Kingdom likened unto a wedding...

I was wondering what kind of man John must have been in order to be chosen to receive the Revelation of Jesus. That question led me to begin reading the Gospel of John… I was struck afresh with John’s passion and zeal for Jesus - The Word becoming Flesh.

Also, I couldn't help but begin to feel what John must have felt during the wedding of Cana... which sparked another MCV posting...

MCV John 1-2 (Marci's creative Version)

I was born in the days when the wine of God had been long gone… so long gone, that most had begun to regard our history as fables or exaggerations to give hope to a tired nation. I grew up among a thirsty, confused, disappointed “chosen” people...

One day, almost from nowhere came a man crying out in the wilderness,

“Make straight the way of the Lord…”

John, called the Baptizer, claimed he was a fulfillment of the words of Isaiah the prophet.

The first time I heard this Baptizer teach, a burning in my heart and a pain caused me to physically fall to my knees… I couldn’t help it. I could remember hearing the stories of Abraham, Moses, and David all my life. I grew up wanting to believe, wanting to be like David… I had longed for the God I had heard of, but not yet seen, to once again pour out His glory…

I watched Jesus as he reclined at the table laughing with the other disciples and his family…

The Baptizer had called this man

“The Lamb of God”

… he said Jesus was the one he had been talking about… that we should follow him and I had heard the voice and seen the dove… so we left our beloved Baptizer and followed his cousin.

All of us, fresh disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, had followed Jesus to a relative's wedding. On the third day of this feast I felt quiet, unsure of my decision to leave John the Baptist… Jesus conversation with the others and my wonderings were interrupted by an obvious dilemma between the bridegroom and a servant in corner of the room behind our table.

We all turned to see the bridegroom’s face drawn tight and red… his finger pointed at a pale servant. It was obvious that the groom was trying to hide the content of the discussion but anyone looking could see the heated emotion. The servant seemed to shrink out of the room and then Mary got up and went after the servant.

Mary came back quickly and spoke to Jesus,

“They have no wine”

She looked directly at him when she spoke and her tone suggested he do something about it.

“Mom, what does this have to do with me… It is not yet my time.”

I had no idea how to interpret this exchange. Obviously I was missing something and me being me did not want to be on the outside of whatever was happening. I started to ask Jesus but Mary got up and told the servant waiting on us,

“Do whatever he says” pointing to Jesus.

Again, I had missed something… Jesus had just said “no”, hadn’t he?

My mouth opened again to get to the bottom of this… but, then Jesus stood, smiled wide and looked at each of us and walked out of the room. Something about the way he looked at us caused us to quickly go after him.

Jesus was standing outside with the servants,

“Fill the Jars with water” He pointed to the empty jars that were used during our purification rites.

The desperate servants quickly filled full the jars with water. Peter stepped forward to ask Jesus what he was going to do but Jesus held up his hand... His faced had changed -he seemed very serious all of a sudden about this wine that had run dry.

The filling of the jars was intense labor and the sounds of the water being poured out drowned the noise of the feast inside.

Jesus kept silent, his eyes fixed on the filling of the jars... the mood of our teacher had changed. The servant poured in a final bucket and water overflowed the brim of the jar.

Jesus then commanded the servant, “Now, draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”

I was really confused and felt awkward about all that had transpired in the last 15 minutes. I just mustered up the boldness, to again, attempt to ask Jesus what was going on when the Master of the feast called to the bridegroom,

“everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."

Suddenly my stomach turned upside down, and I ran out. I fell down behind the building weeping filled with knowing that the Glory of God had been manifested to me… to us. Even as I began to believe more revelation flooded my soul.

Hadn’t John told me that he would baptize me with water and then God himself would baptize and fill me with the Spirit of God… John had said that this was the lamb that would take away the sin of the world…

How long had I vigorously washed myself with water from those same kinds of Jars, hoping to feel clean and close to God but left with clean hands and a disappointed heart.

John had told me that the former glory of Moses would seem small compared to what was to come... the best wine was yet to be served...

Weeping I called out to God,

“I believe. I believe. God, I believe.”