Necessary Joy: John 2:1-11 - First Sunday after Epiphany

Anytime I’m planning a wedding, I always warn the couple that there is no such thing as a perfect wedding. Something will go wrong. I know because I’ve seen it: bridal gowns or tuxedos that don’t fit, no-show photographers, broken down limousines, dropped wedding cakes, the food served two hours late. 

Outdoor weddings dramatically increase the chances of something going wrong, and not just on account of the weather. I officiated a wedding on a lakeshore, and during the ceremony, two guys in a fishing boat raised a ruckus which brought the entire ceremony to a screeching halt. Once they had their fun, they sped off, so there was nothing we could do about it. 

So, when I read about the Wedding at Cana running out of wine, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me, especially considering how excessive alcohol consumption can ruin a good time.

But weddings in Jesus’s day were far different than they are for us. 

For starters, weddings didn’t for hours. They lasted an entire week. That makes sense when you consider the long distances some may have traveled for the occasion.

Furthermore, life in Roman-occupied first century Palestine provided few opportunities for celebration. The average person endured hard, grueling work at meager pay, always living on the precipice of starvation. Average life expectancy was little more than half of what it is now. 

Naturally, this expectation put a great deal of pressure on the bride’s family to show their guests a good time. And for that, you needed wine. 

Photo by Alexis Presa on Unsplash

We drink wine for enjoyment; they drank wine out of necessity. You could drink water from a deep well or a spring, but fresh water spoiled easily. But wine had shelf-life. It could be stored and served without refrigeration. Wine was typically added to water to make it safe to drink. All told, wine wasn’t optional. It was essential. 

But wine was also a symbol of joy. Wine kept the celebration going. When the wine runs out, the feast is over. This wasn’t a consequence of the guests drinking too much. In those days, there was zero tolerance for public drunkenness. The blame would’ve fallen squarely on the bride’s family. The families and friends would be going home far sooner than anticipated, and the bride’s family would be humiliated.

Yet did this situation demand divine intervention?

When Mary told Jesus about the wine, Jesus says to his mother, “This doesn’t concern me or you. Mary then says to the servants, “do whatever he tells you to do.” In other words, she leaves up to Jesus to intervene—or not. 

Ultimately, Jesus’s first public miracle will be turning water into wine, which spares the bride’s family from disgrace and keeps the celebration going. 

But why does he choose this to be the first of his signs, rather than healing someone of leprosy, casting out a demon, or raising a dead child to life?

This is not an accident of timing. This is a miracle with a message. An important message…

By making this his first public miracle, Jesus is defining the Kingdom of God as a kingdom of joy. Jesus doesn’t just give us a reason for joy. Jesus is our joy. 

Jesus’s presence creates joy. Joy is how we taste of the Kingdom of God. Joy is the lifeblood of our worship. Joy gathers us in around Word and Sacraments. Joy compels and motivates us to do God’s work in the world. Joy is the freedom of unconditional love, the forgiveness of sins, and the promise of eternal life. 

Joy is indispensable to the Christian life. Everyone needs joy, including those who don’t deserve it. A life without joy is a life not worth living.

And yet, a mindset has persisted for millennia that joy is not only unnecessary, it is sinful. The rejection of joy is often seen as a sign of deep spiritual commitment. This is why the religious elites often accused Jesus of being a glutton and a drunk. I envision Jesus as the life of the party, and that he gave people the kind of joy that the finest wines, foods, and entertainers could not match. 

That’s not to say that we should go wild and crazy here and church, abandoning all order and decorum. Joy is not self-indulgence. We don’t come to church to feel good or be entertained with rock music, flashing lights, and fog machines. But church shouldn’t be as somber as a funeral, as dull as jury duty, or as tiresome as standardized tests.

Our joy is rooted in relationship. Christ has come and gathered us into himself. Our joy is the outward expression of our gratitude for his love. Our joy is in the hope that we have that no matter what tomorrow brings, his grace and goodness will see you through. It is joy that keeps you going when wine runs out and life gets hard. It is joy that inspires repentance, rejecting the things which have drawn you away from God and embrace the righteousness that brings you closer to God. 

I’ll never forget singing “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.” But that joy shouldn’t stay locked up inside. It is the promise of joy that draws us out of ourselves and inspires us to bear witness to Christ in the world. Our joy is as much a gift to the world as the work of our hands, because joy can’t be found in the world. You can buy happiness, you can feel good and have fun, you can indulge your fleshly appetites, but all these things come at a cost that few can afford. But joy is for all, because Jesus is for all.

John 2:1-11 (NRSVue)

2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴ And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶ Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So, they took it. ⁹ When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.