Sunday 24th
January – Epiphany 3
Genesis 14: 17-20. We have two of my favourite, most enigmatic Bible readings today. The first one centres on Melchizedek the priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem) the “priest of God most high” who brought Abram bread and wine and Abram pays him homage by tithing his possessions. Melchizedek has always been seen as a pre-figuring of Jesus Christ and the next time his name appears in in the new testament book of Hebrews where Jesus Christ’s priesthood is likened to that of Melchizedek
Revelation 19:
6-10. The church is the “bride of Christ” at
the final consummation when all will be revealed. Another notable tenet here is
the injunction to worship God alone which reinforces the original impulse of
the first two of the ten commandments.
John 2: 1-11. My other favourite story today is the wedding
feast at Cana. This acted parable is the entire gospel encapsulated into one
beautiful story. It is the first and key-note sign to which all other signs in
John’s gospel refer back to. Note that John never uses the term miracle but
always calls them signs. John does that because they are signs that point to a
greater truth rather than just a collection of spectacular happenings.
Turning water into wine is the first and key-note sign in John’s gospel and the sign that every other sign refers back to because it encapsulates everything that the gospel brings to a human life.
The water of
your very existence will be transformed into rich intoxicating wine when Christ
is fully engaged with your life.
And that
this is a new thing – a fresh revelation – that builds on the legacy of Israel –
Christ doesn’t ditch it but fulfils it.
When it
happened. This wedding feast happens on the third day. Those are the opening
words of this story. What else can you think of in Christianity that happened
on the third day? The wedding feast at Cana is a picture of the new reality
revealed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
All the
symbolism is there for those with eyes to see and perceive;
The wedding scene
itself is a time-honoured way of symbolising the marriage of earth and heaven
which is where this story points towards.
The six water
jars for ritual washing share a two-fold symbolic function. They represent the
imperfection of the old covenant and the Temple cult – the ritual washing – and
the fact there were six of them is also symbolic because the number in Hebrew
numerology that represents perfection is seven and the fact that there are six
ritual washing jars tells us that the old covenant was imperfect.
Even the sharp
way Jesus talks to his mother casts Mary in the role of representing old Israel
and Jesus ushering in new perspective and appreciation of God life and the
world. “Woman, what concern is that to
you and to me?” is a device meant to draw a distinction between what went
before and the new thing that is going to happen when Jesus transforms Judaism
by fulfilling its promises – setting some distance in the story between the old
and the new.
The message
is clear.
On the third
day, rejoicing in the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit of resurrection life
fills every aspect of our seeing and doing thus transforming every aspect of our
lives.
On the third
day the ritualism of the Temple – represented by the six water jars – is transformed
into the Christ filled Eucharist. The imperfect Jewish temple cult is being
fulfilled in Christ.
We need to
inhabit that same spirit of Christ that transforms water into wine to help us
to see this story in a fresh and life giving way.
It raises
the story from being a prosaic neat trick at a family celebration to being a much
larger symbol of the life transforming nature of the gospel itself.
That‘s the
reason John’s gospel never calls any of these events miracles but signs. A
miracle can be just a flashy surprising event that makes a big splash but has
little lasting effect but a sign is a signpost pointing the way to something
much more profound and life-changing.
One of the
things revealed is that Christ can be apprehended and experienced through and
in the ordinary stuff of life, through beauty and art, through life and love, through
pain and suffering, through water and oil through bread and wine.
This is a new
way of perceiving everything in Christ that enigmatically and beautifully
described here in this key-note sign of John’s gospel is the gospel in
miniature. It holds the power of life for those with eyes to see and ears to
hear.
In John’s
famous words in chapter one of his gospel he explains the universal and eternal
nature of God made manifest in Jesus of Nazareth and that believing in him makes
us “children of God”.
Chapter two
seeks to tell us what that means – what effect that information has on our
lives and outlook.
The Spirit
of Christ transforms our lives which is exactly the point of the mission,
ministry and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus preached “Repent – change your
whole being – because the kingdom of God is at hand.”
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