B7 - E2 The Wedding
After a few days of relaxation, Mary and their relatives, together with Jesus and his companions who had also been invited, set off for the wedding. These events were traditionally huge affairs to which the whole community was invited. After the marriage ceremony, the toasts had been raised to the happy couple and the celebrations were in full swing when Mary noticed that the waiters who had been serving the wine seemed to have a problem.
She realised that the wine was running out and knowing what an enormous embarrassment this would be for the hosts of the occasion, she turned quietly to Jesus and explained the situation but his response was simply to say, “What is that to you and to me? This is not the time or place for me to intervene.”
To anyone who knew him less well, this reply might have seemed like a rebuff but, although Mary had complete trust in the power of God within her son which would enable him to solve the problem, she also knew this was a family celebration and not the place for him to demonstrate that power in such an obvious way.
Trusting him completely, she spoke quietly to the waiters and said, “Just do whatever my son asks of you.” There were six large stone water jars which stood by the entrance to be used for the traditional Jewish custom of ceremonial washing as guests arrived. Each jar held twenty to thirty gallons of water. Jesus went across to the servants and asked them to fill the jars with fresh water. They did so immediately, filling each one to the brim.
He then asked one of them to draw some out into a wine glass and take it to the steward for him to taste. As soon as he took a sip from the glass, not knowing where it had come from, he called the bridegroom across and exclaimed, “Usually, everyone serves the best wine first and saves the cheaper wine for later when most people have had enough wine not to notice but you have saved the best till the last!”
Very few people had been aware of what had happened but those who were knew this was a truly miraculous occurrence. The friends who had come with Jesus witnessed it all and would always remember this first example of the power of God which was to flow through him. The couple whose wedding day it was were never to know the dilemma from which they had been spared or who it was who had saved them from it. Their generous hospitality in inviting so many guests was rewarded by everyone saying afterwards that it was the best wedding they’d ever been to.
Jesus, Mary and their relatives had planned to go on to Capernaum after the celebrations had ended to spend a few days by Lake Galilee with their relations there. This allowed Jesus to accompany his new friends on their way back to Bethsaida. After a spell by the lakeside, the family group made their way home to Nazareth.
Over the next few days, Mary and her son spent many hours talking over all that he had come to understand since his baptism in the Jordan; the long and hard forty days in the wilderness, the time spent with John by the river afterwards and the miraculous event at the wedding. As Mary recounted the full story of his conception and birth, they both acknowledged that the time had come for him to begin his new life. He was to announce the good news of God’s love and forgiveness to the people of Israel, from where it would eventually spread to the whole world.
Jesus made his preparations to leave, secure in the knowledge that his mother would be well looked after by their relations and friends in Nazareth. The apprentices who had worked with him since the death of his father would happily take over the workshop to fulfil the orders and keep the family business alive.
Mary and Jesus celebrated his thirtieth birthday together with great happiness and joy. Trusting totally that his Father in heaven would guide him along the right path, they both knew that, no matter what might befall him, nothing could or ever would change the love and understanding which existed between them.
No comments:
Post a Comment