John 2: Demonstrating the Glory

Before I exposit the two other themes mentioned in the previous essay, I need to digress briefly about Jesus and his view of time in the Fourth Gospel. I mentioned previously that the author is aware that the wedding at Cana happened on the "third day." This is one aspect of the "time-consciousness" of the Gospel writer. But even more significant for understanding Jesus in the Gospel of John is the sense that his "time" either has or has not yet arrived. In the Synoptic Gospels the author can speak grandly about the Kingdom of God already having dawned in the words and deeds of Jesus, but the Fourth Gospel lets Jesus himself reflect on time and whether or not it is "ripe."

For example, when Jesus' mother reminds him that the wine has run out at the wedding, Jesus says, seemingly irrelevantly, "my hour has not yet come" (2:4). But once we combine this with other statements, such as in 7:6 ("My time has not yet come, but your time is always here..."), and 7:8 ("Go to the festival yourselvs. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet come") or the narrator's comments in 8:20 ("He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come"), we see that the proper time is the hinge on which the ministry of Jesus turns. Thus, when Jesus says, "The hour has come..." (12:23) or when the narrator says, "Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world..." (13:1), we know that the wheels of time have fallen into place. The Fourth Gospel's focus on time not yet ripe and time fulfilled helps set the stage for our reflections today on how to be alert to our proper "times."

II. Jesus and Transformation in John 2:1-11

The second theme I would like to develop briefly is the way that the wedding at Cana presents the Gospel message in miniature: it is all about transformation. Transformation of water into wine, in order to enable the party to continue with joy, is symbolic of the transformation that is at the heart of Jesus' message. When the disciples believe in him (2:11), they are embarking on the road of transformation. But we must pause at this point because the word "transformation" has a negative connotation in the world of 2007. Why? Because the word has been bandied about by political authorities who wanted to use it as a catchword to garner support from the American people for the mission in Iraq. Iraq, we were told, would see a transformation by our efforts. If there is anything we as a nation have learned from this War it is that transformation is much easier to say than to effect. Thus, we are left with a theological problem by the very narrative in 2:1-11, and that is that transformation of water into wine may take place by the action of Christ, but can the human heart or motivation be truly transformed? Can the presence of Christ's glory effect some kind of revolution in our hearts, a revolution so that we now affirm where we once criticized, we listen when once we stopped our ears, we embrace where we formerly rejected? Jesus is about the work of transformation, whether or not we are too cynical to believe in it. Perhaps that is a saltuary emphasis for the 2nd Sunday of this new year--that tranformation is still posssible for those who see Christ's glory and believe in him.

III. Jesus and His Mother in 2:1-11

One of the interesting little points in this passage is Jesus' brief interchange with his mother. They are at a wedding. The wine runs out. A social gaffe has certainly occurred, and maybe more than just an embarrassment. The host has insulted the bride's family, and there might be money (and hell) to pay for the oversight. Jesus' mother brings this gaffe to his attention. Rather than saying that he is a teetotaler or that the Kingdom of Heaven consists in prayer and fasting, Jesus willingly helps. He celebrates with the guests, providing through his miraculous intervention the best quality wine that is available. I kind of wonder why Jesus wasn't tracked down after this miracle not simply by those who wanted him to heal the sick but by those who wanted to replenish their exhausted wine cellars! In any case, when Mary brings the problem to his attention, he simply says: "Woman, my hour has not yet come." What is the nature of that address, "Woman"? Though at first we might see it as a rather curt and disrespectful word, in fact it isn't. Later in the Gospel, when Jesus is hanging on the cross, the text says:

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son,'" (John 19:26).

The simple word "woman" is both a term of endearment and a term of separation. I think the latter point should be emphasized. Even this early in the Gospel, Jesus doesn't address his mother as "Mother." She certainly was that to him, but she takes on a title that he could have used with any woman in the world. Though a son, he attains his distinct glory through what he suffers, and no familial relationship will help or hinder him in this. Jesus, in the Gospel of John, is a person for us but he also stands apart from us. Listen to the words later in John 2:

"When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone," (John 2:23-25).

The more "sexist" King James Version says it with dramatic conciseness:

"But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."

Conclusion

Thus in this passage we have a Jesus who both attracts but keeps us at a distance. In Rudolf Otto's language, he is the "mysterium tremendum et fascinans." He attracts and overwhelms and allures and even, at times, pushes us away. He is the Lord of the new creation, transforming basic elements into nourishing wine, working at his own time, showing forth his glory. We should be glad if we, like the first disciples, believe in him.

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