Water, Wine and Human Beings Fully Alive

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Water, Wine and Human Beings Fully Alive

Herb Montgomery, January17, 2025

If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:

Our reading this weekend is from the gospel of John.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11)

When it comes to interpreting this week’s reading from the gospel of John, we have options.

Our story this week could have represented how the Johannine community understood Jesus-following in comparison to the Judaism their community evolved from. The water that Jesus would turn into wine was being held in water jars “used by the Jews for ceremonial washing.” The gospel of John is filled with antisemitic comparisons like these. The Johannine community viewed the changed wine, which symbolized Jesus, as far superior to any previous wine and different than the Jewish ceremonial washing water it had been made out of. 

This story could also have been a commentary on previous versions of the Jesus story. It doesn’t take a scholar to see stark differences between John’s version of Jesus and the Jesus story in the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke). John’s gospel and many of its themes are quite unique. That includes this week’s story of the wedding wine at Cana. 

Taking the Johannine community’s version of the Jesus story as a whole, it is preoccupied with contrasting our concrete reality with an alternative spirit realm. We can interpret it as presenting the spirit as superior to our bodies. Consider Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John:

“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-7)

In keeping with Jesus’ theme in that passage, this week’s story could also affirm the hope of one day escaping our concrete reality for a far better place rather than establishing justice here. This story could contrast what is now with what is to come. This would be like the best-is-yet-to-come or saving-the-best-for-last mantras like Paul’s comment in his letter to the Romans that what is happening now can’t even be compared to what is to come.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Regardless of what the Johannine community originally meant with the story of the wedding wine, this story affirms the supremacy of their version of Jesus and the Jesus story. It teaches that the wine they were serving was better than anything that had been served up to that point. Can we redeem from this story for our justice work today?

I like the image of turning water into wine. It reminds me of the saying in the womanist tradition of making a way out of no way. Th story asks us to focus on the present, to do all we can in the moments we have before us. Who knows: our efforts could produce something far greater than anything before, and not because what preceded us was inferior but because we are building on the efforts of those have gone before us. 

The phrase that I keep returning to in our reading this week is “You have saved the best till now.” What had transpired in the story was a crisis: running out of wine at a wedding feast. And what ended up happening was better: wine being drank better than any that had been drunk previously. We are about to face crises of our own this coming year, crises of injustice rooted in marginalization and bigotry bearing the fruit of violence and oppression. In the midst of crisis, we too can be about turning water into wine. We won’t know exactly how till we are in the moment, but each moment will provide opportunities for us to make choices and build on them. The wine may be about to run out, and all we may have at our disposal is water. But don’t give up. Look for the water pots.

I’m deeply concerned about the immigration crisis being threatened now. I’m concerned for my LGBTQ friends and family. I’m concerned for the bodily autonomy rights of my wife and daughters living in our state here in Appalachia. Given our family’s history with two stillborn children, as traumatic as that experience was, we are both thankful it happened over twenty years ago under Roe and not today. I’m navigating anxiety for BIPOC communities and other marginalized communities here in Appalachia. I recently found out that my county here in WV is one of the top two in my state that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be focusing on in 2025. Churches in my area are organizing to become places of sanctuary for immigrants.

This didn’t have to be, and yet, here is where we are. We don’t have any other time available for us than right now. We have no other circumstances to turn to than the ones we presently find ourselves in. Jesus asked his mother why she was bothering him because his time had not yet come, but our time has. It’s now. And how we will choose to show up in our world this year and the following years will matter for decades to come.

Our reading ends with the declaration, “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory” (emphasis added).

This reminds me of the words of St. Irenaeus, the early church Father, who was a strong advocate of justice for the poor. In his infamous work Against Heresies, he wrote, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” (Book 4, section 20, verse 7)

What does it look like for us this coming year to dedicate our energy and efforts to ensuring our neighbors have enough of what they need to able to live fully, to be fully alive? This is what it means to work for the glory of God. Whether our neighbor is of a different race or culture, of a different gender, gender identity, or gender expression, of a different socioeconomic location, are differently able, differently educated, of a different orientation, or just different from us, period, these differences will be used to drive wedges between us and make us afraid of one another. The Jesus of John’s gospel tells us, above all else, to love one another instead. To love our neighbor means we take responsibility to do what we can to help them have all that they need not simply to survive but to also thrive. Some of us can do more, some of us can do very little, but whatever is within our ability as Jesus followers, the glory of God is human beings not marginalized, oppressed, or subjugated, but able to be fully alive.

Discussion Group Questions

1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s Podcast episode with your discussion group.

2. What does turning water into wine mean for you in your own justice work today? Share and discuss with your group.

3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone? 

Thanks for checking in with us, today.

I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate. 

My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.

As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts. 

Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.

You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking. Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.

And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.

Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.

I love each of you dearly,

I’ll see you next week.

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New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!

Season 2, Episode 43: John 2.1-11. Lectionary C, Epiphany 2

Each week, we’ll be talking about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week we’ll be inspired to do more than just talking.

If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out at:

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New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice. 

This week:

Season 2 Episode 3: Water, Wine and Human Beings Fully Alive

John 2:1-11

“I like the image of turning water into wine. It reminds me of the saying in the womanist tradition of making a way out of no way. The story asks us to focus on the present, to do all we can in the moments we have before us. What had transpired in the story was a crisis: running out of wine at a wedding feast. And what ended up happening was better: wine being drank better than any that had been drunk previously. We are about to face crises of our own this coming year, crises of injustice rooted in marginalization and bigotry bearing the fruit of violence and oppression. In the midst of crisis, we too can be about turning water into wine. We won’t know exactly how till we are in the moment, but each moment will provide opportunities for us to make choices and build on them. The wine may be about to run out, and all we may have at our disposal is water. But don’t give up. Look for the water pots.”

Available on all major podcast carriers and at:

https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/water-wine-and-human-beings-fully-alive

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Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.

 

by Herb Montgomery

Available now on Amazon!

In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.

Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.

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