BIBLE STUDY #121


SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

January 20, 2013



READING 1

ISAIAH 62:1-5



For Zion’s sake I will not be silent,

for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,

until her vindication shines forth like the dawn

and her victory like a burning torch.



Nations shall behold your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

you shall be called by a new name

pronounced by the mouth of the LORD.

You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD,

a royal diadem held by your God.

No more shall people call you “Forsaken, “

or your land “Desolate, “

but you shall be called “My Delight, “

and your land “Espoused.”

For the LORD delights in you

and makes your land his spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin,

your Builder shall marry you;

and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride

so shall your God rejoice in you.



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11



Brothers and sisters:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;

there are different forms of service but the same Lord;

there are different workings but the same God

who produces all of them in everyone.

To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit

is given for some benefit.

To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;

to another, the expression of knowledge according to the

same Spirit;

to another, faith by the same Spirit;

to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit;

to another, mighty deeds;

to another, prophecy;

to another, discernment of spirits;

to another, varieties of tongues;

to another, interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit produces all of these,

distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL

JOHN 2:1-11



There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told the them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him.



The Gospel of the lord



Reflection



The wedding Feast at Cana is the first of seven signs in this Gospel. The miracles in John’s Gospel are called signs. A sign leads us to something else. A sign is a miracle which symbolizes a spiritual reality about Jesus, reveals who he is and brings about or strengthens faith in him. These signs point to something about Jesus that’s usually hidden to people who don’t share John’s theological insights, but is at the heart of the miracle.



A wedding in the New Testament should make us think about eternal life, which is referred to as the wedding feast of the Lamb. A wedding feast would be a symbol of the days of happiness and the abundant gifts that the Messiah brings.



Mary is never named in this Gospel, but is referred to as “Woman” or the “Mother of Jesus.” It seems that Mary misunderstands Jesus ministry, believing that his special powers are to be used for the benefit of his family. In the next 17 chapters until Golgotha, she is a model of faith and conversion for all of us. She changes from someone who thinks Jesus abilities are for the benefit of the family to someone who helps us experience Jesus’ dying and rising with Him.



The number and size of the water jugs is important. People would have travelled for days to get to the wedding, and would be expected to stay for a few days up to a week. Plenty of wine would be needed for all the guests for that long a time period.



Some people try to negate this miracle by speculating that water was put into old wine jars with the dregs still in the bottom, so these dregs would be stirred up and the guests, who had already drank much wine, would think it’s just a different type of wine.



But the Gospel specifically says that “six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings” were used. These jars would never have been used for wine. If wine were put in them, they wouldn’t be used again for ceremonial purposes. We are told that these jars were empty and Jesus told them to fill them with wine.



The changing of the water into wine symbolizes the wine of Christianity replacing the water of Judaism. This is a big theme in John’s Gospel. It also symbolizes the richness and overflowing plenty supplied through the messiah.



Jesus is revealing himself as the messiah. This sign assists in bringing the people to faith.



Here is something from a homily source I thought was interesting.



Signs and Hidden Significance



I returned yesterday from San Antonio, Texas. While I was there I remembered my first visit to Houston when I was a student at seminary. As I was interested in history, I visited the battlefield outside the city. There, at San Jacinto, General Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army and won independence for Texas. The Texans have erected a huge memorial tower -- it looks much like the Hoover Tower at Stanford University -- and with typical Texas modesty placed a sign in front of it that says. "This tower is ten feet taller than the Washington Monument."



That is what signs are for: to tell you something that you would not otherwise know; to manifest a significance that might otherwise be hidden. That is what John means when he says that this miracle was a sign. What it pictured was the normal outcome of the combination of human and divine activity. Men can fill water jars; only God can turn water into wine! Men do the ordinary, the commonplace, the normal activity, but God touches it, and brings it to life and gives it flavor, fragrance and effect. That is the meaning of this sign: it is an indication of what the ministry of Jesus is going to be like whenever he touches a human life, not only during his lifetime on earth, but also through all the running centuries to come, whenever his ministry would be present in the world.



Thus it affects us today as well. Bring God into your situation and all the humdrum, commonplace activities are touched with a new power that makes them fragrant, flavorful, enjoyable and delightful, giving joy and gladness to the heart. That is the meaning of this sign.



Ray C. Stedman, Water to Wine





Fr. Phil