Second Sunday In Ordinary Time
John 2:1-11
The wedding at Cana in Galilee, a small town north of Nazareth., begins the public life of Jesus in John's gospel. The episode occurs only in John's gospel. John notes, 'The mother of Jesus was there." John never mentions her name. She is present at the beginning and end of Jesus' public life, both times under a title, "the mother of Jesus" or "his mother." Mary's role in the story of the wedding of Cana is to be the channel through which Jesus inaugurates his ministry. Jesus and his disciples were invited. Interesting it is that immediately after John notes the presence of Jesus and his disciples he adds, "When the wine ran short...." Does he make a connection with the tradition in Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34 where Jesus notes people accusing him of eating and drinking too much?
Mary's role begins, "The mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine!’” There is far more to this statement than meets the eye. We are involved in the mysterious workings of the mind of John and his fondness for symbolism as a teaching device. A major feature of John's theology is that Jesus perfects and/or replaces the major institutions of the Old Testament. "They have no wine" therefore indicates the inadequacy of the rituals of the Old Testament. This becomes even clearer when John observes that the six stone water jars standing in the house were for ceremonial (ritual) purification. As pious Jews entered a home they splashed water from these jars onto face, arms and hands to "purify" themselves from contamination in the market place or other public business.
Jesus' reply to his mother seems brusque, "Woman, what is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come!" Again we are involved in symbolism. The "woman" whose ministry of service inaugurates the ministry of Jesus will be the "woman" at the foot of the cross who will be designated to expand her ministry. Jesus will address her from the Cross, "Woman, behold your son." The "son" is the "Beloved Disciple" who represents all Christians as children of Mary. It was not a later development in the Catholic Church that exalted the mother of Jesus to this unique status. This exaltation has its foundation in the Gospels of John and Luke. The "hour" or "time" of Jesus in the Gospel of John does not fully arrive until John 12:23 when Jesus says, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified." His glorification consists of his Passion, death and resurrection.
The mother of Jesus is not put off by what seems a rejection. She says to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." With these words her role in the story is finished, but not her role in the Church. These words would ideally accompany any statue or representation of Mary, "Do whatever he tells you." We might hear her say, "It's not about me. It's about Him." Jesus orders the servants to fill the six stone jars of water used for ritual purification as noted above. They are not empty, but neither are they full. They represent the rituals of the Old Testament. These will now be perfected or replaced by command of Jesus. The miracle is not described, only its results. Jesus says, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." The headwaiter's response sums up the meaning of the change of water into wine, "You have kept the good wine until now." The Letter to the Hebrews opens, "God spoke of old.. .by the prophets, but in these last days.. .by a Son."
SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/paulleingang/Desktop/p14 dilger 02 @font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 2pt 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
The wine not only symbolizes the replacement of the old rituals by the new. It may also refer to the Eucharist perfecting the wine of the Passover meal. John adds two verses later, "The Passover of the Jews was at hand." According to John each of the six jars held 20 to 30 gallons. At the most this would be 180 gallons of wine. There was a popular belief that, when the Messiah arrives, there will be an overabundance of the finest wine. John therefore proclaims Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. To close the story, John adds the purpose of the "signs," (his term for Jesus' seven miracles in this gospel), Jesus worked, signs of his identity, his glory, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did in Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him."
ISAIAH 62:1-5
About 520 B.C., an unknown prophet we call "Third Isaiah" appears in Jerusalem as God's cheerleader. Jerusalem is suffering "a Great Depression." He promises vindication, glory, victory, the homage of kings, a glorious crown, a promise to be called "the Delight of the Lord," the land of Israel to be called "the Espoused of the Lord." The symbolism of marriage is extended, "As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder (the Lord) shall marry you. As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you. The references to espousal and marriage determined the choice of this reading to accompany the gospel of the marriage at Cana.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11
Paul is concerned with healing the disunity of his new and unruly congregation at Corinth in Greece. Apparently there was jealousy, envy, ambitious striving for higher positions or gifts. Paul reminds them that there are different gifts given to individual members of the congregation, all gifts from the same source, the Holy Spirit, each gift to benefit all.
