Weddings

With the upcoming wedding of our daughter, and also due to the fact that Bruce & I are leading a weekly class on marriage enrichment at our church, I've been digging through the Bible, reading passages concerning marriage... seeing what I might be able to midrash.

One of my favorites is in the Gospel of John (2:1-11), the wedding feast at Cana. This is reported to be the first public miracle Jesus performed. John says that it occurred 'on the third day', giving it an almost unspoken spiritual significance. We're told right off the bat the wine was gone, which was a serious social disgrace in a society known to value hospitality.

Jesus' mother told Him about the problem (a prayer). And she left it up to Him how to fix the problem. He cared about it because it was important to her, and to the wedding host. I even speculate that the wedding involved a family member or someone close the the family, because Mary not only was in on the 'secret', but had the authority to instruct the servants to do whatever He tells you to do. Jesus didn't make a big deal about it, and while He could've done it, like..."Poof! Oh, look, here's more wine!"... He instead used men as vessels to connect Heavenly resources to Earthly needs. He didn't pray any eloquent speech or even touch anything. Somehow, beyond understanding, He just provided.

Jesus told the servants, who likely knew of the problem, to take some of the stone pots which were used for ceremonial washing and fill them with water. Wash water! They must have had some expectation, because it says they filled them to the brim... as much as they could fit. Then, He told them to take a cup of it to the master of ceremony... probably a risky thing if the cup still contained water.

But somewhere between their obedience, and the taste test, something suddenly happened. Jesus miraculously turned the wash water into good wine. I've heard it said, "Obey God, and leave the consequences to Him." I've been telling myself that a lot lately as I pondered this passage. Mary surely knew Jesus could do something... He even said to her, "... you know my time has not yet come...". Yet, regardless of what she knew, she trusted that He was compassionate, generous, and willing and able to help.

As I am involved in helping with the planning of this upcoming wedding celebration, I've been doing a lot of praying. I am intentionally not telling God how to answer my prayers. Small acts of obedience and faith have been leading us step-by-step to men and women whom He has tapped to fill the pots with water. And I have been blessed out of my socks, time and again, to witness His provision as we obey, and we see Heavenly resources meet our needs.