Jesus’ mom was at a wedding. Jesus and his disciples were there, too. They ran out of wine, which would likely bring the days-long celebration to a disappointing end. When Jesus’ mom raises the issue with him, he seems to dismiss her urging to get involved, yet he instructs the servants to fill six large stone jars with water (20-30 gallons each). When the chief steward (who had no idea where this wine had come from) tasted it, he was amazed, saying; “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus had transformed water into wine. Extraordinary wine. The best that had been served at the party.
Notice, hardly anyone knew about this amazing event, this “sign” as the gospel writer calls it. It is the first remarkable thing Jesus does in John’s gospel. There are healings and other signs to follow, but this is the first. And only Jesus and his mother, plus the servants who helped know what has happened. Not even the steward, and certainly not the guests. The first sign Jesus does that indicates he has come from God to change the world, happens quietly in the midst of a family and community gathering. He repurposed the water jars for ritual washing into a huge amount of wine for the celebration. Excellent wine in massive quantities. (I did the math – 6 jars x 25 gallons each = 150 gallons. There are 128 ounces in each gallon, so that’s 19,200 ounces which is the equivalent of 3,200 glasses of wine!)
Quiet abundance. That’s what catches my attention in this story this week. Without fanfare or even, it seems, any realization from those celebrating at the wedding, Jesus creates an absurd abundance of wonderful wine. The party can continue. This sign tells us that God is here, doing amazing, frivolous, and unreasonably generous things.
Where do you notice quiet abundance in your life? How does God’s lavish generosity appear for you? Like the guests at that wedding, we may notice some amazing things if we simply look.
Peace, to you!