The Wedding at Cana

As I was praying the Rosary today and was meditating on the Wedding at Cana and I had a symbolic realization about Jesus' actions I never thought of before. If you remember the story, Mary, Jesus, and his family are participating in the celebration at a local wedding and the host runs out of wine. So Mary takes Jesus aside and asks him to do something about it and Jesus' response is, "Woman, how does this concern me." We don't know what other conversation they shared or what expectations Mary had of Jesus, all we know is that Mary responded by telling the servants at the wedding to "Do whatever he tells you to do."

In this conversation, you can just feel the tension going on between the two of them. Oh to have been a fly on the wall! Is Mary annoyed with Jesus? Is she pushing Jesus to do a miracle? Does she know he can do miracles? Why is she choosing this circumstance for a miracle? Is she fed up with him at age 30 still living at home as a carpenter when she knows he is called by God to be so much more?

Whatever the case, I think there is something is something especially symbolic about what Jesus does after Mary's request. Jesus tells the servants to fill the ceremonial washing jars with water and brings the jars to the host to serve to the guests -- only to find that the water turns to wine -- and very good wine at that to the surprise of the hosts and the servants!

In my opinion, not only does this event symbolize the start of Jesus' ministry but it also symbolizes the end of the legalistic emphasis of the Jewish faith (e.g. ceremonial washings) and begins the sacrificial walk Jesus will make to his death on the cross, dying for our sins. Jesus turns the water into wine at Cana, and three years later, as the sacrifical lamb at the Last Supper, the wine at the Passover meal will symbolize his own blood.

So on the surface, while the miracle at Cana, looks initially like a gratuitous miracle, it is in fact a foreshadowing of what Jesus will accomplish with his ministry. He will chastise the Pharisees and Scribes for practicing their faith primary as obedience to the Law, then also open the hearts of his followers to live in the Spirit of their faith (e.g. the Beatitudes).