Readings:
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11
The story of the Wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11) is the only Gospel story outside of Luke’s birth narrative where Mary plays a substantial role. In this story we see her interact with other characters, including Jesus, and speak with authority to the wedding servants (vv. 3-5). It is an imaginative story that evokes feelings of wonder and awe. The imagery of abundant, flowing wine speaks not only to our thirst for God, but to God’s propensity to provide us with more than we could ever hope to receive.
It is also a story with which many are a little uncomfortable. This discomfort often stems from the way in which Jesus speaks to his mother (v. 4). For many modern readers the term “woman” is an inappropriate way to address one’s mother. Many a bible study leader, homilist, and even the footnotes in the New American Bible Revised Edition, try to soften Jesus’ response, explaining that this is a perfectly polite form of address for Jesus’ time. However, it is not. The way Jesus addresses his mother as “woman” is unusual and discourteous, including for his time. The following question he asks her doubles down on this address, dismissing her concern as insignificant for him. In short, Jesus is presented as being rude to his mother here.
This has nothing to do with how the historical Jesus might have actually treated his mother – nor is it intended to teach sons how they should treat their mothers. The author of the Gospel of John has an agenda here that is not about sharing historical information about Jesus and his mother. What Jesus’ reaction to Mary does is create distance between their characters. This distance between mother and son contrasts with the significance John’s Gospel places on the closeness between God (Father) and Jesus (Son). It is this relationship that matters most throughout the Gospel of John, and this is but one way the author of the Gospel chose to express this theological truth.
Mary’s response to Jesus’ claim creates further distance. Jesus asserts that it is not his time to act (2:4) but Mary pays it no mind, directing her response to the servants instead (2:5). It is almost as if she did not even hear what he said to her. Jesus could have stubbornly held onto his position, but he acquiesces, creating more wine for the wedding guests (2:7-9). Perhaps we are to understand that Jesus recognized that this was God calling Jesus to act through Mary. Sometimes this is how it feels to receive a call from God. We want to do things when we decide it is convenient. No matter how hard we might try to dismiss or control God’s call, God, like Mary in today’s Gospel, will ignore our dismissive responses and keep pushing.
When we finally acquiesce to God’s requests, we will see that we are not the only ones who benefit from allowing God to use us as a vessel. In the Gospel, Jesus’ action of turning water into wine raises the mood of the wedding. Most significantly, though, it saves the bride and groom from gaining a bad reputation for not having the proper amount of wine customary for weddings. It also makes the bride and groom appear exceedingly generous by serving good wine all the way through their wedding (2:10). By answering God’s calls, we not only grow into the person God has created us to be, but we also bring light into the world.