Filled to the Brim [Epiphany 2C - John 2:1-11]

 The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson

John 2:1-11

 

Filled to the Brim

St. Paul’s, Kinderhook

 

The servants stumbled into an awkward moment.  They were just going about their business: making sure the appetizers were circulating, the drinks poured, the dirty dishes cleared and cleaned.  They were running in the background so that the wedding reception would go smoothly, so that the guests had a good time. 

 

They didn’t mean to walk into this family situation, this disagreement between a mother and her son.  The mother and son were talking about what everyone was talking about.  The servants already knew the situation was bleak.  Servers always know when something runs out; they live on the front lines of that disappointment; they are the ones who have to break the news.  And the wine giving out was big, bad news.

 

Wine was, obviously, an important ingredient in the celebration.  Sure, it made people happy; it encouraged folks to hit the dance floor.  But in that first century context wine was more than a party-starter; wine was a staple.  First century drink menus were not nearly as extensive as what you can find over at Tequila Sunrise; they weren’t slinging Long Island Ice Teas in Cana of Galilee.  And so wine was the option.  And there was no more wine.

 

It was a difficult situation – for everyone.  I am sure people were freaking out.  But not Jesus’ mother; she had a solution in mind.  A lot of moms think their first-born sons walk on water; this son actually could.  And so mom found son and informed him of the problem that she was sure he could solve.

 

Only Jesus wasn’t too interested.  And right in front of those servants, the ones unable to fill the mounting stack of wine orders, Jesus replies to his mother’s suggestion with a blunt dismissal: “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?  My hour has not yet come.”  It feels awkward.  But apparently not for mom because she just totally ignores that stop sign and coasts right on through.  It seems it was not a request.  And concerned or not, Jesus was now very much involved in this wine situation.

 

And whether they liked it or not, these servants were now a part of this family discussion.  Jesus listened to his mom and so do these servants.  She tells them, “Do whatever he tells you.”  And they do.  They don’t have to, but they do.

 

Jesus does not make it easy on them.  The demand is demanding.  25-gallon (let’s split the difference) stone water jars were not easily maneuvered, and maneuvering most certainly was required.  The servants were not filling the jars from the tap.  They were lugging them out into the village, to a well or a spring.  And they were instructed to fill the jars to the brim.  And then lug them back, all the while trying not to slosh the water all over town.  These containers were stone; they were heavy empty; filled to the brim, each jar weighed upwards of two-hundred and fifty pounds.  It was like carrying five five-gallon buckets of water at the same time – if the buckets were carved from stone. 

 

And they did it; the servants did it.  I’m not sure if these servants knew Jesus.  But the text is clear: he wasn’t their boss; he was a guest.  And, according to John’s Gospel, this is the first of his signs, so it is not like reputation preceded him.  Jesus’ mother told them to listen.  Jesus told them what to do.  And it was hard, and they did it.  They obeyed Jesus.

 

Unaware of the plan, they obeyed Jesus.  Unaware that the water was about to become wine, they obeyed Jesus.  Unaware that they were participating in a miraculous event, they obeyed Jesus.  Unaware of how this story would end, they grabbed the stone jars.  Unaware of their role in the salvation story, they filled those jars to the brim.  Unaware that they were holding the first sign in their hands, they did whatever Jesus told them to do.

 

And in the presence of Jesus, the water became wine.  In the presence of Jesus, something common became something special.  In the presence of Jesus, a deficit became abundance.  It was enough wine to very much satisfy 1200 people – a number that was likely twice the population of the entire village.  In the presence of Jesus, obedience was transformed into extravagance. 

 

And it all started with a simple statement that required a significant choice: “Do whatever he tells you.”  And they didn’t have to, but they did.

 

The Christian life is, in many ways, simple.  But it is not easy.  It is as simple as doing whatever Jesus tells us to do.  But Jesus rarely makes it easy on us.  Because his demands are demanding.  He asks us to do the most difficult things: most especially love – love one another, love your neighbor, love yourself, love your enemies.  Lugging stone jars of water is hard work, but it is nothing compared to the demands of love.

 

Today we will renew our baptismal promises.  We will, once again, commit our lives to the hard work of being Christian.  With the sobering vow of, “I will, with God’s help” we will choose obedience over ease.  It is serious business.

 

But we will do so because we have come to believe that in the presence of Jesus our mundane lives are filled to the brim with miracles.