Regardless of how many new years we might have experienced, each one, in some sense, marks a new beginning. On January 1, many of us allow our minds to jump ahead to December 31 and guess how life might be different for us 364 days later. Some of us have hopes, and some of us fears. All of us, though, expect that we will experience change.
The book of John reveals a beautiful beginning in chapter 2 that shows the amazing changes that Jesus brought to the world--we still experience the results of this change over two thousand years later.
In John 2, Jesus is attending a wedding with his newfound disciples. There weren't many who knew yet about Jesus and the history-making, life-changing ministry he was about to embark upon. John the Baptist knew who he was, and John, Andrew, Peter, Nathaniel, and Phillip had been introduced to the Messiah. Jesus' mother, Mary, indicates that she has some notion of her divine Son's capabilities in this chapter.
The wedding is in Cana, and apparently Mary feels some responsibility for coordinating food and drink because when a huge problem arises, she approaches her son for help. Probably worse than any modern broach of etiquette we can imagine has just occurred: the wine has run out, and this will be a tremendous embarrassment for the host.
Mary turns to her son and tells him the problem, and he--seemingly with some reluctance because he reminds her it is not yet his time--instructs the servants to fill six large water jars--about 120 gallons, some scholars believe. Next Jesus instructs the servants to draw some of the water out and serve it to the master of ceremonies, who observes that most people would serve the good wine first, and later the worse. But for some reasons, this host has held back the good wine until now.
As we learn when we study John, nothing is just about what it seems on the surface. It's true--Jesus turned the water in the jars into wine. And yet what happens in this new beginning is about so much more than that. One of the things that John continually reminds his readers is that this Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and in the Old Testament, wine is often associated with joy. Psalm 104:15 tells us that God gives plants for man to cultivate so that he can bring forth wine to gladden his heart. In Isaiah, we're told that the great feast the Lord will one day prepare for us will include well-aged wine. Wine is associated with joy and God's blessing at times. So in restoring the wine at the wedding in Cana, Jesus brings the joy that would have been missing from the wedding feast.
A couple of other important things to gather from this first miracle at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He provides abundant amounts of wine. The party went from no wine to more than the hosts and guests ever could have asked for or imagined. The other thing is the wine's quality: Could the Creator of all things, the one who sends good and perfect gifts, provide anything less than the best wine?
We see from his first miracle, that Jesus means to bring joy--abundantly and greater than any other joy we might experience. May the beautiful news of this beginning of Jesus' ministry shape the beginning of this year: despite any changes we may experience in 2011--good or bad--Jesus, by whom all things were created, is the source of our joy--a joy greater than we could ever ask for or imagine, a joy that satisfies like nothing else ever could.
May you have a blessed new year, filled with abundant joy!
