January 17, 2016
Epiphany 2
Isaiah 62:1-5
John 2:1-11
(prayer)
The biblical book of Isaiah
is one of three books in the Hebrew Bible that are described as writings of major prophets. The other two are Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The twelve other prophetic books (like Micah,
Amos, Hezekiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, etc.) are referred to as minor prophets.
The major-minor monikers
are quantitative not qualitative.
Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel are called major simply because they are longer. The minor
prophetic books were each much shorter.
In fact, all of minor prophets would have fit on to one scroll in the
synagogues - the major prophets required their own scrolls.
//
The book of Isaiah has been
divided into sixty-six chapters: compare that to Joel which has only
three. 66 chapters is second only to the
book of Psalms - the longest book in the Old Testament - both in chapters and word count (there are 150
psalms).
However, when we look
closely at Isaiah, we discover that it is more than it appears. Biblical scholars almost universally agree
that there are three distinct sections of the book that were written at
different times in Israel's history:
·
Chapters
1-39 may well be the work of the prophet named Isaiah mentioned in first verses
of the book - who prophesied during the reigns of the Judea kings, Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. That dates
these first 39 chapters to the mid-eighth century before Jesus.
·
Chapters
40-55 and 56-66 clearly come from about a century later. Unless he lived to an unnaturally long age,
it is unlikely that these second and third parts share the same author as part
one. Even so, the later authors seemed
to have intentionally built on the original author's style and themes, so the
complete scroll has a cohesiveness and poetry that makes it one of the most
significant books of the bible.
//
If you happened to be here
at St. David's last week (or caught my sermon notes online), you may recall
that we read from Isaiah chapter 43.
I had mentioned then that
the middle part of Isaiah (chapters 40-55) comes from the time when the people
of Judah lived as exiles in Babylon (597-539 BCE). Last week, we heard words of hope and promise
that the people would be restored -
that sons and daughters would be called back to Judah.
//
Today, we read from chapter
62, from the third distinct section of Isaiah.
This part appears to have been written after the people had returned
home and were in the midst of rebuilding and restoring their nation.
//
The hard work of returning
from two generations of exile had been completed, but the prophet does not
describe a god who is willing to rest on these laurels. I will
not keep silent. I will not rest,
says God. It is not enough to simply have
returned: the people must know joy and prosperity again. There is more to do to
be fully restored.
//
For me, this speaks to the
practice of faithful living. That our
standing as a people of god is not
simply an historical account, but it is to be a present reality.
And so, the returning
exiles - who had held on to the basics of their faithfulness while in exile -
reclaimed anew some of their practices of faith - they built a new Temple in
Jerusalem. They studied again the
levitical rituals and they learned again how to be the people of Judah… in
Judah.
//
//
It is still a valuable
challenge for today - to try and continually
live out our faith... in ways that enrich and enliven our spirits and in ways
that promote God’s compassion and justice to the world.
//
//
The gospel of John is quite
unique when compared to the three other biblical gospels.
Matthew, Mark and Luke
share so many similar passages (even word-for-word identical sections in some
cases) that make it clear that they must share some common source
material. [Google "TwoSource Hypothesis" to learn more] This is why bibical scholars refer
to Matthew, Mark and Luke as the synoptic
gospels. They share a common point
of view.
But the author of John
seems to have made the conscious choice to present the narratives of Jesus’
life and ministry in a different way.
Scholars believe that John was written a couple of decades later than
the other gospels. It is reasonable to
assume that John's author was aware of at least some of the other gospel
narratives.
There are a few passages in
John that have parallels in the synoptics, but the fourth gospel is far less
concerned with the timing of events
and who was involved than what these
times meant to the followers of Jesus that made up the early church of the late
first century.
Here's an example. All four gospels share some version of a
story where Jesus causes a violent scene at the temple: turning over tables,
disrupting commerce.
“My temple should be a
house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves”
The three synoptic gospels
place this story near the end of Jesus' life, during his last week, only days
before his arrest and execution. But, in
John, the story is told as one of the first events of Jesus' active ministry.
Biblical literalists must
insist that Jesus must have cleansed the temple twice.
More likely, the writer of
John simply moved the timing to make a greater point about Jesus - perhaps that
his whole ministry would challenge long held assumptions about how things were.
//
While it may appear that
the gospels are historical books, it is fair to say that none of the gospel writers were sharing objective accounts of
history. They were not reporters, they were evangelists. They all
were primarily concerned about sharing meaning and impact for the early
church: what do the events and teachings
of Jesus’ life mean for the followers of Jesus decades later?
Compared to the synoptic
gospels, John does this to the n-th degree!
//
And so, when we read from
the biblical gospels, we can hear the words in their literal context - but (I
am quite certain) that the gospel writers also wanted us to reflect on the more-than-literal lessons in the
stories.
//
As is not unusual about the
events described in the fourth gospel, John’s work is the only one that shares
the story of the Wedding at Cana. We don’t find it anywhere else in the other
gospels.
//
Literal Context.
Jesus and some of his
family and followers are all attending a wedding in a town identified as
Cana. Modern archeologists and biblical
scholars are not sure exactly where ancient Cana was (there are about five
possible modern sites that are usually mentioned), but it appears to have been
a Galilean town, likely less than a day’s walk from Nazareth.
According to John, chapter
twenty one, verse two, one of Jesus’ disciples was from “Cana in Galilee”.
The literal context of this
story in John 2 is that (at this wedding) the guests were enjoying themselves -
perhaps a little more than the wedding planners had anticipated - as the bar
was becoming depleted.
For reasons not mentioned
in the text, Jesus’ mother was very bothered by the limited wine stores. Mary complains to Jesus: “They have no
wine!” Jesus’ response sounds a bit disrespectful
for a mother-son dialogue: “Woman, why should you care? Why should I care?”
[I do love to speculate about why Mary is so concerned. I can think of three fairly logical reasons:
1.
She’s
a busy-body - complaining about stuff that really isn’t her business.
2.
She really wanted to drink
more wine!
3.
She
had some role in the planning or running of this wedding. Maybe it was a family wedding. If you are a DaVinci Code fan, maybe it was
Jesus' wedding to Mary Magdalene (when I think about it: the only wedding in my
life where both my mom and lots of my friends were there was my own.)
Just as likely, it was a typical small town wedding and everyone was invited.
As I said, it may be fun to speculate,
but the text of John doesn’t tell us why Mary cared so much about the wine.]
The literal context then
has Jesus taking action to eleviate his mother's concern. Mary tells the wedding servers (still acting
like it was her job to worry about the food and drink) to do whatever Jesus
says.
The miracle: Jesus somehow changes water into wine. Six huge barrels (normally used for
ritualistic washing) are filled with water, but turn out to be filled with wine
when the stewards take a closer look.
And more so, it is a high quality wine.
In the story, we get to
overhear the wine steward compliment (or criticize) the groom for serving such
a good quality vintage late in the evening when he could have gotten away with
a lesser wine and the guests probably wouldn't have noticed.
The author of John makes
the point that only the servants who filled the jugs knew it was a miracle, but
also finishes the story by saying that this was a 'sign' of Jesus' glory that
caused the disciples to believe in him.
That is the literal
story. Jesus orders that water be poured
into big jars, but when it was tasted, it is clear that it has become high quality
wine. And... people believe Jesus to be
glorious special because of this.
The literal story is a good
story.
It is a fun story.
It makes the case for Jesus
to be rightfully called a miracle worker:
one who performed signs and wonders.
//
But there is so much more
in John 2:1-11.
There is a wonderful depth
of meaning to discover beyond the literal.
I don't know where to
start.
//
//
There is ritual and
ceremony both explicit and implied in the story. First, everyone is in Cana for a
wedding. Weddings are ceremonies
(celebrations) of relationship. They are
a "rite of passage" - wherein people move to a new stage in their
lives. Children leave their parents and
are joined to their spouses. Weddings
are a statement of a hopeful future. The
society will endure through a new generation.
Religiously, marriage is
viewed as part of the intentions of God.
In Matthew's gospel Jesus is quoted as saying: what therefore God has joined together, let no one separate.
//
As I mentioned earlier,
John doesn't present the life of Jesus the same way the synoptic gospels
do.
From the synoptic gospels
and the new testament letters, we are fairly sure that there were two specific
rituals that were part of the life of the early churches that emulate events in
Jesus' life. In most modern churches,
these rituals are set aside as particularly holy
events: sacraments.
Baptism.
Communion.
So, it seems odd that
John's gospel ignores the significant events of Jesus being baptized (which
precedes the call to go out into the world and invite others to be baptized in
Jesus' name) and his sharing of a last supper with his disciples (which
precedes to repeat this action in remembrance of Jesus).
The fourth gospel does talk
about John the Baptist identifying Jesus as the lamb of god, but there is no mention of Jesus being baptized.
The text also has Jesus and
his disciples together the evening of his arrest. Jesus has a lot to say, but he doesn't talk
about the meal in John's gospel.
On the surface, it appears
that John's gospel does not mention baptism or communion.
But... look at today's
story.
The intended use of the
jars (that contained the miraculous wine) was to hold water for "rites of
purification". Within the Hebrew
society before, during and after Jesus' lifetime, there were several instances
when the Torah required ritualistic washing to provide a person with the
ceremonial cleanliness to fully
participate in the religious life of the community.
The practice of Christian
baptism has its origins in these rituals (that were part of the known culture
of Jesus and his first disciples).
It is quite possible, that (by
including the detail about the designed purpose of the jars used for Jesus'
miracle) the author of John is making a subtle reference to the early church
practice of baptism.
The first readers of John
in the late first century may have found the hidden message that (in Jesus) the
rites of purification have been re-purposed for the members of the early
church.
So, in a small way, the
miracle of new wine at the wedding at Cana is also a baptism story.
//
If that seems to be a bit
of a stretch for you, the connection of the Cana story to communion should be
more obvious.
There
is a new promise in this wine. Each time
you drink it, remember me.
I am quite certain that the
readers of John would be reminded of their own practices of communion as they
heard about Jesus providing the best possible wine.
//
[Aside: In spite of not directly telling baptism and
communion stories, John's gospel does contain memorable phrases like: Ask me for living water - everyone who
drinks it will never be thirsty - the water I give will become a spring gushing
up to eternal life; I Am the bread of life; Jesus poured water into a basin and
began to wash his disciples feast; I Am the true vine.]
//
//
In a way, the story of the
Cana wedding wine is all about rituals of
faithful living: reminding us of the blessings of the time we are in and point us to a hopeful future of fulfilled
promises.
By engaging in spiritual
practices and being mindful of their meaning and impact, we are doing the work
of deepening our faith and strengthening our relationship with God.
//
Faith enrichment and faith
development can be so much more than a passive activity. The prophet Micah warned against a passive,
meaningless faith life, when he rhetorically asked:
With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
... And what does the Lord require of you?
-to
act justly and
-to
love mercy and
-to
walk humbly with your God.
//
I hope that we-all can take
on the challenge of the surprising meaning that we find just below the surface
of today's scripture passages.
//
The moment we are in (no
matter how wonderful or worrying) is not our final resting place - the work of
new construction is still before us; our faith (no matter how deep) can be
deepened; our lives (no matter how settled) can still surprise us.
//
Faithful living (literally)
invites a faith that is lived out. Lived
out - physically, mentally and spiritually: body, mind and soul.
I am so proud to be a part
of a congregation where I see people gladly living out a faith that seeks to
change the world: from our regular support of the food co-op and the food bank,
we are making a difference; we are at the early stages of working to make the
world a bit smaller and more inviting by helping resettle a displaced family
seeking (not only refuge but) a promising future.
You (as a people of God)
care about places like the Ramana’s Garden Orphanage in India, even as you
engage in your own Bible Study and make plans for a Men's Conference in the
fall of 2017 and provide programs for children and youth to learn and practice
faith.
You support each other
through rides to church and shared pots of tea.
You gather together toddlers, and children and adults to come together
in a shared love of music and singing.
And much more... that is
emerging all the time.
//
The returning exiles knew
it, as did the disciples of Jesus: God is
not silent, God does not rest.
God is a present reality to
be known and experienced.
And in that experience, we
become more than we are.
// end //
Feast on that for a while.
//
Thanks be to God.
//
Let us pray:
God of the feast, open us up to trust
in compassion that never runs out. Amen.
#471VU “Eat This Bread and Never
Hunger”
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