A Sign
Sermon by Pr. Sharai Jacob on the Second Sunday after Epiphany + Sunday, January 19, 2025
Our gospel reading today shows us Jesus’ first sign in the Gospel of John. John doesn’t include a birth story for Jesus. There’s no Christmas narrative here. There’s no brave Mary choosing to mother the Son of God. This banquet is our first time encountering Mary. And she seems to be in the know about things that even Jesus doesn’t know yet. She tells Jesus that the wine has run out, and then she ignores what her son has to say about it, telling the servants to just do what Jesus says. I wonder what she could see at that moment, that Jesus could not?
Just this week, while I was worried about my future and feeling unsure of what my plans should be, I called my mother. And just like Mary did in our Gospel text, she knew just what to say to set my mind at ease. She said, “You’re planning too far ahead and getting overwhelmed. Just trust that God will show you the best path for you when the time comes.” People who take on the mothering role in our lives are often the first to encourage us to step into a new phase of life.
But I wonder why she chose that moment to push Jesus. Wine at a banquet? Jesus has the power to heal the sick and open the eyes of the blind! Why is it so important that Jesus’ first sign be this one? Jesus seemed to think that this problem was trivial as well - he refers to his death and resurrection when he mentions that “his time has not yet come.” There are more important things on his mind. Things with eternal ramifications. And his mom has him creating more wine for a banquet?! Why did this need to be Jesus’ first sign?
This act is specifically referred to as a sign. Not a miracle. A sign. And signs point us towards something. They show us what lies ahead. So, what is this sign pointing to? What is this sign saying about who Jesus will be?
During that time, having enough wine at a wedding banquet meant more than just good planning. It signified the host’s wealth and generosity, and Jesus provided an abundance of it! Free of charge, the best wine served all night and Jesus provided up to 180 gallons of it. Wine is the lifeblood of a banquet. When the wine runs out, the party ends. But because of Jesus, the joy of the wedding banquet continues. Jesus has come to bring abundant life!
This sign calls us to live into the abundant life that Jesus has already given us. God’s Grace overflows so that the whole world can be invited to the banquet, and the wine will never run out.
Jesus’ very human interaction with his mom is included in this story for a reason, I think. Jesus first act shows care for even our trivial human needs and desires. Jesus is just as human as he is divine, and it seems like his mother is reminding him of this. That it is just as important for him to live his daily life as it is for him to prepare for the future.
This sign shows us how close God is. How even our smallest problems are problems that God is willing to walk through with us. Even our most mundane moments are moments when God is willing to connect with us. In between life's big changes and shifts, Jesus is still offering us God’s grace and presence and the joy of life.
The presence of servants in this gospel reading is another aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked. The first sign that Jesus does actually requires the servant’s participation. The people in the lowest social position at the banquet were the ones who witnessed this first sign. The person in charge of the banquet, and even the bridegroom, had no idea where this new wine came from. But the servants knew. And it was these servants, these lowly everyday people, who would have shared the news amongst themselves. They are the first to receive great hope for the future. They are the first to participate in Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus the God of the oppressed brings new life to the least of these. Jesus places the lowly in a position of high esteem as the very messengers of hope. Jesus sees their struggles and brings them hope for freedom, equality, and justice.
This first sign leaves us with an image of Jesus that today we know to be accurate. Jesus, the bringer of new life and Grace, freely given. Jesus, God truly with us all in our humanity. Jesus, the God of the oppressed. This image of Jesus should call us to act. Our need for Grace and new life is met daily, our need for a Holy companion is met daily. So, our care for the oppressed ought to be expressed daily. We may not all make as big of an impact as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but just as my mother told me, just as Mary told Jesus: be open to whatever God is calling you to do, even if it seems as inconsequential as wine at a banquet, go and do it. And trust that God is at work through it.
