I have a wedding to attend tonight, and 2 more in the next few weeks.
How many weddings have you been to this season? Somehow I find that women attend a lot more weddings than men. One girl I know has been to more than 30 weddings! Do I even have that many friends? Anyways…
The thing is, I’m actually not a big fan of weddings, mainly because of the need to socially be, say, or do something for the sake of the event. But I enjoy people, party’s, and celebrating the bride and groom’s big day. And so I go.
So in the vane of finding more meaning and depth of this thing called a wedding, I came across a pretty important wedding found in scripture. How grateful I am that this is there.
Jesus was invited with his mom and brand new disciples to a wedding at Cana. Well, the wine ran out. This was a big deal. Because wine represented blessings, joy, and favor from God. So Jesus went over to the 6 large vats, and changed the water into wine. Jesus told the servant to serve it to the master of the event. The master drank a glass and said to the groom, “Everyone serves the good wine first…but you have kept the good wine until now.”
The master was confused. And so was I. Weddings confuse me. But I think more meaning has been found.
Just as a bride and groom make their public declaration on this day, I think Jesus decided to do the same.
Jesus was using a wedding, to declare himself, the Groom, to his beautiful bride, the Church, which is us. Just as a wedding is the public declaration of a Groom and Bride to the world, Jesus was declaring himself on the scene of history through a wedding. And he did this through wine.
Why wine?
Jesus represents wine. And he is the good wine. The better wine than even the first. The first wine they drank was good, and that represents the Law. The second wine they drank, was even better, Jesus – the groom himself as God in flesh and the redeemer of the world, his bride, and the very fulfillment of the Law. The new and fresh wine he turned the water into was good! And that is Jesus.
And he did it with abundance! He filled all 6 vats with the new and good wine, all the way “up to the brim.”
To me, this brings a whole new meaning to weddings and marriage.
Why?
Because once again, God gently yet powerfully, points me back to himself. That he is the point. The bigger and larger covenant and marriage to be concerned about is the one between God and me, God and all of man. And the beauty and blessing of wine is a representation of the supreme and even greater taste of Jesus the redeemer and Groom being the good new wine that we drink of daily.
In the spirit – there is a wedding, ceremony, and covenant that has taken place, between God and mankind. And this is the most beautiful wedding, Groom, and Bride – Jesus and us! And how these earthly marriages and ceremonies are meant to point to the greater one. All while letting us enjoy the natural enjoyments of marriages and ceremonies and covenants between men and women. What a deep and beautiful picture of joy, passion, and love displayed between a man and women who wed, that shows us the picture of God himself with us.
Isn’t it wonderful that we get both? A marriage and covenant here on earth, and one that is eternal?!
And so I’m grateful – for more meaning and depth to a wedding.
That Jesus went to that wedding at Cana. And that he showed himself to his disciples and the servants. And that he provided a new wine to those wedding guests that was even greater than the first wine that just wasn’t enough. And that he did it in abundance. My guess, is that those wine vats never ran out and they enjoyed the new good wine for hours if not days and weeks to come.
Well, I’m off to a few more weddings this year. I hope you enjoy the one’s you attend. And I hope it draws us all even closer to God, through seeing the beautiful display of two people wed in all of its beauty, meaning, and love. Pointing us to the one who is our true pursuer and lover of our souls.
Cheers!
(John 2:1-12 – The Wedding at Cana)
(Matthew 9:17)
(Eph 5:25-27, John 3:29)
