Second Sunday After Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord, (Year C) Jan. 14, 2007
BCP: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96 or 96:1-10; 1 Cor. 12:1-11; John 2:1-11
RCL: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Cor. 12:1-11; John 2:1-11
The gospel and other readings continue the Epiphany theme of the surprising revelation of God in the works of Jesus. With the Christmas holiday over and its memories fading from our minds, we come upon a story about a wedding feast at which the wine never runs out.
In a way John’s portrayal of Jesus’ first miracle might be seen as provocative for the stodgy at heart. It presents us with a Jesus, and a God, who are concerned about people’s joy, and who participate in it. Jesus does not appear here as an ascetic, shunning celebration, feasting and sociability. One might say he contrasts sharply with the figure of John the Baptist, out in the desert, away from society, eating only the simplest of wild foods. Jesus is always going to dinner, always in the midst of a crowd.
Psalm 36 reminds us that it is God who is the fountain of life, and who provides us with a river of delights. The coming of the Lord is the time of gladness, rejoicing, exultation, and joy (vv. 8-9). We see evidence of this also in Psalm 96:11-13. The relationship between God and his people, or between Christ and the Church, is often compared in the Bible to a marriage relationship.
Isaiah 62:4-5, in this week’s readings proclaims that God “delights” and “rejoices” in this relationship. This is why the season of Epiphany is so important in the life of the church: It keeps that relationship close and warm with the many “signs and wonders” that emanate from God.
Of course, it is important that we not dwell too intently on merely the events of the wedding feast, but look broadly and carefully to where Jesus’ actions point. For example, the wedding feast is one of only two occasions where we meet Jesus’ mother in John’s gospel, the other being at the foot of the cross (Chapter 19). It is worth noting this because Jesus’ strange remark in verse 4, “My hour has not yet come,” looks on, through many other references to his “time,” until at last the time does come and the glory is revealed fully, as he dies on the cross. For John, this is when heaven and earth come together.
Events like that in Cana point beyond themselves to something larger. The wedding feast is a foretaste of the great heavenly feast in store for us. The water jars, used for Jewish purification rites, are a sign that God is doing a new thing from within the old Jewish system, bringing purification to Israel and the world in a new way. The transformation from water to wine is, of course, meant by John to signify the effect that Jesus can have, even in these ordinary days removed from Christmas. He came that we might have life in all its fullness (10:10), and for us that need not be restricted to just high holy days, but it continues throughout the new year.
Look It Up
For those who are married or contemplating marriage, take time to read The Blessing of the Marriage (BCP, p. 430) and pray about why God has brought you together and how Jesus brings joy into your lives.
Think About It
What is John is hinting at when he says that all this took place “on the third day”?
Next Sunday
Third Sunday After Epiphany (Year C), Jan. 21, 2007
BCP: Neh. 8:2-10; Psalm 113; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Luke 4:14-21
RCL: Neh. 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Cor. 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21
