Park Avenue Presbyterian Church; Des Moines, Iowa
Texts: Isaiah 62: 1-5
Psalm 36: 5-10
1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
John 2: 1-11 *
“Jesus: Demonstrating Generosity”
--} I’m told that the story of Jesus turning water to wine in John’s Gospel is one of the best-known and remembered stories in all of scripture. I’m really kind of puzzled as to why that is exactly! But despite its well-known-ness, there are definitely things about this story’s context that we can’t ever know—that are deeply important to our understanding it fully. WE are not 1st Century Galileans, after all; and the “way we’ve always heard the story” probably bears some correcting.
On my recent pilgrimage, while we were in Galilee we passed through Cana—so I know where it is between Nazareth (in the mountains) and Capernaum (along the Sea of Galilee)—and I know two things about it. First, at a souvenir store we passed I was certain there was a large display of “bottled water” re-labeled as “do-it-yourself-first-miracle kits;” and second, that weddings were not insignificant 1st Century gatherings. I know that not because of the association with Cana, but simply that “weddings” had an impact on the local economy—particularly those who were trying to get married and particularly those who were religious. We 21st Century Christians are usually not aware that 1st Century grooms were required to pay a “bride-price;” and this interfered greatly with religious obligation, since religious Israelites were asked to make an annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Such endeavors were expensive, and a common day’s wage provided little more than basic sustenance. To pay a bride-price, a man often worked 7, 10 or 12 years—to save up enough money; and it was much longer if he kept up with the annual pilgrimages.
So I come to this passage today wondering not about what it says or means allegorically—which is how we usually tell it or explain it—but considering what this story might seriously have in common with our own.
Whether in 1st Century or 21st Century numbers—weddings are expensive. The Internet tells me that the average wedding budget in our country is somewhere around $20,000 (not including the engagement and wedding rings AND the honeymoon), and also that the typical wedding celebration comes in on average nearly 50% OVER BUDGET! But don’t you ever wonder why people are willing to invest so much in a wedding? I mean thirty-grand is a good bit of cash; and in a world where you BORROW for the house, the car, and whatever else—before you get a first paycheck—this seems strange.
But I think 1st century and 21st century weddings have something in common we might often discard—they’re also about hospitality. Demonstrating generosity to friends and neighbors is always in style—and sometimes we forget that. The stories we heard in Israel were about the necessity to treat all your guests (even despised enemies) with great generosity, because that’s how you wanted to be treated when it was your turn to be the guest. It raises the stakes for “running out of wine” in John’s 1st Century story, where our 21st Century experience of the “cash bar” an Airport Hilton is different. And in our century, where the temptation is perhaps to try and get by with the least expense, or to hold our generosity “in check” or at least keep it “within budget,” the first century response would have been just the opposite—spend everything you can in order to offer someone else the greatest and the best—which is exactly what Jesus does!.
The “values” of Jesus can seem very much at odds with our human values—1st Century or 21st Century. In the story, when the wine “gives out,” Jesus simply “GIVES” another—at least—120 more gallons—for free. While this might be appreciated, the “custom” is to provide a nice wine to start the part with, then as people are less able to distinguish, to replace “the good wine” with “inferior wine;” yet Jesus insists that the “best wine” be offered last. In the face of “scarcity” Jesus demonstrates not only God’s abundance, but the principle of being generous with it. And in the face of religious prudence, used to limit and separate, Jesus insists on making way for genuine joy that is un-conflicted with religious commitment. Jesus shows us the values of the Kingdom of God revealed in generous abundance—not always the values we are willing to so easily demonstrate, eh?
In John’s story, when the mother of Jesus discovers that the “wine had given out,” she turns to Jesus saying, “they have no wine.” Jesus is quick to respond, “of what concern is that to us—my hour has not yet come.” Still, in our world, when we walk into a wedding celebration and discover, “it’s a cash bar,” we don’t immediately feel obligated to “help” by offering to pay the bar tab for everyone, right? We don’t want to have to be “that generous”—right? But his hour or not, Jesus becomes the demonstration of God’s generousness. He intervenes. He gives. People receive. And maybe they don’t even know it. Demonstrating generosity to friends is always in style—even if it goes against the cultural grain!
Still, the point of John’s story seems to be for the “glory” of Jesus to be revealed. Verse 11: “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” And while the audience seems limited to the disciples, Jesus’ mother, and the servants—who alone know what Jesus does—John’s point remains intentionally about “revealing” Jesus to his readers as the generousness of God inhabiting human life. It’s not that we walk away from this story simply believing that Jesus can turn water into wine; it’s that we walk away from this story with a demonstration of what it means for God’s generosity to be handed out—even in an age when that seems to have an increasingly scandalous edge.
Meeting God at a wedding banquet is one thing, but our world—our lives—are paralyzed by the scars of disasters of all sorts, personal, corporate, natural and human made. If this story is about meeting God in Christ at the banquet party, part of our question isn’t about getting another 120 gallons of wine when our supply has run out, but where is God in OUR HOUR of greatest need? Isn’t it? Oh we need more than wine, don’t we?
In the face of what’s happened in Haiti, many perhaps are asking, “what can I do? I have my own problems; I can’t be responsible for everyone.” And while the declaration may be mostly true, we also know it’s not a faith-filled response. My seminary colleage, James Sledge commented in his weblog this week, “sometimes the best we can do when encountering terrible circumstances is to stop trying to determine their cause [or whose fault it is] and start trying to help.” Jesus knew—either someone didn’t plan well enough for the wine, or they couldn’t afford enough. But rather than let shortfall become a ruination, he seized the opportunity to reveal himself as God-with-us. Like Jesus will say about the man born blind, no “sin,” no “evil” caused this; it exists as an opportunity to reveal God’s works. Finding “fault” or placing “blame” does nothing to resolve a crisis—no matter what it is. Resolving the crisis begins when we can agree to pitch in and help.
Whether Jesus wanted to or not, whether he knew the answer or whose fault it was, he was in the position of revealing God’s generousness among human beings. He saves the day, not because a wedding needed more wine, but because we see that the world both needs and HAS an over-abundant infusion of God’s generous care and concern.
Surely it’s not just the “good wine” that we are supposed to remember from this story, but also the values Jesus intends to share with us. It shouldn’t be lost that the religious “water of purification” becomes a source of “new wine,” and that “generousness” goes a long way in helping solve problems. That even religious rules can be replaced by the serendipitous joy of God’s kingdom being present among us in Jesus Christ—as Jesus takes water used for outward appearance and makes it a sign of inward habitation. And the wedding custom that’s all about the celebration and providing the “best” for one’s neighbors and friends is turned into a gathering where the best wine comes out last, where “what is to come” bears more significance than even what has been.
In a few minutes, we have the opportunity to face our fear of “scarcity” with the promise of “God’s abundance.” Part of our gathering at the end of our annual meeting will be to discuss our own financial woes—our own “wine” giving out—and even our own embarrassment at “not having enough.” And John’s story shouldn’t be used to say, “all we have to do is believe in Jesus and he’ll give us what we need.” Rather, I think very much like the kitchen servants in the story, is for us to pay attention to what Jesus tells us. The mother of Jesus says, “Do whatever he tells you.” And what’s different in the 21st Century is that while we believe Jesus “is with us,” we have to be discerning together about what Jesus is “telling us to do”—and then be intentional about doing it.
And because this story isn’t’ just about believing Jesus can turn water to wine, but that Jesus reveals the generousness of God being with us.—we should see circumstances being “turned” from what we don’t have, to what we do have. We should see Jesus’ invitation not as hope in a particular ability, but as God’s eternal investment in human beings. We should see that the “wedding gift” is a promise of abundant, life-giving generosity worth celebrating, even if the wine appears to have given out.
In the face of scarcity (ours or others, or both!), we’re called to help; in the face of little, we are called to be generous, too—not because we can or because we “should;” but because Jesus tells us that WE ALSO are the opportunity to reveal the generousness of God. And—demonstrating the generosity of God is always in style!
--+ AMEN.
* Special thanks to my seminary colleague James Sledge, whose weblog discussion this week offeed one of the directions I took in the sermon.
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