The wedding at Cana is only told in John’s gospel (2:1-11), the water-into-wine sign. For those who are unaware of or not rooted in Jewish traditions, it’s easy to overlook the significance of the water that Jesus commands to be poured into jars. This isn’t water intended for washing the dinner dishes. It isn’t water to be offered as refreshment for guests. Neither is it to be used to water plants. This is water for ritual purification, water set aside for a sacred purpose, according to Jewish law. This water, holy water, becomes the sign that now the Messiah is present.
John uses the wedding within the gospel account to point to the unfolding story of Jesus and God’s continuing action in the world. That Jesus is Savior isn’t something to be revealed later. That Jesus is Savior begins to be revealed right here in the midst of this history.
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “Salvation now” by Anna Madsen in the May/June 2023 Gather magazine. Today is the Second Sunday after Epiphany. Today we commemorate Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, martyr, 1156.
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