Text: John 2:1-11 

“Gratuitous” John 2:1-11

Gratuitous. The OED says it is something “given free of charge, uncalled for, unwarranted, lacking a good reason.” And I can think of no better description of Jesus’ first miracle at Cana, turning water into a 180 gallons of wine than “gratuitous”.

We have a natural suspicion of the uncalled for, the unwarranted, the things lacking a good reason. We like our world to be sensible, reasonable, warranted. We prefer our Savior to be that way too, I think. Acting according to clear standards of right and wrong. Having a purpose for everything that He does, a purpose that supports clean living, honesty, morality, sobriety and all the middle class virtues we say we admire.

Which is why this miracle at Cana might be the Epiphany of epiphanies. It reveals, uncovers, something deep and essential about Jesus Christ. That He isn’t going to fit into our categories of the reasonable, the warranted, the upstanding and virtuous. He isn’t going to do the things we call for. He is going to do exactly as He pleases and give the most extravagant gifts, the uncalled for, unwarranted kind that serve no end we can justify. Could it be that in Jesus we find a Savior who comes not so much to make us good as to make us…happy? The miracle at Cana and the abundance, the sheer gratuity of the wine He gives would seem to support this conclusion.

Which is why we tend to evade this miracle I think, duck it and dodge it and explain it away. We were expecting, we still expect, most of Christendom, at least, a Savior who is serious and of deep moral purpose. We’d be pleased if His first miracle was to turn stones into bread that would feed the hungry of the world. Or, if He were to set up a free clinic to heal the sickness and diseases of the poor and hopeless. Or if He’d turn dirty drinking water in Haiti into clean drinking water for the helpless and the poor. Those are miracles worthy of a Savior we could admire.

But this miracle? Turning water into 180 gallons of wine at a party so that everyone could really tie one on and the good times could seriously roll? And not that cheap wine either, but the really, really good stuff that even the disciplined and moderate types can’t resist imbibing a little more than they really should? (“Oh, I guess so… just one more glass, I know I shouldn’t but that vintage is simply heavenly!”) What kind of statement is this? What does it tell us about Jesus the Christ?

And what kind of Messiahs are on the party circuit anyway? Doesn’t He have better things to do, like healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the poor, or setting a moral example for us? What’s He doing wasting time at a wedding reception and drinking and dancing when time is short and there’s a sinful world that needs preaching to and saving? Why does He waste His time like this? And take His disciples with Him? Hmmm? I mean if you were writing the Gospel, would you start off with Jesus at a party turning water into wine? How can you take such a Savior seriously?

And why isn’t He nicer to His mom? She says “they have no wine” which was certainly a social disaster at an ancient wedding reception (at modern wedding receptions too, come to think of it). And He says quite brusquely: “Not My problem, mother! I’m off duty!”. And how does His mom get the idea from this that He’s going to help so that she instructs the servants to do whatever He says? A strange Christ.

If this story were written according to the contemporary church’s script, I suppose we’d hear Jesus lecture on the evils of immoderate drinking, tell us how running out of wine so soon is a sign of deeply debauched ways, and then shame us all for frittering away our time in drinking and dancing when we could be out winning lost souls for the church! Then, Jesus would have led the way out into the streets for some serious mission work…

But the real Gospel tells a very different story. Jesus, after telling off His mother, turns around and orders the servants to fill the six stone jars with water, about 180 gallons worth or so. “Don’t be skimpy now! Hustle up, I don’t have all day!” Then He says “take it to the master of the feast and let him taste this…”

When the master tastes the water Jesus has turned to wine, he calls the bridegroom and says “What is wrong with you man? Everyone serves the good wine first to show off, and then when everyone is plastered, the cheap stuff. You said we were out of wine? This is the best stuff I’ve ever tasted! And there’s what? A hundred and eighty gallons of it! Amazing! No one will ever forget this party!”

That is much more wine than the most ambitious ancient wedding party could consume too. It was way, way over the top. Way too much. Extravagant. Uncalled for. Unwarranted. Gratuitous.

And only His disciples believed in Him. The miracle, the manifestation of His unique glory was lost on the besotted guests. Only His disciples get anything like faith out of this sign. The servants knew what happened. Eventually, I’m sure, everyone heard the story. But no one followed this Christ except the few guys who were disciples when they came to the party.

Some marvel at this. Why wouldn’t everyone see the miracle points to Jesus’ divine power and trust in Him? But I don’t think it’s surprising at all. A Messiah who uses His divine power to turn water into lots of wine at a party? That’s just uncalled for. Unwarranted. There’s no good reason to use divine power just to help the party roll and make everyone happy. Even the serious lushes typically want a more moral, upstanding, and serious Savior than that!

See how the gratuitous makes most of us uncomfortable? We tend to think God has a plan that involves our honest, hard work, lots of good deeds, self-sacrifice, that betters everyone spiritually, and has us all laboring for the common good. But what if…

What if… what if God is more concerned to see us happy than well behaved? What if He likes a party with friends much more than a day canvassing the neighborhood for converts? What if He’s more interested in fine wine than good works? What if goodness doesn’t cause happiness? What if… what if being good is actually a result of being happy—and what if true happiness is found only in friendship, communion, feasting with Christ Jesus?

What would we do then?

Well, maybe there’s nothing at all to do? Maybe there’s nothing we can do for the Lord Christ, but only gratuities to receive from Him? But that would give us a whole new vision of the good life and the good God. We’d have to do a lot of theological re-thinking about what the church of such a Christ is and what it looks like here, now.

Jesus’ favorite picture of heaven is a wedding reception, a party where everyone enjoys themselves at the Master’s expense. Think on that for a while…

Better still, don’t think—just eat and drink. He has a feast laid for you here. Bread and wine (He does great stuff with wine) which are His body and blood. A communion that will get a party started that has no end to its joy, that eternity itself cannot contain, that will just be getting going when this old world is finally winding down. There’s no good reason at all you should come to such a feast. It’s thrown by the gratuitous God, Who gives Himself all away, only so you will be… happy; in Him, with Him, the ultimate gratuity—which gives Peace, surpassing all understanding, and guards heart and mind, forever happy, in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Kevin Martin