(Sermon by Pastor Michael D. Schultz 01/14/07)

INTRODUCTION:

The Second Sunday after Epiphany and the gospel lesson of the wedding at Cana – it’s all so very much about Jesus and seeing him for who he is.  Whom do you know and see him to be as you follow this progression of events?

1)  Baptized at age 30, God the Father gives his vocal approval to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit equips him for his ministry.

2)  Next, for almost a month and a half, he goes out into the desert, doesn’t eat, and is fiercely tempted by the devil.

3)  He is then by the Jordan River and he chooses four to six men who will eventually follow him full time.

Who is Jesus and what do you think he would do next?  He’s God’s Son, his ministry is beginning, you’d think maybe the next stop on his itinerary would be something like what happened at Philips Arena last week (with Governor Perdue starting a second term), that Jesus would give an inaugural address in Jerusalem, or maybe a stirring, shake-’em-up sermon at the temple.  But where does he lead his newly called disciples?  They walk for three days to go to Galilee and the small town of Cana for a wedding.  

Whom do you know and see Jesus to be?  Can you see him on the guest list for a wedding, introducing his new followers to the bride and groom, then having a dance with the bride or a glass of wine with friends?  Can you hear him telling the bride how stunning she looks and the groom what a lucky man he is to have her?  “Congratulations, I’m very happy for you.”  Smiling as they stuff cake in each other’s faces, laughing as he shares old stories with friends and relatives, but staying out of the limelight, because it’s not his wedding, it’s his friends’ wedding – their special day.

All of that is Jesus, too, because Jesus was fully human.  But it keeps going beyond all of that, because the Holy Spirit wants you to know that the one God chose to deliver you and me from our sinfulness, while as human as we are, was also heaven-sent and higher and holier than we’ll ever be, doing necessary things for us that no plain person could ever do.  At Cana you get…

The First Glimpse of Glory -
A Wedding & A Lack Of Wine

For all that you hear from the pulpit today, keep working on having this lesson answer the question – What makes Jesus great?

His mother Mary sensed his greatness, didn’t she!  Informing her son that the wine was out and the servants that they ought to do whatever he says – she was looking for a miracle.  But that was going to have to be Jesus’ call.  Formerly, in Nazareth, it might have been a mutual decision of Jesus and his mother as to when or for what price to sell a chest of drawers.  Formerly, it might have been Mary’s call to let Jesus know that he needed to go see so-and-so about a bid on some kitchen cabinets, but it wasn’t her business to orchestrate her son’s ministry.  “That,” Jesus respectfully told her, “you need to leave to me.”  Jesus was on a schedule.

So when his mother more than hinted that he should do a miracle, he said, “Not yet.”  So why did the miracle come such a short time later?  That goes to the question I asked you to work on today – What makes Jesus great?  One minute his time had not yet come and seemingly not too awfully many minutes later his time had arrived, because things were churning on the inside.  Jesus could hardly stand the thought of how embarrassed the bride and the groom and the hosts would be, couldn’t stand the thought of guests starting to duck out early because, well, somebody hadn’t planned things so very well and how are you supposed to enjoy yourself at a wedding where there is virtually nothing to drink. 

Would you please take note of the compassion Jesus has for our condition.  He has to act when he sees people in need.  It’s who he is.  Is he one who would make the list for a wedding in your family?  Well, sure, right?  But haven’t there been those events where you’d just as soon Jesus would not show up, because then you’d have to scale back certain activities that had been planned?  Haven’t there been those things that we really wouldn’t want Jesus to be around (a movie we watched; things we said about other people for a laugh)?  Haven’t there been the things we’d whisper if we saw Jesus across the room, or things we said too loudly only to find Jesus was five feet behind us and heard every word?

If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re not telling you the truth.  We ought to be embarrassed and ashamed before God himself every time we contemplate either our sinfulness in general or the specific sins we have fallen into.  There can’t be any way that confessing our sinfulness to God could be anything less frequent than a daily occurrence.  And yet that is precisely when Jesus says, “My time has come.”  When the reasons we have for confessing our sins have left us depressed and despondent and dismal as can be, Jesus’ compassion kicks into gear.  He can’t stand to see us that way.  He tells us the only thing that can change our minds about how we feel.  “The nails attached my body to the cross.  The curse of God on your sins was changed to the curse of God on me for your sins.  The spear in my side showed that I was truly dead.  All this I did for you, in your place.”  He lifts us out of shame and embarrass-ment; tells us to leave them behind and be done with them.  If anyone tells you otherwise, they’re not telling you the truth.

Jesus’ compassion for sinners makes him great.  In his concern for us he delivers us from everything, from the greatest eternal punishment to the slightest social embarrassment.  When his compassion is coupled with his power, the possibilities are endless.

While there’s nothing wrong with that wine that you can buy in a box with a pull out spigot, it appears Jesus made some wine that was perhaps a step above that.  Approximately 120 gallons of superior wine would go a long way, either taking care of a multi-day wedding reception or serving as a substantial gift for the bride and groom and their future gifting or entertaining needs.  What can his power accomplish for you?  Everything it needs to!  A glimpse of his glory shows us the power he has for our problems.

But remember - the miracle was a sign.  Our remembrance of Jesus’ attendance at the wedding in Cana has to be more than, “With power like that, think of all the things he can do for you.”  Even higher on the list is, “With power like that, think about who he actually is.”  The Messiah promised in the scriptures as the one to deliver people from sin and hell attended a wedding and took care of a potentially embarrassing, disruptive wine shortage.  He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him.

What makes Jesus great?  His compassion for people and the power he uses to do for needy people exactly what they need.  Those early disciples who went to Cana had already begun to trust in Jesus.  After this miracle and the glory they saw in him, they trusted him more.  Instead of just suggesting it or talking about it, if we were to truly read our Bibles and go through every account in the four gospels where Jesus performs a miracle, wouldn’t it be fair to say that we would trust him all that much more, so that when we came to the crucifixion account we were even more amazed by the grace he showed us, and when we came to the resurrection account we were even more overwhelmed by the victory over sin and death that he has shared with us? 

See his glory and put your trust in him!

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