of faith.
As we travel with Jesus during this season of Epiphany, as we will travel with Him through the seasons of Lent, Easter, Pentecost and later again, through Advent, we travel with Him recognizing Him to be our Lord and Savior, truly human, truly divine. We recognize Him for what He came to do and to give and what He continues to do and give. He created us to love us. He gives us life at conception. He gives us faith, forgiveness and life at Baptism. He gives us forgiveness through Holy Absolution. He gives us His body and blood to eat and drink in His Holy Supper. He gives Himself for us. He gives us faith, forgiveness and life. He gives and gives and gives and we are given to. Jesus, God, in Christ, gives us the best gifts. So that all that is left is that He also stirs in us to rejoice and say, to Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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