Holy Brit

After such an impressive beginning to John's Gospel we can feel a little let down by Jesus' first miracle. Making wine at a wedding - isn't that a little frivoloous - what about feeing the poor and changing the world.

Well - we'll get there but this is a meta-parable for the new things that are coming. Think about the themes that are here - Jesus takes water used for purification and changes it into wine - the Eucharistic symbolism is obvious - where water was used to make people clean - water as part of that old covenant system of ritual and sacrifice now there will be a once for all sacrifice and the feast represented simply by wine - but not just any wine - the best wine. John is clear that this is great wine.

Then there is the fact that Jesus makes so much - not to encourage these particular guests to over-indulge but to lay the grounds for a theology of abundance.

Mary's role is clear as one who points to Jesus and Jesus clearly takes his own time and makes his own decisions - the son of God, beholden to noone.

And the theme of the wedding - that new covenant, that new joining together - this is what John is showing us - that all things are new and abundant and exciting.

This is what it is going to be like - he says - the new bridegroom for Israel is here, the new wine will transform your state of hidden drunkeness into the sober light of a new day of abundance. But don't make it too small - it isn't.