And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” JOHN 2,9-10
We are very familiar with this story/miracle.
- wedding feast
- wine runs out
- Mary intervenes
- Water turns to wine
- Jesus knows also the servers
- headwaiter is shocked
I would like to present a cultural story from Israel:
It seems when a marriage is arranged,
then the bridegroom begins to collect
and save wine in a cellar or in a room
known to him alone, and the wine that is
saved up is to be used for the wedding feast.
On the wedding day he calls his friends or servants
and tells them to go to the place where the
wine is saved up and asks them to serve the
wine to the guests who are at the table.
So, only the bridegroom knows where the wine
comes from. Only the bridegroom is aware of the
place of origin of the wine and he tells his friends.
In this story of John chapter two wine runs out.
And there is no wine for the guests.
Situation is bad, humiliating to the groom.
But Jesus brings in wine from somewhere which
no one knows except him.
SO WHO IS THE REAL BRIDEGROOM?
Through this story the author is telling us that
Jesus is the real BRIDEGROOM who has
come to marry the world/universe/creation.
So this happens at the beginning of his ministry
to say that he is in command of the celebrations
in the world and he is in fact the bridegroom.
Interestingly it is Mary who reveals the bridegroom
to the servants and to the world.
Wedding feast at Cana is the beginning of ministry for Jesus
and he begins by taking up his role as the bridegroom
and he is to continue the celebrations
until the whole world is gifted back to the FATHER.
