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Looking for a Sign
John 2: 1 – 11 |
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Summary
Looking for a Sign At this time last year, America’s political analysts were engaged in a breathtaking countdown. Well, it wasn’t really breathtaking, but they did their best to make it seem as if it was. It didn’t matter if the analysts were on television or radio, newspaper periodical or website, whether they were liberals or conservatives, Republican, Democrat or independent, they were leading us in that curiously American political ritual: They were examining the first hundred days of the new president. There isn’t anything really, truly significant about the first hundred days. It isn’t in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. In fact, the concept wasn’t born until the first administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The basic idea is simple: In the first hundred days (a nice, round number!) of a new administration, we can get an idea of the kind of president we have and the kind of programs he will seek to institute. Jesus’ “first hundred days” In a very real sense, today’s lectionary lesson is just such a political document. Nearly 2,000 years ago the most thoughtful and sensitive people in the nation of Israel were waiting for God’s Messiah. But the Messiah wasn’t someone whom they would elect; he was someone whom God would send, and it would be up to the people to recognize him so they would follow him. The gospel of John uses the word sign. In the other gospels, the writers might refer to miracles, but John doesn’t use that word. You see, a miracle is an end in itself, because it draws attention to itself. But a sign points somewhere. At intervals in John’s gospel, John tells something special that Jesus has done, and says that it is a sign. After John has told us the story we read a few moments ago, he says that it was the first of Jesus’ signs. It “revealed his glory,” John says, “and his disciples believed in him.” With that in mind, let me tell you the story. It is a very important story, because it is a “first hundred days” kind of event, something that indicates what kind of leader Jesus is going to be. And it is especially significant since it is the first sign. Jesus and his disciples had been invited to attend a wedding in Cana of Galilee. In those days, in that part of the world, wedding celebrations continued for several days, and it was the responsibility of the family to have plenty of food and refreshments for the people who dropped in to offer good wishes. But sometime in the course of this particular wedding, Jesus’ mother whispered some bad news to Jesus: The family had run out of wine. Obviously Jesus’ mother thought Jesus should do something about this, as is evident by Jesus’ reply: “What concern is that to you and to me?” And then he continued with a phrase we’ll return to later: “My hour has not yet come.” Jesus was saying that at this point in his life, this problem was none of his business, and he didn’t want to get involved. But Jesus’ mother saw it differently. She told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Very clearly, Mary expected her son to do something about the problem, and she put him on the spot to do so. The sign of joy Well, I think you know what followed. Jesus pointed to six stone water jars, each with a capacity of 20 or 30 gallons, and he told the servants to fill the jars with water. This didn’t make any particular sense, but the servants were taught to obey, so they did as Jesus told them. Jesus then instructed the servants to draw out some of the contents and to take it to the steward of the wedding. When the steward tasted the liquid, he declared that this was the best wine, and he was surprised that the family had saved it to the end. Then John tells us that this was the first of Jesus’ signs. That is, this event was pointing — like a sign — to the kind of Messiah Jesus was going to be. So what does this sign tell us about Jesus? It tells us that when Jesus appears, and we give him a chance, he transforms life. He surprises us with joy! Some of you will recognize that phrase. C.S. Lewis, who died some 46 years ago, became an atheist when he was still a young university student in England. Because he had such a bright and inquiring mind, there was much excitement in his life. Nevertheless, he longed for something he couldn’t fully describe: joy. Not fun or happiness or excitement or diversion, but a deep-down quality called joy. And when he at last came to a full Christian belief, he described it in his autobiography as “surprised by joy.” He even used that phrase as the title of his book. So many things might be said about Jesus Christ: what a teacher he was, and what a source of ethics and character, and how admirable he was and is, and how right it is to follow him all the days of our lives. But never forget this: He is joy. He is that fullness of life that makes all life’s other pleasures secondary, but at the same time, that wonderfully enhances and fulfills life — bringing it alive, so to speak! But don’t invite Jesus into your life — don’t bring him to your party! — unless you’re willing for him to take over. He changes the flavor of everything. They thought the refreshments at the wedding in Cana of Galilee were quite satisfactory until they tasted the new wine that Jesus introduced. Then they wondered why they had gone on for so long without it. You and I and all of us are quite different in our natural makeup. We differ because of our ethnic and national origins, our predispositions, our upbringing, our education, our culture patterns and the many influences that have come into our lives. Therefore we should not expect to experience religion in the same way as any other particular person. But I think it can rightly be said that when Christ comes into our lives, he brings with him a quality of profound gladness, a true joy, an unsought wonder. When Jesus comes into our party — or for that matter, our sadness, our hospital room or our funeral service — the whole quality of the setting or the occasion changes. To the degree that we give Jesus room in our lives, he fills the room with his own wondrous quality. We’ve only just begun The disciples who came with Jesus to the wedding at Cana were still cautiously finding their way. They were drawn to him and had begun to follow him because they wanted to learn more of his teachings. But at this point, when they saw what Jesus did to the pots of water, they “believed in him.” This is a wonderful statement. In a sense, it is a kind of conversion story. The disciples had gone from being inquirers to being believers. But believe me, their journey of believing had just begun. Believing in Jesus Christ is not a solitary experience; it is a journey, a lifetime journey. It may well begin with a solitary experience. Some of us can testify to such a time, a time when we consciously took Christ as Lord of our lives. It may have been emotional or matter of fact, but it was a moment of conscious decision. But that conscious decision, whether you remember it or not, is not an end, but a beginning. This is why we sometimes refer to it as a “new birth,” or “being born again.” A birth is not the end, but a beginning. And when the scriptures tell us that the disciples now believed in Jesus, it is simply reporting the station at which they started their journey. This brings me back to the words Jesus spoke to his mother when she hinted that he ought to do something about the wedding problem. Jesus said, “My hour has not yet come.” Jesus’ journey would ultimately end with rejection and crucifixion — and then, thanks be to God — with Easter and resurrection and ascension. But this opening event was a sign — a sign pointing to the kind of kingdom Jesus would establish. A contradiction? At this point a question may have occurred to you. I said that this first event, this miracle-sign, showed that Jesus surprises us with joy. But now I’ve said that Jesus’ own journey — the journey his disciples had to make with him — was one that led to rejection and crucifixion. That doesn’t sound like joy. So am I contradicting myself? Not at all. The joy Jesus brings is not cheap and it is not superficial. It comes with a price, but it encompasses all of life. This joy is as real in rejection and crucifixion as in resurrection and ascension. It is as real at Calvary as at the empty tomb. Our Lord’s joy is not an occasion in life or even several occasions; it is a way of life, a quality woven through life that changes its very quality and substance. If you’re looking for a sign, this is the sign Jesus gave at the beginning of his ministry. It is still the sign pointing to his kingdom, the kingdom where we are surprised by joy. |
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