Epiphany #12 of 14: First Miracle #2 of  3.

“They have no wine”

(John 1:3)

In Bible times, a wedding festival went on for days lasting up to a week. A honeymoon tent would be set up as guest anticipated “the bridegroom emerging from his wedding canopy like the sun rising in the morning” (Ps 19:4-6). The wedding party celebrated the bride and groom’s love with music (Song of Songs) and dancing (Song 6:13), and the singing of love songs describing the beauty of the young couple (Song 5:10-16, 6:1-10, 7:1-10), and plenty of wine (Song 1:2,4, 4:10, 5:1, 7:9, 8:2).

Mary, along with her son Jesus plus his freshly called disciples, come as guests to such a wedding festival held down the road about eight miles towards the Great Sea in the village of Cana of Galilee. A few days into the celebration, Mary learns that the bridegroom has run out of wine. Could it be that all those recently called disciples arrived unexpectedly, and Mary feels responsible? Or, maybe, Mary is thinking of her own marriage and how she never enjoy such a wedding celebration. Yet, it is because of her uncelebrated marriage that she knows something about Jesus that no one else knows. She knows that Jesus could somehow salvage the wedding celebration.

So it is that Mary tells Jesus about the wine problem. Jesus does not appear interested. His “hour has not yet come.” Jerusalem is his destiny—his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. That Great Miracle that would change everything. The problem of the wine giving out seemed trivial, I suppose, in light of Calvary. Nonetheless, Mary proceeds believing that somehow Jesus will do what only he can do.

No one knows. The steward and the guests simply carry on with their jollifications marveling that the bridegroom has saved the best wine for last. But, we know. Mary knows. The servants know. And, somehow, the disciples know and they “believed in him” (Jn 2:11).