Words of Life: An Enduring LegacySample

Legacy of light: seeing the point.

Weddings are rarely a matter of life or death, but for those involved, they can certainly feel that way. Today’s reading takes us to a wedding in crisis: the wine has run out, and the hosts face more than just inconvenience. In a culture where hospitality was of utmost importance, this failure would bring lasting shame and disgrace upon the bridegroom’s family. Jesus’ mother brings the problem to him, and – somewhat reluctantly – he responds by instructing the servants, and the result is nothing short of miraculous: water is turned into wine.

To focus on debates about excess and alcohol in this story would be to miss the point. What happens next is even more significant. All the wedding guests taste the wine, and the host even praises its exceptional quality, and while the servants know where it has come from, it is only the disciples who truly see what has taken place.

Verse 11 tells us that this miracle at Cana was the first of the ‘signs through which he [Jesus] revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him’. Like all the miraculous events recorded in John, this act is not simply about the miracle itself – it is a sign pointing to something far greater. Laden with imagery of the messianic wedding feast, this sign reveals Jesus as the promised Messiah, the one who has come to inaugurate God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. Many witness the sign, but only the disciples understand it and, through that understanding, they believe.

Today, people may see the outward actions of our faith, the fruit of what we do, but recognising what those actions point to is another matter. How might we help others to not only see the good we do but also to grasp its true significance, so that they, too, might come to believe in Jesus?

How can I ensure that my actions reflect Christ’s love and clearly point others to him?