Jesus said to the servants,” Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

The sign was priceless, drawn in crayon, the “Kool” in “Kool-Aid” fit but “Aid” was scrunched against the edge. The location was out in front of the house where the sidewalk and the driveway met so they could make the most of drive-by and walk in traffic. The girls had their kid’s sized table which they carried down from their room and two pint-sized chairs. They had cups, a pitcher of grape Kool-Aid in which one lone ice cube tried to beat back the summer heat, and their cash register was a converted Miss Lollipop jewelry box.

Business was okay. Dad and Mom had each had a glass, the neighbor Mrs. Swanson had stopped by and their little brother had had three glasses and kept hanging around wanting a fourth one free. The wind had blown the paper cups on the grass and into the gutter a couple of times but they cleaned up if you blew in them. What seemed like hours of work had earned them 35 cents, then a man stopped by he didn’t say much, he looked over their set up like he was studying the menu at Red Lobster and then quietly ordered a glass of Kool-Aid. He paid with a dollar and before the girls could begin to figure out where and how to make change, he said, “Keep the change.”

He didn’t seem to mind that the glass had a piece of grass floating in it. He drank as if it was nectar from heaven, and as quickly as he came, he left.

In today’s Gospel Mary, Jesus, and a few followers of Jesus have been invited to a wedding. Just a little side note: scholars believe that Joseph has died by this point as we no longer hear anything about him and he isn’t mentioned with those attending the wedding.

About those “disciples” those followers of Jesus. In the previous chapter, John has told us they are: Philip and Andrew , who upon hearing John the Baptizer’s declaration that Jesus is, The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1.29), spent the day with Him. It is natural to assume that He spoke with them, as faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Rms 10.17) Matthew describes in His Gospel, He taught with One who had authority and not as their teachers of the law. (7.29)

Whatever He said had a profound effect on Andrew because he went and found his brother Peter and excitedly proclaimed, We have found the Messiah. Philip finds Nathanael and says we have found the one Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote. (1.44) Moses had foretold The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him. (Deut 18.15)

How often do we fail to listen? I mean really listen? Oh, some of us listen for a time but how often are the words and the teachings and the directions and advice of God, the utterances of the eternal God in flesh appearing, quickly forgotten or pushed aside? I don’t know about you but sometimes it seems as though my heart is impervious to God’s Word. I hate that my heart seems unresponsiveness to the promises and direction of God but how often is the good we ought to do not what we do at all? How often is the place where we ought to find hope, direction , and peace the place we so quickly give up on?

Jesus, the God/man was at this wedding just as He would be at dinners, in the marketplace, at funerals, and along the roadsides. His mother comes to Him and says, They have no more wine.

The guests are oblivious to what is going on. It is for those people behind the scenes, the workers, the ones who most likely today are immigrants, the disadvantaged, or those who have fallen on hard times who will be witness to Jesus’ first miracle. If it were today their names could be Raul, Serena, Shamoo, Chorn, or Billy. They were the servants much like shepherds, easily overlooked, pushed aside and forgotten.

To our way of thinking, it be better to show this miracle to those with a little bit more power and position… maybe to the likes of us because we could really do something with it. But maybe, God knows something we don’t. Maybe He knows that the meek might better cling to His message of hope. Maybe the message might find more receptive ears among the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness? (Matt 5.1-6) Either way Jesus did then and does now what is best.

He had them fill the jars used for ceremonial washing, six of them (each holding 20 to 30 gallons) to brim with water. The servants knew what was in those jars- water. Without so much as a wave of His hand or without even an “abracadabra” Jesus made something happen- the water was changed into the finest of wines, and He didn’t make just a little, He made 120 gallons or more! The prophet Isaiah had prophesied long ago: Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. (Is 55.1)

Other than the master of the banquet and the bridegroom’s excitement over outstanding wine we don’t hear about the reaction of the guests or if they even knew, but the servants did, and servants like shepherds have a way of talking about amazing things, miraculous things.

We too talk about interesting things, but sometimes I think we talk more about our vacations, jobs, grandkids, and our lives than we do about the things of God: the truly amazing, such as, turning water into wine, God in flesh appearing, God caring enough to set aside heaven for us things. The others are important and don’t get me wrong they have their place, but so do the things of God. St Paul writes, Let the Word of God dwell in you richly. (Col 3.16) The word dwells in us and the Holy Spirit nurtures us by and through that Word that the Devil might not break in and rob us of all that God has graciously given us. I fear all too often we don’t let the Word dwell even minimally in us and fail to read it because we have done that once, twice, or plan to soon. And yes, Satan is there, ever so craftily, to rob us and move us from marveling servants who know first hand of this miracle to preoccupied guests with a worldly focus.

There is one other thing that I’d like to point out from this Gospel lesson. When told by His mother that they have no more wine, Jesus replied, My time has not yet come. Once Jesus does that first miracle it sets Him firmly on a journey to the cross and cold dark tomb. Oh, along the way He will be accredited to us by signs and wonders; He will teach that salvation cannot be earned by all the good works of earth, but it is a journey to the cross, carrying the load of our sins: ours sins of denial, indifference, neglect, unforgiveness, and self-righteousness towards God, the things of God and each other. With monumental suffering He laid down His life. Even though we in no way deserved it or earned it, nor merited it, He would die in our stead- die for our sins. The sacrifice of His body and blood changes us from condemned persons to forgiven heirs of heaven. By and through it, we are forgiven of all that we don’t deserve to be forgiven of and more.

His journey would continue to a grave that should have been ours, but marvelously, miraculously as foretold on the third day He would rise again from the dead. His resurrection would again certify His Divinity and His power to forgive sins, our sins and the sins of all who would come to Him confessing their sins and be brought to confess Him as Lord. His journey would continue back to heaven from where He will again come soon with great power and glory.

Remember the little girls with the Kool-Aid stand and the man with dollar. He came and freely and abundantly gave them a gift. That man is like our Jesus. He came to bring us and those around us a free gift of grace, grace He paid for by and through His coming into the world to save sinners of whom we are often the worst… Sinners who are forgiven.