A sermon by: Fr. Gene Tucker, given at: Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Sunday, January 17, 2010
Isaiah 62:1–5; Psalm 96:1–10; I Corinthians 12:1–11; John 2:1–11
“The best is yet to come.”
That’s the essential meaning of the event which took place at a small town called Cana, located some miles ten miles or so north of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, the changing of water into wine at a wedding celebration there.
Jesus’ action allows the best wine to come at the late in the celebration, not at the beginning, as was customary.
Now today’s gospel text is a small window into the ancient world, and into its marriage customs. They differ considerably from ours, today, in some respects. Let’s recall some of those differences and similarities:
- The marriage wasn’t a one-day affair. The ceremony itself and the attendant party (yes, that would be the right word) lasted for perhaps a week or so. So, it was important to have plenty of wine on hand for the celebration, for the many guests who would come, and for the length of the celebration itself.
- “You always put your best foot forward,” or so the old saying goes. Here, we see that principle affirmed in the words of the steward, who comes to the bridegroom and asks why the best wine was saved for last. Put into contemporary terms, we’d say that you serve your fine French wine (perhaps a Chateau Lafite 1955) first, and then, after everyone’s judgment is a little less sharp, you trot out the Three Buck Chuck (for those who don’t know, that would be Charles Shaw wine, which sells for about three dollars a bottle). Clearly, that wasn’t the case when Jesus is the vintner.
- There’s a hierarchy of people serving the wedding and its attendant party. Named in today’s account are servants, the steward of the celebration, and the bridegroom. Notice that the same hierarchy often attends today’s wedding celebrations, for we have people who serve in the kitchen, waiting tables, catering, and so forth. Not much has changed over 2,000 years.
Now, we return to the text itself, keeping in mind our theme for the day and for this sermon: “The best is yet to come!”
Notice that several of the threads that are present in today’s account will follow us through to the end of the gospel story, that is, to the cross and to the empty tomb. These threads are:
- Mary’s presence at the wedding feast, and at the foot of the cross (see John 19: 25 – 28), though she is not named in either passage, and her resolute faith in both instances.
- A pouring out of water, into the stone jars which were used for the purification rites that the Law of Moses required, and out of the Lord’s side as it was pierced by the lance when He was on the cross.
- The third day….The wedding takes place “on the third day”, John tells us. The resurrection also takes place on the first day of the week, which is the third day after the crucifixion.
- Jesus’ “Hour”. Jesus says to His mother in our text today, “Woman, what is that to you and to me?” (This is a better translation of the Greek.). He then says, “My hour has not yet come.”
It is Jesus’ reference to His “Hour” that promises better things to come. All throughout John’s gospel account, we hear this word again and again, “Hour”.
What is Jesus’ “Hour”?
It is the time of His death and resurrection. It is the time when His glory is most clearly seen. That’s John’s distinctive understanding of the crucifixion and death. It is his understanding alone, among the Gospel writers.
Here, we can truly say, “The best is yet to come.”
For it is in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we come to see that “The best is yet to come.” It is through His death and resurrection that the best is yet to come for us, and for all who have believed in Him down through the ages. For it is “for us, and for our salvation,” (as the Nicene Creed puts it) that this death occurred, and it is for us, and for our salvation, that the victory over death is achieved on Easter Sunday morning.
You see, all of these things have a forward-looking aspect to them: they have you and me in mind! All of these things take place so that the “best is yet to come” for us.
And how can we claim for ourselves that guarantee of the “best things”?
It is to today’s event, and to the events which followed in Jesus’ earthly ministry, that we return.
Notice that John does not call today’s changing of the water into wine a miracle. He calls it a sign.
Furthermore, he calls it the “first of His signs."
John also connects this sign to a proving of Jesus’ identity, the one who comes “from the Father.” The desired result is that those who witness Jesus’ signs will come to faith in Him, in His identity as the only-begotten Son of the Father.
And in between, there will be many more signs, all of which underscore Jesus’ identity, His power over the created order, His power over death itself. All of these signs point to the fact that “The best is yet to come.”
Some of these signs we can recall briefly….Remember the healing of the lame man (chapter five), the restoration of sight to the blind man (chapter nine), and the raising of Lazarus from the death (chapter eleven). All of these things promise us that “The best is yet to come.” They also promise us that Jesus’ “Hour” will be the time of His best sign, His victory over death and the grave.
Near the end of his gospel account, John writes these words, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20: 30 – 31)
Notice that John again writes about signs. He also connects these signs to the eyewitness account of the disciples, who will become the apostles in due time. Furthermore, he makes the clear point that the entire thrust of Jesus’ signs, His death and resurrection, and the eyewitness account of the disciples, is so that you and I will believe.
For, you see, we are Jesus’ signs in the world today. We are the present-day manifestation of “The best that is yet to come.”
AMEN
