25th January 2008 (3rd of Epiphany)
John 2:1-11
The Kingdom of God is a new creation, in which a new heaven and a new earth are joined seamlessly together. We look forward to the day a new Earth, more solid and permanent than today’s Earth, will be in full unity and harmony with the renewed and visible spiritual realm. Human beings who are part of that new creation will be equally at home in both realms; with resurrection bodies we will be at home on Earth and equally at home in the spiritual realms, able to see God face to face, able to see the fullness of his glory. As Jesus is now, so we will be.
The work of new creation began with Jesus’ coming to earth. The Word became flesh, and in him the earthly realm was united to the heavenly realm. However, that union was hidden; to all appearances Jesus of Nazareth was as ordinary a person and Joseph and James and Anna and everyone else of Nazareth. But the whole point of his coming was to ‘bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head – even Christ’ (Ephesians 1:10).
Before this cosmic union could take place, the barrier to that union needed to be taken down. This was what Jesus did on the cross. That great work of destroying the barrier to union with God so that the kingdom of God could come in all its fulness, that was what Jesus came for. That was his ‘hour’, the decisive moment. On the cross Jesus took upon himself our separation from God. (‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’); and finished his task of removing that separation. (It is finished! Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.)
When Mary said, ‘They have no wine’, Jesus knew that the only solution would be a miracle. The miracles of Jesus are often called ‘signs’ in John’s gospel. They are supernatural events on earth, occasions when the spiritual realm impacts the earthly, and therefore they point forward to the time when heaven and earth are united – the union made possible by the cross. Mary’s request, therefore, reminded Jesus of that ‘hour’ that was to come.
Nevertheless, Jesus acted. There was new creation! Water became wine, and the situation was saved.
The ‘sign’ tells us a little about the new creation. The new is as different from this one as wine is different from water. It is joyful and fun! It is abundant life – the sign involved about 120 gallons of wine (600 litres)!
St Paul says: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17.) All who believe in Jesus and accept him as their King become his people. At the same time a deep, spiritual transformation takes place: they are ‘born again’, given new life, resurrection life. The new life we have needs to be nurtured so that it grows and affects every aspect of our life on this earth. We, too, can expect to see signs of it, and foretastes of what is to come! Our new life will survive death; and when Jesus comes judge the world and to put everything right, we will be clothed with resurrection bodies, fit for the new cosmos.
Questions:
1) How has Jesus transformed your life? What signs are there for others to see?
2) Jesus seemed to bring joy wherever he went. How can we do the same?