Debuting the Glory of God
“As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.”Isaiah 62:5
If you were the Lord and was about to begin your public ministry, what would the first thing you do be? Maybe some big miracle or some extravagant sign to show that your power comes from the Father. But, for Jesus, He was a guest at a wedding and seemingly reluctantly performed His first miracle. They ran out of wine, and His Mother asked Him to do something.
Mary and Jesus were at a wedding in Cana and His disciples were there too. John tells us that this wedding happened on the “third day,” and it is not without reason. This concept of the “third” day can bring to mind several things — when Moses went up Mount Sinai, he was told that on the third day God will go down and appear before the people, showing His glory (cf. Ex. 19:11, 15, 16; Deut. 5:24). It also reminds us of the Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead. But this three can also mean something more — if we read John’s Gospel closely, we see that it was been four days already and this “third day” makes it the 7th day, alluding to creation in Genesis, reminding us that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and that all things were created through Him. In other words, John is telling us that Jesus is God, and what He was about to do at this wedding reveals His divinity.
When the wedding party realizes that wine is running out, Mary gets a wind of this and tells Jesus to which He gives a seemingly flippant response “How does your concern affect me?” Unlike most people, Mary did not get upset with Jesus and scold Him, rather like in all things, she probably pondered it in her heart, and then she told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you,” trusting that just like God has done in her entire life, He will realize His will when the time is right. Jesus orders the servers to fill the jars and in a most quiet way, He turns the water into wine. Just as Jesus provided for the wedding party, He will provide for us. At this wedding, Jesus turned water into wine, but at the heavenly feast, Jesus, the Bridegroom, shed His very own blood for His Bride, the Church, so that all might be saved.
Even when things seem impossible or when things are not going as planned, may we approach them with hope, heeding the call of Mary to listen to and to do whatever the Lord tell us for when we do, we will come to experience the glory of God, trusting that God is already, has always been, and will always be at work for our good.
Watch this week’s reflection below
