Props: Magnifying glass, flashlight, litmus paper (3.8-3.4 best acidity), wine glass with red wine
At one time or another, all of you have probably watched a detective show on tv. If you’re like me, you’ve watched more than one. You can’t miss them. They enjoy some of the highest ratings on television. At any given time, especially prime time, there will be at least 15 or more detective shows on various networks to choose from.
What’s your favorite? NCIS? Blue Bloods? The Blacklist? Criminal Minds? Castle? True Detective? Graceland? CSI? Anyone watch CSI? This has got to be one of the most interesting shows on tv, which is why it has spawned a series of sequels---CSI Miami, CSI New York. Colleges and community colleges around the country have claimed that this one show CSI has significantly boosted admissions in forensic science! Lawyers and judges have claimed that it has changed the whole mind-set of juries and what they look for before they are willing to convict.
But even if you aren’t a jurist or a scientist by trade, we all still love to watch our favorite detective characters find the clues and signs everyone else will miss, and then to trace those clues back to the source. We are all semiotic bloodhounds at heart! We love to find out the “whys” of things, to seek out signs and clues that lead us to the roots of the mysteries in our lives.
One of the most famous detectives in history who prided himself on his observant capabilities was the renowned Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is pretty much the epitome of crime solvers and clue seekers. If anyone could solve a case, Holmes could!
Well, the world of fine wines has their own “Sherlock Holmes.” Maureen Downey is known as the “Sherlock Holmes of Wine.” Due to case after case of counterfeit and stolen fine wines, Maureen Downy made it her mission in life to become the top wine fraud investigator in the world. Using unique tools of the trade, Maureen investigates clues that reveal the truth of what is authentic fine wine and what is wine fraud and fakery.
Mike Pomeranz wrote an article about Maureen’s unique niche. Here’s how he explained her mission to sniff out Wine Forgery:
“For big-time wine collectors, counterfeit wine is a real concern. That’s when people have to call in the big guns like top wine fraud investigator Maureen Downey, aka the Sherlock Holmes of Wine.
Bloomberg Business (a company owned by someone who might actually have a handful of $200,000 bottles of wine lying around the house) recently interviewed Downey about her work, even getting into some of the nitty-gritty of detecting fake wines. Turns out, it's some serious CSI work, utilizing tools like magnification, flashlights, blue lights and razor blades.
As far as her methods, Downey touts paper authenticity, magnification, and examining the cork before taking a look at the real thing. ‘Unfortunately, it’s pretty safe to say that anybody who’s been collecting and buying wine in the last 15 years, they have probably purchased at least one counterfeit wine,’ she laments. And though she gives viewers brief insight into her work, she also admits, ‘You have to have looked at tens of millions of dollars of real wine to be able to spot a fake.’ You could say she really gets to the bottom of a bottle of wine.”**
In the scripture story today, we have a case involving, not missing wine, but the appearance of “new wine!” And it’s an outstanding fine wine! You might even call it the best wine ever produced on planet Earth. Where did it come from? Who made it? Is it authentic?
It’s a mystery fit for the “Sherlock Holmes of Wine!”
The story takes place at a Jewish wedding –a long-lasting festive occasion with sacramental and traditional requirements. Most likely the bride or groom was an extended relative of Jesus, probably on Mary’s side of the family, since she seems to have some authority in the occasion.
In Jesus’ day, weddings lasted 7 days. Jesus arrives with his disciples likely near the end of the wedding party (which would have begun likely on a Wednesday; Jesus arrives on the third day of the week or Tuesday, therefore on the last day of the festivities). Jesus’ mother Mary, who has been there already, probably helping with the arrangements, tells Jesus when he shows up with his disciples that the wine has run out.
For the wine to run out was both a tragedy and a travesty. The host of the wedding would be humiliated not to have wine available for his guests for the duration of the feast! At first, Jesus does not want to do get involved. He doesn’t want to draw attention to himself. It’s not time for people to see who he is! But Mary insists he do something.
So Jesus comes up with a plan to provide a very fine wine anonymously. And if Jesus is going to make wine, it’s going to be the best in the house, the best ever made! But there’s a reason for that! Jesus takes the opportunity to draw on one of the primary metaphors of scriptural prophecy –the promise of God’s messiah and the fulfillment of the promise of the new covenant: new wine! Jesus creates a metaphorical message out of the experience. He creates a teaching moment for his disciples about who he is and what his mission is about!
The wine Jesus comes up with isn’t just for any celebration! It’s the authentic covenant “wine of promise” between God and God’s people! And even though they do not know it, even though they are not all aware, each one of those guests at the True Wedding Feast with the True Bridegroom has taken part in God’s Grande Feast of Promise! THIS is the finest wine of the entire feast. Jesus IS THE authentic wine of the covenant! The secret miracle is that no one noticed! They noticed that this wine was different, and extraordinary. But they failed to see the “message” –the clues of just how “fine” this wine really was. This wine’s unique “ID” was deeply embedded in the language of covenant, scripture, prophetic message. Because of the event they were caught up in, they missed God’s Big Event!
You can’t trust the label. But you can trust the identity embedded in the wine!
Jesus creates the finest wine God could create from the holy living waters of the “baptismal font!” It’s a “promise” flowing. But he doesn’t present it with flair, pomp, and circumstance. He doesn’t even give it directly to the wedding head caterer! He takes no credit for the wine, draws no attention to himself. Jesus works behind the scenes with the servants, telling them to fill to the brim the six jars of purified water dedicated for the mikveh. Then he directs the servants to draw out some of the water-now-become-wine and give it to the head waiter.
Lo and behold, when the master of the wedding staff tastes it, that water has been transfigured into the finest of wines! He has no idea where the wine has come from, and believes that the groom’s family had been holding out! He blames the bridegroom for saving the best wine until last not realizing that it has come from divine hands. He missed the sign! They all missed the sign! No gets it except Mary and the disciples. There’s a case of gourmet wine in their midst! Where did it come from? They don’t seem to care. They are just interested in why it appeared so late in the festivities! Remind you of something? When the Israelites are freed from Egypt, after Moses turns the waters of the Nile into blood, facilitating their escape, they spend their time in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, and they don’t care about their freedom or the promise. They only want food! And complain that they have nothing to eat! They were in the midst of one of the most awesome miracles of God’s covenant promise, and all they could think of is why they hadn’t eaten yet!
And we do that as well, don’t we? It’s called, we can’t see the forest for the trees! We get caught up in the midst of our troubles, and our problems, and we see all of our lives as one big responsibility. We need to work; we need to pay the rent; our kids need to get to school on time; we need to save face with our friends by doing and saying all of the right things. And even in our churches, we can get caught up can’t we with doing the programs we think we should, finishing worship on time, preparing for the next Men’s Breakfast, laying out the brand new rug, getting the money to fix the roof. And we can get so enmeshed in our own world that we fail to see the miracle of God’s presence and power and covenant right in our midst. We can miss the miracle of faith. We can miss the Big Picture of Jesus’ mission in our lives and in our communities. We can fail to appreciate the “true wine” of the covenant.
Some of you may be familiar with the story of the man who became stranded on his roof in a hurricane. The flood waters were rising, and he sat on the roof and prayed for God to rescue him from that roof. In a little while, a helicopter came, but the man refused to get in, saying he would wait for God to rescue him. Hours later, a boat came by, but the man said, no thank you, God is going to rescue me, I’ll wait. A day later, the rains were getting higher, and the man prayed harder. In a little while, a fireman came by offering to take him to safety. But the man rejected him as well. For several more days, the man sat on the roof and waited for God to save him. Finally, frustrated, he cried out, God, why won’t you help me! And God answered, I sent a helicopter, a fireman, and a boat, but you wouldn’t come off the roof!
[You can also substitute here the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. who before he became famous taught a course at Crozer Rochester, and not a single person saved their notes, their grades, his signature on any of their lessons. The only proof that they took the course is that their names are on the roster in the records and annals of the university. But no one thought to save a single shred of wisdom from this great teacher. They sat in the midst of greatness –and missed it!]
How do you recognize Jesus’ miracles in your life and in the world? What extraordinary signs has God given YOU in your life that you may not have paid attention to? Would you recognize Jesus’ miracles today? How do you know that God is working in your life? Has Jesus appeared to you in ways you may have missed? In ways you couldn’t understand and therefore dismissed?
All of us have ups and downs in our lives. To what do you attribute the gifts you receive? How do you know if something that happens is just good luck, or a nice gesture, or coincidence, or a gift from God? How can you tell when something has Jesus in it? If something happens in your life –is it Jesus? Is it an authentic Jesus miracle?
Some people place an extra place at the table to remind them that Jesus is there. But how can you recognize Jesus at your party? And how can you recognize when something in your life is the result of some kind of divine intervention?
Can you read the signs? How do you “test the wine”?
Sherlock Holmes of Wine Maureen Downey says, to be able to recognize authenticity, you have to know what the true wine is. For us to recognize Jesus in our lives, we have to know who The True Vine is!
Once you have Jesus in your heart, once you know Jesus, are paying attention to Jesus (as the disciples did in our story today), then you will be alert to the miracles Jesus will do in your life. Once you know the scriptures, once they are a part of your life and your mind and heart, you will recognize the metaphors and signs of Jesus in the world around you! You will recognize the messages Jesus is giving you in your life and in the lives of others! Once you have tasted the “wine” of the covenant, you will recognize that taste, that quality, that exquisiteness anywhere!
Even if that wine is hidden under a “homeless coat,” even if that wine is offered from a person you don’t know, even if that wine appears in the guise of an unexpected blessing –you will know it comes from Jesus.
[Pick up your props…]
I’ve brought here today a few “tools” for detecting the “truth” of Jesus’ appearances in YOUR life. I have here a magnifying glass, a flashlight, some litmus paper, and a wine glass. Metaphors for recognizing the “signs” of a Jesus miracle!
[For each item, allow a member of the congregation to hold it, use it, tell you if it makes things clearer, reveals things they didn’t notice before. Ask them what it helps them do. What happens when those tools are directed at your own soul? What happens when you look at the occurrences in your life with those tools? What do you see?]
Magnifying glass: Inspecting for Radiant Joy
Mary, Jesus’ mother sings a beautiful song when she finds that she is going to bear the Messiah. It begins like this: “My soul magnifies the Lord! And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior!” (Luke 1). Hannah sings a similar song: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; In the Lord my horn is lifted high.” (1 Samuel 2). A heart that knows Jesus is a heart that rejoices! When you know Jesus, you experience joy in all times and places of your life, no matter what else is happening. If something happens and great joy is exuded, you can be sure that Jesus has something to do with it! When you look closely at your life, you’ll see that sometimes good things can happen, and you may take it as a matter of course. But when something extraordinary happens that fills you with an inexplicable joy, or fills others with an astounding joy, you’ll know that Jesus is in the midst of it.
When you look closely at your life as well, you’ll see that everything is about relationships. Everything in life exists in relationship. And the covenant relationship with God IS the most important relationship of your life! If something in your life is an authentic Christ generated miracle, you can bet it will be relational! It will be a shared miracle, one that all can take part in. For God does not single out, but extends his love and salvation to ALL people. Look closely at your life. Examine your cause for celebration. Can others share it with you? Is it a blessing for the entire community?
The wine of Christ is also sweet. It’s a beautiful, rich, fine, and sweet new wine. Nothing that is bitter or caustic, sour or that leaves a bland aftertaste will come from God. But a miracle that comes from God will be of exceptional beauty, sweetness, kindness, love.
What kind of “fruit” is your celebration made of? What kind of “wedding feast” do you partake of and celebrate with Christ? Examine yourself. Is the seal of your relationship with Christ intact? Are you holding up YOUR end of the covenant? Do your words belie what’s in your soul? Is the fruit of your heart rooted in the Vine of Vineyard Master?
[Hold up the magnifying glass]
Does your soul magnify the Lord? Can you identify those unexpected miracles in your life that magnify the Lord? That is the first sign of the Savior.
Flashlight: Inspecting for Authenticity
Another way you can discern whether what’s happening in your life is Jesus-powered is to see it in the light! Truth always shines brightly from anyplace. Can your miracle pass the “truth test?”
If your life seems brighter, if you glow with the light of kindness, compassion, gentleness, passion, energy, and enthusiasm for others, you can be sure, it’s Jesus-driven.
Look for Jesus in dark places. Jesus lights up dark places. And he is sure to be found where light is needed. Can you shine the light on your miracle and see it authentically? Is your life transparent and authentic in the wake of your miracle?
[Hold up the flashlight]
Does the Light of Christ shine into your life? Does it reveal the truth and authenticity of those miracles in your life that help make your life more honest, more kind? Does your miracle light up places for others besides yourself? Does it reveal to you something more about God, about yourself, about others? Light reveals. That is the second sign of the Savior.
Litmus test: Inspecting for a Burning Heart
The third way to discern whether your life is touched by Jesus is to see whether the miracle has touched your heart. It’s not enough to convince your mind. But a heart touched by God has a burning passion for the gospel!
The Jesus “burn” is familiar to many who have come to Jesus: those on the road to Emmaus, John Wesley to name a few. A burn of the heart leads to recognition of the mind. A burning heart is a reminder –in mind, body, and soul that whatever you’ve experienced has Jesus in it!
I’m holding here litmus paper. It’s a way to test whether your heart has too little acidity, whether you are too alkaline or bland, OR whether you are a hot-head with nothing to tame your temper. A heart with a slow-burn is one that reveals the presence of the Holy Spirit within. It’s what you feel when you take that first sip of communion wine and feel it burning all the way down. Can you pass the litmus test? Do you have the new wine of Jesus in your heart?
Can you look at your miracle and feel the signs of Jesus in it…truth, beauty, and goodness that create passion for worship and zeal for God’s ways?
[Hold up the litmus paper]
How has your miracle touched your heart? How has it touched the hearts of others? Can others discern it too? Does it make your passion for Jesus rise? Does it make your heart burn with love without even knowing why? That is a sure sign that the Savior is near.
[Now hold up the cup or glass of wine]
The cup of blessing is always extraordinary and frequently unexpected. It is an unusual vintage, nothing like it. Just as with the Spirit…you don’t know where it comes from or where it will appear next, only that it fills you with great joy, even while it challenges you to take up the cup and feast with Jesus.
God always goes against the grain! And God does things you least expect when you least expect them. Jesus doesn’t choose to grace your life because of any special things you’ve done. But simply because YOU are HIS! And many times, God saves the best until last. You don’t have to be first to receive God’s best. In fact, the last shall be first! We all get God’s best.
The most important thing of all perhaps to remember is that signs are clues, hints, gifts that point to Jesus. They give us clues to the identity of the Savior. They give us hope for our lives and for the world. God’s signs are not here to solve all of our problems, are not here to alieve every aspect of our lives. But they point to the promise of the gospel…to the livingness and power and presence of Jesus….the victory of Jesus over sin and death. They point to the truth and promise of Jesus in our midst….to give us hope in sorrow…..and assurance of faith in the midst of doubt.
In Jesus, we have joy within difficulty, life within death, celebration within sorrow.
God’s hope is a hope for ALL people. God’s miracles abound for those with ears to see, and ears to hear. You don’t have to be an expert to discern God’s presence in YOUR life. You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out if God is near. Despite all of the ways we’ve mentioned that enable you to know for sure. Basically, it comes down to this: you only need to remember one important thing:
Every act of God ends with a promise!
If there’s hope abounding, God is in it!
*Photo from www.southerninlaw.com. Adapted by Jim Walton of The 3rd Choice.
**Mike Pomeranz, May 2015 “A Crash Course in Spotting Fake Wine by the Sherlock Holmes of Wine” online article
Based on the Story Lectionary
Major Text
John’s Witness about Jesus’ Miracle during the Wedding at Cana in Galilee
Minor Text
Genesis: The Creation Story –the 3rd Day
Exodus 7:14-21: Moses First Miracle Turns Water to Blood
Proverbs 3:9-10
Psalm 104
Isaiah 62; Isaiah 25:6-9;
Jeremiah 31:1-14
Joel 2:15-24; 3:17-18
Amos 9:11-15
1 Corinthians 10 and 12: Paul’s Letter to the Corinthian Church regarding Baptism in One Spirit
John’s Witness about Jesus’ Miracle during the Wedding at Cana in Galilee
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no longer any wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it.
When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days.
Image Exegesis: The Gathering at Cana
I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful. Jeremiah 3:4
The miracle of a wedding is the “promise” of life together. The metaphor of “wedding” and “marriage” is a prominent one in the scriptures, both old and new. It is “code” so to speak for God’s “promise” of new covenant in which humankind and God will be reunited in a bond of truth, goodness, and beauty. While Jesus’ attendance at the wedding at Cana was no doubt an actual occurrence, still he used that moment (Jesus IS the master of the teachable moment) to draw upon this Jewish marriage metaphor in order to help his disciples understand something about what the present moment (the genesis of his ministry and mission) meant for them and for God’s people. The promise of God’s relationship with Israel is fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus’ miracle at the wedding, like everything the gospel writers have recorded, points to him as the messiah, as God incarnate, and as the fulfillment of scripture. The “covenant” of Jewish marriage echoes the covenant between God and God’s virgin bride, Israel. Whereas in the past, Israel has come upon difficult times, has fallen out of favor with God, now the time has come to consummate the relationship. It’s a time of celebration and festivities when the Lord’s promise to Israel will be fulfilled. The “marriage” is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. He is the bridegroom of the spiritual kingdom. Jesus uses the opportune setting of the marriage feast at Cana and his mother’s request to assist as a metaphorical moment in which he can teach his newly chosen disciples about his identity and his mission. The miracle is not for everyone’s eyes. The addition of “extra” wine for partying at the wedding is mostly irrelevant. What is spectacular is the disciples’ witness to God’s promise in the quite vivid metaphors of water, wine, and wedding. The images would be unmistakable to those versed in the Hebrew scriptures, and those waiting for the coming of the messiah. The guests saw wine. The disciples saw a sign.
In the witness of John, Jesus’ mother is already at the wedding feast when Jesus and his disciples arrive (we assume the six we’ve already been introduced to, perhaps more). We can assume, as many scholars have, that the wedding feast is for a relative of the extended family. Jesus’ mother (Mary) seems to be helping with the festivities, because she is aware that the wine has fallen short, and she petitions the servants (who obey her) to take direction from her son. Jesus’ mother also seems to know that Jesus can help! But what she expects from him what he does is another matter. Is she aware he can do the kind of miracle he does? Is she supportive of him as the messiah? Or is she asking her son for help with the wedding, as a mother would request a son to do, expecting him to go in search of additional wine. One might suspect the former; surely at least the latter. The interplay between Mary and Jesus is interesting in that he at first seems to indicate to her that she should not ask him to do “such a thing” since his time has not yet come to be recognized! Perhaps Mary is quite aware of what her son can do, and wants him to announce himself before he is ready. Jesus does not consent, and Mary does not push. She simply tells the servants to listen to whatever he tells them to do. What is she expecting? We don’t know. But we do know that Jesus takes that opportunity to do something extraordinary, and “secretly” to point to God’s mission through him in the context of the “wedding feast.” What was a human interaction becomes divine metaphor.
At the close of the wedding (which seems to be shortly after the miracle was performed), Jesus, his mother, brothers, and disciples go back to Capernaum for a few days before it would be time to go to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. At least at the start of Jesus’ ministry, his family is with him. That would not always be the case.
The wedding at Cana happened according to John on the “third day.” What third day, one needs to ask? Was it the third day after Jesus’ baptism? The timeline in the gospel would suggest not. Was it the third day of the wedding? We don’t know. The third day of the week? This is most likely, since the Jewish days between Sabbaths are counted merely as numbers. That would make sense as well with the time line of the wedding. Jewish weddings were held primarily on Wednesdays (Thursdays for widows). We know that Jesus’ mother was already there, and that Jesus and his disciples came later. We know that Jewish weddings lasted 7 days. If the wedding began on Wednesday, and Jesus and his disciples arrived on the third day of the week after the Sabbath (Tuesday), then that would mean that it was the last day of the festivities, and it would make sense that the wine was running short. It would also make sense why the wedding concluded so quickly afterward. But the “third day” is also significant metaphorically.
Third day seems to tie in metaphorically with the metaphor of water, particularly this holy or pure water –used for the mikveh, ceremonial washing and purifying before the wedding feast. It was to sanctify and purify. The mikveh was a bathing pool, the “living waters” (taken from spring or rain water) where Jewish men and women purified themselves for many occasions, one of which was marriage. They would prepare themselves and sanctify themselves through bathing. It was a type of “baptism” if you will. Coming out of the mikveh meant, you were cleansed and therefore “renewed.” Mikveh is also the Hebrew word used for the “gathering of the waters” in Genesis on the “third day” when Yahweh separates the waters from the dry land. (See Genesis 1:10). It is the language of creativity and birthing. The “waters” of God are pure waters of new creation, just as marriage is a new creation, and the new covenant of Jesus is a new creation. The mikveh washes away the blood and sin and impurities of the person bodily and spiritually, just as the blood of the past is washed away to make way for the “new wine” of God’s promise. All of this is deeply embedded metaphorically in scriptures –in the Torah and in the prophets and in the psalms. What blood is washed away?
The first miracle that Moses performed happened in the Exodus, when God instructed him to turn the waters of the Nile into blood. It was the beginning of a promise made to Israel. This miracle is echoed with Jesus who represents the final promise of God. In Jesus, the waters of God’s creation are turned into the new wine of covenant. This miracle is not one of blood, but one of wine –it is a wine of celebration. The time of the Old Covenant has ended, and the new has begun. God’s promise has come to fruition.
Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars used for the mikveh with the purified water. Then to draw some out. When they do, the water has become wine --pure and outstanding. It is the promise that has become the sweet fruit of the vine. We know it is the best there could be, because the Master of the Banquet accuses the Bridegroom of saving the best until last! This is a clue that we are dealing with an important metaphor. The wine is the absolute best! It is the divine wine of the holy covenant!
What is revealed to the disciples is God’s new covenant come to fruition. John calls the revealing of “this pregnant moment” through the miracle of the wine, the identity of Jesus as the messiah, and the reality of Jesus’ mission a “semeion” --a sign. It’s a very powerful sign!
The Jewish mikveh ceremonial washing before a marriage meant the couple was to be “born anew,” that they would be joined together to become a new creation. Just as the water became wine, we all become new creations in Christ, as we allow God to take over our lives, to ferment us in our discipleship, and to transfigure us into something that roots itself in the living waters of the Savior.
The mikveh however is an “outer purification” that effects a spiritual renewal. Jesus’ changing of water to wine for drinking, is an ingathering of God’s children in One Spirit in a new covenant in which God’s promise is written upon our hearts, and which flows in our blood. As we consume the “wine of the covenant,” we are inwardly changed. As the mikveh symbolizes the human encounter with holiness, and the wedding a kiddushin or sanctification, so are we reborn of the cup of covenant that does not run dry, as the messiah offers up unending springs of living water and the blood of sacrifice. (See Jeremiah, Elijah, Isaiah, Joel).
And the wine is served up at the “wedding feast,” a metaphor Jesus would use again later in his teaching. God’s final promise is a promise of a place at the table in God’s eternal feast! It is a joyous occasion, celebratory, and victorious.
The language of “new wine” and “feast” and “abundance” is found abundantly in the Hebrew scriptures, especially in terms of God’s promise in the words of the prophets. Each of the prophets begins with a warning and ends with God’s promise of sweet new wine –a new covenant of blessing for God’s people.
Your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine (Proverbs 3:10)
The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. (Joel 2:24) And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine. (Joel)
They will come and shout for joy in the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord –the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil….”
New wine will drip from the mountains and form all the hills. (Amos 9:13)
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine –the best of meats and the finest of wines. (Isaiah 25:6)
Even in Deuteronomy (7:13), the language of new wine is combined with the fruit of the womb and the blessings promised from God. The covenant of marriage is bound up with the covenant of God.
Jesus would use this metaphor yet again later in Matthew (9:14-17), Luke (5:33-39), and Mark (2:21-22) with the parable of the old and new wineskins. And when asked why his disciples and he don’t fast, he answers, “Can you make the children of the bride chambers fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus speaks of the new covenant, of himself as the messiah and the gift and promise of God. His miracle of wine is that he signifies the coming of the final promise. The wine Jesus creates is given to the people in secret; those who recognize him as the Messiah will see in him the divine Bridegroom, and they will be God’s bride. Those who are of the vine will recognize Jesus as the vinegrower.
Jesus is the purveyor of the new covenant foretold through the prophets and the Pentateuch. And he uses the well-known metaphors of marriage covenant, new wine, living waters, mikveh, celebration, and feast-making as signs that “the time has come to fruition.” The tree is ripe on the vine. The summertime has come, and God’s final mission has commenced.
A wedding is about relationship, in which two become one. Jesus is the bridegroom who comes for the bride to make “her” his own, to bring her into his house, and to love and care for her forevermore. The bride, God’s people, must promise to be loyal and obedient to God and to love God as his and her own flesh. The wine of covenant binds us to Jesus as we enter into relationship with him, as the Father (Creator), Son, and Holy Spirit. Let the joy begin!