Trail of Jesus' Parables
Part 2
By Jonathan Mitchell
See part one and part three!
Now let us leave Matthew in order to observe another lived-out parable, early in Jesus' ministry, which involved the first "sign" that Jesus produced, and which happened at a wedding. We find this in the Gospel of John, chapter 2:
3. Then later, there being a lack of (a need of; a failing of sufficient) wine, the mother of Jesus proceeds saying to Him, "They are not continuing to have (= they're running out of) wine."
We are not told any reason for there being
"a lack of (a need of; a failing of sufficient) wine."
Was it because more guests had come than were planned on? Did Jesus and His disciples add to this drain on the homeowner's supply? Was this why Jesus' mother would bring the problem to Him? We are not told anything about the economic status of the host, or even about how many were attending. There is only a problem in the area of hospitality and need. It may be that the host of the wedding was poor. Whatever the reason, the episode presents Jesus as One who can take control, in the case of need, and can provide for the need.
In chapter 6 Jesus will feed five thousand by multiplying bread and fish. Here, Jesus' mother and the wedding guests may be an allusion to Moses in the desert, when the people of Israel ran out of food and were hungry. So Yahweh told Moses that He would rain food from the sky for them (Ex. 16). We will come across the themes quenching the thirst and of "the Bread of God from the sky" in 6:32-58, below. This Gospel ends with Jesus providing breakfast for some of the disciples, in the Epilogue, and then admonishes Peter to feed His flock.
4. So Jesus is replying to her, "What [is it] to Me and to you, madam (or: What [is that] for Me and for you, O woman; or: = My lady, what has this got to do with us)? My hour is not yet (or: is still not) arriving."
The New English Bible (1970) paraphrases Jesus' reply, "Your concern, mother, is not mine." Is this what Jesus meant? The KJV has Jesus addressing her as, "Woman..." First of all, the term in that time and culture could be very respectful, as suggested by the rendering, "My lady," or, "madam." Had He said it as "O woman," we cannot hear the tone in His voice or sense the mood in which He spoke to her. Such ambiguity provides us with a seed for contemplation, and for listening to the Spirit's voice within.
Viewing this symbolically, was He responding to her as representing Israel, who wanted physical food and deliverance from her oppressors? Was He intimating that His mission was for more than sustenance for the physical body? He includes her (or: Israel) in this question - not just Himself. Israel had been given the mission of being the vehicle for blessings all the families of the earth - fulfilling the promise given to Abraham. He would tell the Samaritan woman that,
"the deliverance (the rescue and being restored; the health and wholeness; the salvation) continues being (habitually is; constantly exists being) from out of the Judeans" (4:22, below).
But as for Him, at that moment, His
"hour [was] not yet (or: [was] still not) arriving."
Was He referring to the cross, here, and the "cup" which His Father had given Him to drink (18:11)? Notice that He said "hour" (a segment within a day) and not "day" (a season that could be farther off).
5. His mother proceeds speaking, saying to the attending servants, "Do at once whatever (or: anything which) He may be telling (or: should be laying out for, or saying to) you."
She knows that He is in control, and that He can facilitate supplying the need. Here the author is speaking to his listeners (and to us):
"Do whatever He may tell you to do."
She takes the role of the prophets, anticipating Jesus later expressly telling His apprentices,
"If anyone continues (or: may be habitually) loving, accepting, fully giving himself to, and urging toward union with, Me, he WILL continue constantly watching over so as to observe, guard, preserve keep and maintain My word (logos: thought, idea; blueprint; message; laid-out, patterned information)..." (Jn. 14:23a).
Next, we should notice that here it was "attending servants" that actually performed the act which gave rise to the SIGN and the miracle. That term, diakonos and its cognates, was how Paul frequently referred to himself and to his associates in their supportive work of the called-out communities. Jesus gave the directions to them about what to do, and they carried out His implanted goals.
6. Now there were six stone water pots (or: jars) habitually lying there - corresponding to the cleansing (or: purifying) practice pertaining to the Jewish customs (or: ritual and ceremony of washing, originating from the Judeans) - having capacities for up to two or three liquid measures (= 15 to 27 gallons).
That it is specified that they were "stone" water posts reminds us of what Paul said of Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 17:6; Nu. 20:11):
"they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they kept on drinking from out of a spiritual bedrock (or: cliff rock; rock mass) - one continually following along behind (or: progressively accompanying [them]). Now the bedrock (or: cliff rock) was the Christ (or: the rock mass was existing being the Anointing)" (1 Cor. 10:3).
That it gives the number of pots is significant: six stone water pots (or: jars). Six is often a reference to humanity, created on the sixth Day (Gen. 1:26-31). This theme of people and water will be echoed, during a corporate party of the Judeans, in Jn. 7:37-39a,
(or: let him be progressively coming to Me and keep on drinking. The person habitually being faithful unto Me,) Just as the Scripture says, 'Rivers (or: Floods; Torrents) of living water will continuously flow (or: gush; flood) from out of the midst of His cavity (or: his innermost being or part; or: the hollow of his belly; [used of the womb]).'" [cf Isa. 58:11; Ezk. 47:1; Joel 3:18; Zech. 13:1; 14:8]
Now this He said about (or: with regard to) the Breath-effect (or: Spirit; Attitude; [other MSS: Holy, or set-apart Spirit; Sacred Wind]) of which (or: of Whom as a source; [other MSS simple read: which]) they - those trusting and believing into Him - were about to be continuously and progressively receiving."
The capacity of the jars, "two or three liquid measures," can echo this "third day" event, or be an allusion to the second and third sections of the temple: the holy place, and the holy of holies, which Heb. 9 articulates and which Paul connects to the body of Christ, as being God's Temple (1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16). The extreme volume of wine (15 to 27 gallons) speaks to the superabundance of supply in God's reign, and from the work of Christ. This overflow is echoed in the twelve baskets of fragments that were left over after feeding the five thousand (6:13, below). These pots that were used for "cleansing (or: purifying) practice" involved in Jewish customs. He could have had them fill just one of those pots and it would have been more than enough wine for the celebration. Jesus provided for an abundance of "cleansing and purifying" by instructing six pots to be filled.
7. Jesus says to them, "Fill the water pots (or: jars) full, with water." And so they filled them up to the upper part (back up to the top, or, brim).
Humanity is to be filled with the Water of Life. They are filled "up to the upper part," signifying from the earth to the heavens - completely filled to the very tops.
8. So then He continues speaking, saying to them, "Now bale out (or: draw off) [some] and proceed carrying (bearing; bringing) [it] to the head man (or: chief) of the dining room (= the master or director of the festivities)." And so then they brought [it].
Notice that it is the attending servants who are being "led by the Spirit" (Rom. 8:14), and who executed the Lord's directives. There is order in this act, as was appropriate in this situation: they carried the "liquid" to "the head man (or: chief) of the dining room."
9.Now as the head man (chief) of the dining room sipped and tastes the water existing having been made to be wine (or: the water [which] had been birthed being [now] wine) - now he had not seen to know from where it is, yet the attending servants, the ones having baled (or: drawn) out the water, had seen and thus knew - this director of the feast begins calling out (continues shrieking; or: insistently summons) the bridegroom
It was appropriate for the man who was in charge of the dinner to taste it before it was served to the guests. Just "tasting" of the NEW is enough to know its character and value. We recall Ps. 34:8,
"Taste and see that Yahweh is good."
Now the head man did not know the source of this new wine, but the attending servants knew what they had done: they had filled the pots with water, and then had bailed out wine. It appears that only those of the servant class knew about the miracle of this SIGN. We are not told anything about what Jesus' mother may have thought or concluded about Jesus having provided the solution to this need. Did our author purposely leave her in the background of the incident? It seems to be so. Was His mother serving the story by being blended into the "leadership" of those sponsoring the wedding (once again, figures of Israel)? The bridegroom is also left anonymous. The focus is on the miracle, which was a SIGN. For those who heard what had happened, and for we who read the story, the wedding was simply a setting, a backdrop, to highlight the new creation that was in process of coming.
However, this SIGN may point to another wedding, in Mat. 22, which was a parable given to show aspects to which the reign of the heavens could be compared, which was like,
"a king (or: secular ruler), who made arrangements and prepared wedding festivities (things associated with a celebration, feast or banquet) for his son" (Lu. 22:2).
Therefore, the setting of this first SIGN may be an allusion to the presence of God's reign, in Jesus.
10. and proceeds, saying to him, "Every man habitually places the fine (the beautiful; the ideal) wine first, and whenever they may have been made drunk, then the inferior. You - you have guarded and kept the fine (ideal) wine until now (the present moment)!"
This wine was better than what had come by normal means. My wife, Lynda, has pointed out that the normal process (watering and growing a vine, harvesting the fruit, crushing the grapes, fermenting the wine) had been skipped over. Water put into purification jars became immediately transformed. This is a picture of the work of the "Spirit" in us: we are purified by His water of Life, and now our inner being is filled with the wine of rightwisedness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). It thus came about that God
"guarded and kept the fine (ideal) wine until now (that present moment)"
- the time of His kingdom. The time of "the inferior" (the old covenant) had run its course and had passed away (2 Cor. 5:17). [This has been an excerpt from our book, Observations on the Gospel of John]
To be continued...
See part one and part three!
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