Chapter 2

At the wedding at Cana, Jesus, his mother, and some of the disciples were guests. This story of the changing of water into wine is exclusive to John’s gospel. The incident reports that Jesus not only changed water into wine, but changed it into the “good stuff.” This John depicts as the first “sign.”

Signs

We need to stop for a minute to discuss signs. John never uses to term miracle, but refers to these works of God through the hands of Jesus as signs. Signs of what you may ask? I’m glad you asked that question. Signs point to that which they are intended to reveal. In these instances they are the revealers of Jesus’ divine origin, divine connection, and the works of God in the human realm. As we look to end result in verse 11, we see that not only did Jesus grace the wedding of his friends, but he gave the “first of his signs . . . and revealed his glory, and disciples believed in him.” That transition to the faith of the disciples is primary desired accomplishment of the signs. They reveal Jesus (as God) and they generate faith him.

In John, Jesus approach to his mother is shocking by most human standards. Jesus refers to her in this instance and at the foot of the cross as Woman. “Woman, what has this to do with us.” “Woman behold your son.” There has been many who have speculated on this phrasing. The Oxford Annotated Bible refers to the term Woman as a term of respectful address. They go on to say, however, that Jesus also holds her at a distance to say, “the hour has not yet come;” this sign will reveal but the full revelation won’t come until the cross is revealed. Another reference in my reading has been to associate Woman to her common human roots, an everywoman of sorts in the vein of Eve as the mother of us all. Yet, another reference sees Woman as the church, especially in the instance of Jesus commending her to the disciple after his death. In speculation, Jesus commends his church into the hands of the disciples after his physical departure.

The important material that surfaces, however, is the reference to the coming hour. It isn’t now. Jesus is not going to be fully revealed in the razzle-dazzle of miracles (the synoptic handle this notion with other devices). Signs are not razzle-dazzle. Jesus won’t be reveal through anything of the sort. His final revelation is the cross. Everything in John points to that moment – that hour.

The Temple

This part of the narrative stands in a sharp contrast to the Wedding celebration. Here Jesus enters God’s temple, known for centuries as the “place where I will cause my name to dwell.” The significance of this statement is that in the tradition of “no images or likenesses” God gave the people a concrete place where they could associate the dwelling of God on earth. The temple was it. They knew that they could go there and commune with God the almighty.

Jesus enters with a force that stopped them in their tracks when he cleaned out the buying and selling. They had turned the temple into the dwelling place to God to a marketplace.

Their first reaction (in John’s words) was, “what sign can you show us for doing this?” Once again John introduces sign to the content. Their question was simple, but what authority are you doing this. Jesus points to a sign that is hidden from them. He said, “Tear this temple down and in three days I will raise it up again.” They take his conversation literally. They though he was talking about the building itself. John lets us know the secret. Jesus was talking about his own body. Kill this body and I will raise it up in three days.

There is an interesting connection made in these words. First, of course it is a reference to the resurrection which will be ultimate sign of who Jesus is; but, second, “this body,” Jesus’ body is the new temple in which God has come to dwell among mortals. God has taken up residence in the world in a way unlike anything that he has done previously. John lets us know that “After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and word that Jesus had spoken.” Ah yes! The sign had done its job. It revealed Jesus as God who had come to dwell among them.

Sign will play a great part in the telling the narrative of John the Evangelist. Just as John was sent to “witness” to Jesus, so the sign are done to “witness” to Jesus. Witnesses are those that point to Jesus just as John the Baptist did. Witnesses can be signs; they can be disciples who point the way. We are all called to be witnesses.

Friday, October 24, 2008