Do whatever He tells you.
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we become so familiar with a passage of scripture
that we think we know what it is all about.
This season between Epiphany and Lent is not wasted.
The readings move us forward.
We are moving toward an ever increasing manifestation of the glory of God.
Many people believe that Christianity
is a set of propositions or beliefs
that we choose to accept,
and then we try to live moral lives
as an expression of those beliefs.
We are discovering
that Christianity is a conflict
between two kingdoms
and two systems.
The Kingdom of God
and the kingdoms of this world.
I am going to make your head explode this Sunday as
we look at the Wedding at Cana.
This is the first recorded miracle in the Gospel of John
and John states that this was the first miracle of Jesus.
John says
that through this miracle
Jesus manifested his glory
and this disciples believed in him.
That's a big thing to say about
wine at a party.
Maybe it's not about the wine.
The first clue
is how this story starts.
John says
"on the third day
there was a wedding at Cana."
"On the third day"
is a phrase that is very important.
It is at the heart of the creed:
"on the Third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures."
And this "third day' theme is like an echo
backward in scripture
and forward to today.
Today is the third day.
We gather to worship on the third day,
and every Sunday points toward the day after tomorrow.
We are looking forward to a wedding
and that wedding will be between Jesus and his bride.
But it is also looking backward.
On the Third day Abraham offered Isaac.
On the Third day Israel walked through the red sea.
And the third day
always marks the entrance of the Kingdom of God
into this world.
So on the third day
there was a wedding at Cana
and John introduces us
to the Mother of Jesus.
The Mother of Jesus was there.
And she notices that they have no wine.
People traveled great distances on foot
to come to these weddings,
and the weddings lasted about a week.
Cana was about a day's journey on foot
from Nazareth and Capernaum.
Running out of wine
indicates one of two things:
either someone was not a very good planner,
or the couple has limited means.
And there is a very important detail:
we never see or hear of the bride and groom.
We have the Mother of Jesus
and Jesus.
Mary and Jesus are the ones discussing the problem,
not the ones with the problem.
And the mother of Jesus
does something out of order:
she initiates
a miracle.
In this moment
Mary takes on a role that would have been familiar
to the Jewish audience who heard this story.
Mary
is acting as the "gebarah" or Queen Mother.
In ancient Israel,
the Queen was not the important person in the court,
largely because there are multiple wives.
This is a recipe for chaos.
The person who ruled and reigned with the King
was his mother.
This is why David chose Solomon as his successor.
He was choosing Bathsheba
as the next Queen mother.
And so Mary seemingly steps out of the shadows
and says to Jesus
"they have no wine."
And Jesus knows what she is asking.
And he says it's not time.
And Mary,
knowing that it is the "third day."
This is the day
God is going to act,
ignores Jesus
and tells the steward,
"Do whatever he tells you."
And then
we get to the most important detail.
This is not about the wine.
You have heard me say again and again
that numbers in the Hebrew mind
are a language all their own.
John is a master of using numbers.
Every time John uses a number,
that number means something.
John remarks that there were six stone jars.
Six is a powerful number.
God created Adam on the sixth day.
Six is the sum of 1+2+3.
Six is the symbol of a perfect system
without God.
In God's system
there is an unfinished edge.
The edge of the field is to be left for the poor.
The edge of your garment is to have an unfinished edge.
The seventh day is a day of rest,
and you feel off balance without the rhythm of work.
Removing God puts us in control,
and we can build something perfect
without that unknown part.
If you multiply six times six
you get thirty six.
It is all neat and tidy.
It is the perfection of work.
And the perfect accounting of all things.
If you add all the numbers from one to 36,
you get 666.
This is the world's system
and it seems wonderful at first
until you see that it is the source of endless oppression.
It is a life without rest
and effort without relief.
This is humanity
without God
becoming demonic.
Six is a big number.
And John tells us that there are six stone jars
used for the Jewish rites of purification.
Whenever John uses the term "Jews" or "jewish"
He is talking about the religious system
that emerged out of the Pharisees.
He is talking about religious judaism after the temple.
This is a perfect religious vision.
If we keep the law perfectly
we will make God come.
These rites of purification
were not from the Torah
but were a practice that emerged around the time of Jesus.
There was a trend to add more and more rules
and ritual washings were a big part of the additions.
This is why Jesus confronts washing several times in the Gospels.
So often we think we can add a little to what Jesus said
and that is credited to us.
Adding to the word of the Lord is just as evil
as outright disobedience.
John says the jars were made of stone,
because these rites required jars made of stone.
The jars were made of white Jerusalem limestone
and they were turned on a lathe.
You collected water from a stream or a spring,
and you put it into stone jars.
The jars were ritually clean,
because they were made of stone
and stone would not defile the water.
Do you see what these stones represent?
They are layers upon layers of attempts by people
to make something clean
from the outside in.
It was an endless system.
And think about the cost and trouble,
and waste,
involved in making a big jar out of stone.
This is a system of endless perfect work.
And Jesus tells the stewards
fill the jars with water.
And when they draw water out of the jars,
the water had become wine.
And here is the best part.
Because those jars have been used for wine
they are now ritually impure.
They can never be used again for the rites of purification.
This is not about the wine.
It's about the system of this world.
The Kingdom ruins you
for the old system.
Jesus just made wine
with no work.
He didn't pray or say a blessing.
He told them to fill the jars,
and draw out the wine.
And in the serving
the water became wine.
You can choose to be trapped
in perfect work,
but this is ultimately another Kingdom.
It appears to be light,
but in the end
it is the ultimate expression of evil.
It is enmity with God.
This is "We will build a tower with bricks up the sky"
and make a name for ourselves.
The Kingdom isn't about you making a name for yourself.
What Jesus does
is completely undermine that system
and he mocks it.
He says
"You can wash the outside of the cup,
but I am going to fill the cup
with the best wine."
I am going to make your life of drudgery
a celebration
and that celebration
is going to manifest my glory.
It's not about the wine.
It's about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus
on the third day
is releasing a new age
and a new covenant
and the best wine
was saved
for last.
The Kingdom
of God
is really, really good wine.
In one of my books
I say that the New Covenant is new.
It is not the old one with jazzy music.
A lot of people
live in an old covenant mentality.
Graham Cooke once said that he was afraid to move to the US
because the US is under a religious spirit.
And once I went to the National Religious Broadcasters convention
and the biggest advertising and biggest booths were
for Christians teaching people how to take on the Jewish law.
And people were eating it up.
John is telling us
don't do add to what you have received.
There is nothing good or nobel in doing more than God asked.
I was at a house of prayer in New York last week
and they said they have to work to make Jesus come.
Jesus is already here.
Jesus and his mother are already talking about
what to do in New York City,
and the direction is always the same:
do whatever he tells you.
Nothing more,
nothing less.
This is the Kingdom.
And this frustrates a lot of people
because it confronts our desire to build the tower of Babel.
Jesus is not impressed by your religious hooha.
Jesus is holding out his hand
and in it is a ladle
ready to pour out the best wine
for you and your friends
to partake.
And in the celebration
of the cup of blessing,
you will receive his glory
and you will believe.
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