The story of the Wedding at Cana is a familiar Biblical account.  Jesus and his disciples attended a wedding.  The family had either underestimated the number of guests or their capacity for consumption.  In either case, they ran short of wine.  Jesus’ mother asks him to help the family out.  He intervenes by turning water into wine.  John points out that this was the first of his “signs.”  John deliberately doesn’t use the word miracle.  The theologians immediately point out that the “sign” speaks to the Lord’s divinity–that he is God.  But John has already indicated that Jesus is God.  Could this possibly be a double sign?

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Nothing ever seems to go exactly as planned at a wedding. We had finished supper and were preparing for an evening at home at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi when the phone rang. It was a civilian pastor who was scheduled to conduct a wedding at the chapel. He said the groom had not arrived and he was already late for another appointment. Could I come over and do the wedding? I quickly threw on a uniform and raced over to the chapel. The wedding party was assembled. The guests were in place, but the groom had yet to arrive. The bride had gone from being concerned, to worried, to angry, to contemplating homicide. About forty five minutes later the groom came sauntering in. He had to run a few errands. I began the service with “Don’t kill him in the chapel. Blood is hard to get out of the carpet.” On another occasion, I was performing a wedding for a young lady that I had known since she was a young teenager. As I began the vows, I happened to glance at the bride. She looked pale. I asked, “Do you need to sit down?” At which point the bride fainted.

Nothing seems to go exactly as planned at a wedding. Take for example the wedding reported in the Gospel lesson for today. Apparently the groom’s family had underestimated either the number of guests or their capacity for consumption. They faced embarrassment because they ran short of wine at the reception. Marriages began a little differently in Biblical time. They took place in two stages. The first part was the legal agreement in which a father contracted for a bride for his son. The girl would often be fairly young—thirteen or fourteen years old. This is what our translations refer to as “betrothal.” The Hebrew word actually refers to “paying the price,” and thus gaining the right of possession. The bride would often remain with her own family for another year or so, giving the groom time to become established and capable of supporting a wife and family. At that point he, and his friends, would come to claim his bride, and it is this that is referred to as the marriage ceremony.

When it became evident that the groom’s family was going to be embarrassed, the Lord’s mother came to him with the request that he do something. His reply to her was not flippant or disrespectful, as it sounds in English, but rather formal. His response indicated that his revelation as Lord was not dependent on his mother’s request, but on God’s timing. He does, however, respond, and in a most generous way. He directs the servants to fill six stone jars, each holding twenty or thirty gallons, with water and take them to the steward or master of ceremonies for approval. When that dignitary tasted the water turned wine, he commented that this was a better wine than anything offered so far.

The point of the whole account lies in the concluding verse: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” Note that John uses the term “sign,” rather than miracle. The emphasis is on the meaning, not on magic. As the theologians point out, the purpose of the sign was to help the disciples and us understand that this Jesus is really God himself. It points to his divinity. But could it not be a double sign—not only pointing to the Lord’s divinity, but also to his involvement in the lives of ordinary people?

John opens his Gospel with a clear statement of the divinity of Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This is followed by the report of John the Baptist who refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God. But embedded in this is the statement that the Word became flesh and “tented” among us. And the very next chapter finds Jesus and his disciples at a wedding celebration.

In small town Texas a wedding or a funeral involves the whole community. I remember a friend of mine talking about helping to prepare a Barbecue for 750 guests. I would not be surprised that a celebration like that reported in the Gospel lesson would involve a good share of the neighborhood. When Jesus is called upon to assist, he is at first reluctant, but his mother is certain that, like a good Jewish son, he will do something. She informs the servants to do whatever he asks. Not only does the Lord intervene, but he intervenes in a most generous way. He doesn’t just provide wine, he provides at least 120 gallons of wine–a wine better than anything served to that point. That should keep the party rolling for a while.

What is John trying to tell us by inserting this account at this particular point in the Gospel? That Jesus is Lord? Certainly. That Jesus is capable of performing a miracle? Certainly? But we, those who hear his Gospel, already know that Jesus is God, even though the disciples have not put everything together yet. In a few verses, John points out that this one who is God himself takes time to involve himself in human life—even to the point of rescuing a family from embarrassment.

Suddenly John’s use of the term “sign” becomes vitally important. It isn’t necessary to point to the miraculous manner in which water suddenly becomes wine. We know that God can turn water into wine if he so desires. A sign is there to convey information. Beside the highway signs are mounted on gigantic poles so that they can be seen. They tell us that here is a place to refuel, or spend the night, or find something to eat. Although now, most consult their smart phone for that kind of information, but even that is a sign. The sign to which John points is not simply that Jesus as God can do this, but that he does it for people at a wedding celebration. This may be the real significance of the sign. If Jesus can involve himself for the guests at a wedding, he can also involve himself in our lives.

Think of all the times that Jesus reaches out and touches someone—the sick, the blind, the deaf, the leaper. Think of the times that he reaches out to someone who was on the fringes of society—the Samaritan woman by the well, a short little tax collector. Think of the many times he reached out to the Pharisees who often despised him. Jesus could use the power of God for the sake of people. And to carry it to its extreme, as a human, Jesus could sacrifice his life on the cross, he could really die, and as God he could rise from the dead to the benefit of all people.

Isn’t this the sign that John would have us to read in this passage? The one who is God himself, the one in whom is focused all of the power of God, is involved directly with you and me. He takes part in our celebrations, and he walks with us in moments of difficulty. That’s the sign that towers over everything—God Is There For You! But he probably expects you to buy your own Mogen David.