I have been using Christ UMC's Lenten Devotion for my own devotional time during Lent. Today's reading was from John 2:1-11 in which Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee by turning water into wine. As I read the story this morning, I was struck more by what Jesus says in response to his mother telling him that they are out of wine than by the actual miracle: "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come."
What does Jesus mean by this cryptic statement? Perhaps he means that it's not time for him to reveal his true identity as the Messiah, and so he doesn't want to perform a miracle. But, he does perform a miracle, which indicates to me that either a) this is not what we means or b) he is doing it reluctantly only because his mother asked him to do so.
Another option for what he means, though, comes from a common phenomenon in John's Gospel. It seems as though people are often talking on a plain, literal, physical level while Jesus is speaking on a spiritual, deeper level. This Sunday's text from John 3 when Jesus says that you must be born again (or from above) and Nicodemus takes it as literally going back into your mother's womb.
If that is what is happening here, then while Mary is talking about actual wine, Jesus is perhaps talking about wine in a spiritual sense...the wine that is his blood, the cup of salvation. And his time has not yet come to offer it on our behalf (though we are anticipating it during this season of Lent). Jesus knows this is what the people at the wedding truly need - the gift of grace - and not more wine, but he gives them wine. Indeed, his gift of physical wine is a sign to them and to us of his gift of spiritual wine. May we all drink of this gift with grateful hearts!
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