Good wine till the end

Daily Catholic Lectio

Saturday, 7 January 2023

Christmas Weekday of January 7

(First Reading: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Gospel Reading: Jn 2:1-11)

 

Good wine till the end

 

Today we read in the gospel the first sign of Jesus at Cana. This is the first of the seven signs recorded in the Gospel of John. For John, sign (‘sēmeion’ in Greek), a wondrous deed or miracle, means God’s intervention in human history in a new way through the person of Jesus. Signs reveal Jesus as the Messiah to the people of Israel. This narrative is not found in the synoptic gospels. In the apocryphal gospels the narrative is presented as if Jesus worked this miracle to help his family and friends, but our text does not attest this. This story of replacement of Jewish ceremonial washings (cf. Jn 2:6) presents the initial revelation about Jesus at the outset of his ministry. He manifests his glory (‘doxa’ in Greek) – another important term for John, and the disciples believe.

 

The sign happens on the ‘third’ day. ‘Three’ signifies plenitude and completion. John uses ‘the third day’ to introduce a key moment in Jesus’ public ministry. Another number ‘six’ is found in the narrative, counting the jars present at the locus. Some scholars interpret that ‘six’ is a number of incompletion and imperfection, and Jesus becomes the seventh jar bringing completion and perfection to the event. But, from the point of view of replacement of Jewish rituals this interpretation makes less sense. 

 

There are two transformations in the narrative: first, the narrative moves from no wine to abundance of wine; second, at the end the disciples believe in him (the text does not say whether the disciples believed in Jesus earlier). 

 

Reflect on the first transformation, i.e., movement from no wine to abundance of wine. Three persons become catalysts in the narrative: the mother of Jesus (John never names her as Mary), the servants, and the steward or head of the servants. The mother of Jesus identifies that there is no wine, presents the case before Jesus, and instructs the servants ‘to do whatever he tells them.’ The servants do what Jesus tells them to do – to fill the jars with water up to the brim. The steward testifies to the goodness of the wine and appreciates the bridegroom for the same.

 

Let us compare the event to our own lives. Our life is a wedding feast. We have Jesus, and our significant others. There emerges an emptiness – due to loss of health or a loved one, love struggle, work stress, or unforeseen difficulty. We are at a standstill. We can’t go on water down the wine. If we do so, we will become inauthentic and farce. What’s the way out? 

 

Like the mother of Jesus we need to identify what is lacking. The servants inspire us to do whatever the Lord tells us – without questioning or doubting. The steward makes us testify to what is sweet. Intertwined with these three persons we have Jesus, the miracle-worker. He does not work a magic, but initiates a transformation – from one step to another.

 

By moving from one step to another, and walking one step at a time, we are able to keep the good wine till the end. 

 

Two things are consoling from the first reading (cf. 1 Jn 5:14-21): ‘we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us;’ ‘we know that we belong to God.’ 

 

Let us fill our empty jars with water. He is there to transform it to wine. For, we belong to him. Now and ever.