The Wedding and The Wine
Scripture Reading: John 2:1-11
From the outset of His ministry, the Cross cast a long shadow over everything Jesus said and did. It was the purpose for which He came into the world. When Mary presents Jesus with the problem of no wine at the wedding, Jesus gives a strange answer in words He would repeat several times throughout His ministry: “My hour has not yet come.”
Mary could be excused for not understanding what that meant. Without the advantages of hindsight and the full revelation of the New Testament explanation, we might be confused as well. Later, as Jesus was hours away from the Crucifixion, He prayed, “Father, the hour is come: glorify your Son.” The hour of which Jesus had been speaking all along was the hour of His death on the Cross.
What is it about a wedding and the wine that evoked in Jesus' mind thoughts of the crucifixion hour? Throughout the Bible, marriage is full of meaning. Paul writes about this mystery of marriage in Ephesians chapter five and points to the relationship between Christ and His Church. In John chapter three, John the Baptist speaks of Christ as the bridegroom. Therefore, it is not without merit that this wedding would evoke within the heart of Jesus the knowing that He too had come for a bride.
And the wine? Wine became the symbol of Christ’s blood. At the Last Supper, as Jesus took the cup, He said, “This is my blood.” We remember that every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper. It is instructive that God chose to make Eve from Adam’s side. Adam fell into a deep sleep, and while in that sleep God brought forth a bride from his side. When Jesus fell into the deep sleep of death, His side was pierced, and out flowed blood and water. And through this work of Christ, through His death, through the shedding of His blood, a bride was brought forth.
Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire was right when he said that the church was born crucified. A bride was created for Christ through His death. There could be no wedding without that wine.
