Water To Wine

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs his first miracle, and in doing so, reveals his glory and his beauty. Jesus' first miracle is not "crucial". He doesn't heal the sick, or cleanse the leper, or cast out a demon, or calm a storm, or even raise the dead. Jesus' first miracle is to keep a wedding party well-stocked in wine. And it is a sign. In a beautiful and artistic way Jesus is announcing the arrival of the reign of God. It is a sign that there is about to be a huge shift in how we understand our relationship with God. Instead of washing, washing, washing, but never really feeling clean, the Kingdom of God will be more like eating and drinking with close friends. Jesus is signaling a seismic shift in the center of God's redemptive activity. With the coming of Jesus the center of redemption moves from the Temple to the Table! Instead of a hierarchical, sacrificial, purity code religion that excludes outsiders, the center of God's activity will be the shared table.