Something To Wine About

 

These days, huge wedding celebrations are commonplace, and I can't think of anything better to celebrate than a couple making a commitment to love each other for a lifetime.  But today's celebrations can't compare to the wedding parties that took place when Jesus walked the Earth.  Wedding celebrations lasted for a week or more.  One of the center pieces of the wedding celebration was wine.  Jesus attended a wedding celebration that was just getting going good, when his mother approached him to let him know that the hosts had run out of wine.  Jesus' response was surprising.  "Woman, why do you involve me?  My hour has not yet come."  But Mary told the servants to get Jesus whatever he needed.  Jesus directed the servants to get six twenty gallon jars used for ceremonial washing and fill them with water.   When the liquid was presented to the master of the banquet, the water had been turned to wine.  Jesus had completed his first public miracle.

But why did He pick this one to start with?  It seems a bit underpowered based on what we now know He was capable of.  The celebrations were not just about the bride and groom, but a union of the couple's families, and the new family's connection with the community at large.  With wine being such an important part of the celebration, running out of wine wasn't just a social faux pas, it was a public disgrace.  The family avoided public shame and scrutiny when Jesus provided the new supply of wine.  

But why did Jesus respond to his mother so sharply?  Being fully human, He knew that this miracle would start a string of miracles that would lead to His death.  "My hour has not come yet".  But being fully God, He knew that His greatest miracle would be his own resurrection.  It's no coincidence that the evening before Jesus' death, He directed all who follow Him to drink wine as a symbol of His blood shed on the cross as atonement for our sins.

Praise God for the supernatural way that He gave himself to us.

This post was inspired by Chapter 4 of Tim Keller's book, Encounters with Jesus.