Reflection on John 2:1-11

 

Joy.  Joy has somehow become elusive in the exhausting state of our world.  But, I have dwelled way too much on the woes of life lately.  What I hope to dwell on is joy.  And, I am not talking about the happiness that bursts forth when you get the purple gum balls from the gum machine.  I know, it does not take much to make me happy.  More than that, I yearn to hold the joy in my soul that comes when I realize that God has bathed my entire life in grace; and your life too.  I yearn to have the joy of God’s grace bursting forth from my lips and shaping my every thought. 

I yearn for the joy of God’s grace. 

So, what is this thing called grace that I yearn for so much?

God’s grace is wine that appears out of nowhere when the wine that we humans provide for the wedding celebration runs dry. It is six water basins intended for washing being transformed into nearly three thousand bottles of additional wine, all so that a young couple might be able to supply an appropriate feast for their guests without the fear of shame.

Grace is God’s abundance when our own attempts are meager. Grace is God’s abundance just when it is feared that we do not have enough.  Grace is God’s abundance just when we started to think that God does not care.  Grace causes wine stewards to be bouncing with joy that an abundance of the best wine was saved for last.

It really means something that the first sign that Jesus provides in John’s gospel is one in which Jesus provides more joy, more blessing, and more abundance than the young, newly married couple (or any couple for that matter) deserves. The story of the wedding at Cana is a story of pure, heavenly grace that creates pure joy.

And, all of that abundance…all of that grace from Jesus comes because it was asked.

Did you notice that?  In conversation with Jesus, his mother mentions the problem of the wine running dry.  “They have no wine,” she simply remarks.

And, sometimes, prayer is as simple as that. Sometimes, prayer is simply talking to Jesus as if he were sitting right next to us…because through the power of the Holy Spirit he is. We do not need the finely crafted words heard from highly trained pastors who write their prayers ahead of time so that they might sound eloquent and theologically precise.

Our words can be very simple.  Actually, prayer does not even need to be thought out very well. The words of prayer can simply tell the truth of a situation: “They have no wine.”

Jesus’ mother certainly did not pray: “We know of your divine providence and trust that you can always provide for our needs. We ask that this day your providence shine down on us, your humble servants, that this couple, faulty as their preparations have become, may be blessed by the exuberant bounty of your wine that you provide from your own hand.” No, Mary’s prayer simply tells the truth, “They have no wine.”

It is interesting to note that Jesus really had no intention of doing anything about this situation until his mother asked. Jesus’ response was shockingly dismissive: “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come."

As jarring as Jesus’ response might be to us who prefer to have our Jesus with a side middle-class kindness, this dynamic of prayer is nothing new. Throughout the Bible we see requests being raised up toward heaven and God deciding to change course only after hearing the prayer.

In the beginning of Exodus, it is when the people of God cry out because of the pain of their enslavement that God hears their groaning and decides to take action (Exodus 2:24).  God changes course.

Later, Moses convinced God not to destroy the people that God had just saved from the Egyptians after they had fashioned a golden calf and started to worship the calf instead of God (Exodus 32:9-14).  God changes course.

When King Hezekiah falls ill and is told by Isaiah that he will soon die, Hezekiah pleads with God to extend his life so that he might get his house in order. God grants the request and the King lives 15 more years (2 Kings 20:1-11).  God changes course.

Then there is the famous encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman who asks Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus initially refuses because it is not a part of his mission, but the woman quite cleverly convinces Jesus to have mercy and show some grace. (Matthew 15:21-28). 

Jesus changes course.

All of this is to say that prayer is not simply a form of one-sided meditation intended to calm our fears (though that can be a side benefit). Prayer (talking with God) is an actual conversation with the living God.  And, in that actual conversation we can sometimes convinced God to change course and show grace.

So, when you pray, pray boldly.

It is OK to pray for the impossible. It is OK to pray even if you have no idea what you want the outcome to be. It is OK to pray the boldest of prayers. Sometimes, Jesus will agree and wine will appear where there previously was only water.  Sometimes your bold prayer will result in the joy of God’s grace.

Take a moment to search your heart. If you could pray anything at all, what would it be? What is it that you want God to hear? What is it that you wish God would take an interest? Take a moment right now to pray boldly.

Silent Prayer

When Jesus’ mother raises the issue of the wine, she is “praying boldly.” She hopes that Jesus will do something about the problem. But, there is a second part to Jesus’ mother’s prayer that is just as important as the first.  When Jesus questions whether or not this is really something about which he should intervene, Jesus’ mother says to the wedding servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Her words cannot simply be overlooked in anticipation of the amazing and miraculous events that are about to take place. So, let us pause in the story for a second and take note that Jesus’ mother tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them.

What are Jesus’ possible responses here? Jesus could have said, “Go home, the party is over.” Jesus could have said, “I have some wine at my house, go fetch it.” Jesus could have said, “Who needs wine when we could have beer!” In other words, Jesus could have said any number of things.

The whole point here is that Jesus’ mother does not have a particular expectation of Jesus, she simply makes her request and waits to see what Jesus will do…if anything at all.  She trusts that Jesus will respond the way he sees fit.

In all honesty, sometimes when we pray boldly, the answer will be “No.” When Jesus’ mother makes her request, she holds open all the possibilities.  In other words, she allows God to be God.  She allows Jesus to do as Jesus sees fit.  She, herself, is not the savoir of the world; she simply talks to the savoir of the world.

We see this same dynamic going on when Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays boldly that his life be spared, but he is still open to what God the Father has in store.

“And going a little farther, [Jesus] threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’”

Jesus has no problem asking for something bold, “let this cup pass from me,” but he also knows that God the Father will decide whatever God needs in order to bring grace and joy to the world. And, in hindsight, can there be anything more deeply grace-filled and joyful than the forgiveness of the cross and the hope of the resurrection?  So, Jesus’ prayer ends, “yet not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39).

Sometimes, the right answer to our prayer is “No,” or “Not yet,” and we simply do not know why. But, at other times the water might be turned into wine in an act of abundant and undeserved grace and joy for all. In either case, the way that we the disciples of Jesus Christ pray is the same: we pray boldly and then wait patiently for whatever God has in store.

Pray boldly, wait patiently. 

Do you feel stuck in faith? Do you feel as if your faith has started to run dry of joy? Then do this one simple act of discipleship: open yourself to the possibilities that God could have in store by praying boldly and waiting patiently.