top of page

The Wedding

Writer's picture: Rev. Chris BrademeyerRev. Chris Brademeyer

Updated: Jan 23


The Wedding

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany – 1/19/2024

John 2:1-11

Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer

 

That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Gospel lesson from the second chapter of St. John, with special emphasis on verses nine through eleven which read as follows:

 

                                “When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know                 where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the  feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and      when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until   now.”  This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And  his disciples believed in him.”[1]

 

Thus far the Scriptures.

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

                There are two significant things that cross paths in our reading from John today. The first is that our Lord Jesus exhibits an absolute mastery over physical reality, such that without any act other than simply giving a few orders to some of the servants, He is able to transmute, change water into wine. And not just wine, but good wine beyond the norm and expectation of those at the party. And, speaking of parties, this is the second thing that our reading brings to light: our Lord loves marriage and all the things that go with it.

                The first of these two points is easy and, hopefully, something that makes sense. Jesus Christ, the man here doing this thing, was born of Mary, but He is God incarnate. As God, He is able to do things in and with this natural world that we cannot. Indeed, His power over this world is absolute. When He speaks, God speaks and when God speaks His Words create the very thing they indicate. Where our speech can only describe or express desire, God’s speech brings about what it states. In other words, it is a mere trifle for Christ to make water into wine. But this sign was on purpose. Isaiah prophesied in the fifty-fifth chapter of the book of his prophesies that God Himself would bring wine and drink to the thirsty.

                It is interesting that John here calls what Jesus does here a sign, that is, something that leads to a greater thing beyond itself. Much like a stop sign is not merely a piece of hexagonal red painted metal with four letters on it but in instead a representative of traffic laws, the signs by Jesus are tied to a greater reality, namely Jesus Himself. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint and routinely quoted in the New Testament, called the ten plagues in Egypt signs. The plagues were signs of God’s power, wrath, and desire to save His people from slavery. The first plague changed water into blood. Here we see Jesus do similarly. And wine, as our Lord will later connect with His blood when He institutes the Lord’s Supper, is not unrelated to blood as well.

                To put all of this together, we must see this sign as first, a showing that Jesus is God in the flesh, Master of creation; second, that Jesus is fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah; third Jesus is the same God who worked salvation in the Old Testament and is doing the same sorts of things here, and we might add, even presently among and for His people. And fourth, the wine given here is good wine, better than the stuff served at the beginning of the wedding feast when people were able to be judgier about the goodness of the wine. This says that even though the Old Testament was filled with great works of God, beyond what any idol could ever imagine, Christ has come to be greater still. It is no accident that the best wine is the wine He gives in His Communion Supper, which itself is a foretaste of the great wedding banquet to come in Paradise. In other words, Jesus is showing that He is God, that He has the strength to save His people, and that He will do what is needed in order to bring that to bear. In a way, the wine foreshadows the pouring out of His blood in order to give Himself into death that we might live in righteousness.

                The second thing in this reading is our Lord’s great love of marriage. Here He gives wine to continue the party, as it were. In fact, reference to this event shows up in our wedding service, specifically in the prayers we offer for the couple who is to be married. Why? Because Jesus shows here that he loves marriage. And this should not surprise us. Marriage was created before the fall into sin; God made Eve for Adam and gave her to him and bound them together in marriage. And for what reason? God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone.[2] And so He gave Adam Eve and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply.[3] 

                This, then, is the basic framework for marriage and our strong dislike of divorce, fornication, pornography, shacking up, adultery, cheating, homosexual acts, division between husband and wife, and any other misuse of the gift of marriage or of the sexual activity of human beings. These things threaten marriage by eroding its stability and God wants our marriages to be strong, stable, and filled with joy. Further, the marital act is biologically fulfilled in bringing forth a child, which is an essential part of the marriage framework.

                Now, let me assure you, if you have sinned in any of these ways against the Sixth Commandment, you have forgiveness in Christ Jesus. There is no sin that cannot be repented of and, in turn, absolved in Christ Jesus. But the chief reason God loves marriage so much is not because it is good for us with all of its blessings even now, but because our Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, Himself desired to unite Himself in marriage. As St. Paul notes in Ephesians chapter five, our earthly marriages are a pale reflection of the marriage of the Lamb to His Church.[4] This is why heaven is a great marriage feast.[5] This is the reason that there is no marriage in heaven or the resurrection, only on earth in this age, we, the Church, are united to our Lord an Savior Jesus in marriage, we cannot have a second spouse.[6] 

                In other words, God sees all erosion of and threats against marriage as what they are: attempts to mar and dull the beautiful picture of the marriage of Christ to His Church of redeemed sinners. Marriage debates are not a “social issue,” though they do have social consequences. First and foremost for us Christians, marriages are a witness to the work of God, both in this life with its blessings of family, spouse, and all the joy that comes with these things, but even more, the salvation that comes by Christ that unites us Christians, as the Church, to Him even with greater closeness than the union of man to wife in holy matrimony.

                God loves marriage because it is, ultimately,  a sign of His love and work for us to save us and bind us to Himself forever with forgiveness, life, and salvation. And here is where these two things bind together: our Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, desiring not only to save us - as if salvation could be thought of as ‘only’ doing anything! – unites us to Himself by His means of grace and faith, so that, by His power, we would be granted every good and precious thing we need, up to our Lord Himself.

                So, dear friends, cherish your marriages. For those of you who are single, encourage and strengthen your married friends to be faithful and loving to each other as well as the Lord. For those who are married, encourage your single friends to be faithful to Christ, the true Bridegroom. Know that Christ is indeed the very prophesied fulfillment of what was promised of old. That His blessings are good for the here and now as well as for eternity, even granting us pardon and remission of our sins.

 

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.


[1] John 2:9-11 English Standard Version

[2] Genesis 2:18-25

[3] Genesis 1:28

[4] Ephesians 5:25-33

[5] Revelation 17:9

[6] Mark 12:25

43 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
The Cloud

The Cloud

Like Us

Like Us

Cleansed

Cleansed

Comments


    bottom of page