"Thou hast kept the good wine until now." (John 2.10)
Epiphany means "manifestation;" the manifestation of God on earth: the
eternal Son showing Himself in sundry ways when He had taken our nature
upon Him, and had been made true Man as we are, of the substance of the
Virgin Mary His Mother. To outward appearance, He generally seemed
as any other man; but every now and then tokens of Godhead broke out through
the veil of His Flesh, as flashes of lightning from a dark cloud; and these
were so many Epiphanies, so many manifestations of His true self.
The day, which we call the Feast of the Epiphany, is remarkable for three
of these manifestations, three of the most glorious and blessed and most
exactly set down in Scripture. On that day, our Lord being a Child
in His Virgin Mother's arms, was visited and worshipped at Bethlehem by
the Wise men from the East. On that day, being thirty years old,
He was baptized by S. John in the river Jordan, when the heavens were opened,
the Holy Ghost descended, and the Voice of the Father proclaimed Him the
beloved Son. On that day again (so Church tradition seems to say)
He began His wonderful miracles by turning water into wine. This
being one of the most remarkable Epiphanies, or manifestations of God Incarnate,
is appointed to be read as the Gospel for today, as His visit to the Temple
at twelve years' old was last Sunday, and as some of His most remarkable
miracles will be for the two next Sundays. They are all so many manifestations
of our Lord, and are therefore suited to this time.
The miracle of Cana was remarkable, in the first place, because it was
the beginning of miracles. Then the veil began to be drawn up, which
had hitherto concealed the power of the Holy Jesus over this visible world.
He made that world in the beginning: He was in it always, upholding it
by the word of His power: but as yet it knew Him not. As a holy Bishop
and Father of the Church observes [Augustine], "When our Lord turned the
water into wine, He was but doing the very same thing which He does every
year in every grape of every vintage: the waters from above nourish the
vine-tree, and are taken up into the fruit, and turned by His secret power
into that juice of the grape, which becomes to us wine." But because
this goes on regularly every year, we look for it of course, and do not
call it a miracle; yet it is quite as much beyond our power, and quite
as much Christ's doing, as when He bade the servants at Cana draw out the
water which they had poured into the vessels, and behold He had silently
changed it into wine. The wonder, the Almightiness, is the same in
both cases: the difference is, that at Cana and on like occasions
the veil which hides His outstretched Arm was for a season drawn up, and
men were permitted to see Him, as it were at work. For a little moment,
and in respect of that particular action, their eyes were opened, and they
might discern a little of what the Angels always see, the Creator of the
world ordering and moving His creatures. It is a good thing to bear
this in mind, when we read of our Lord's mighty works. We are apt
to imagine that they belong to a state of things quite different from what
we live in ourselves: but the difference is not in the state of things,
but in us. We live in the midst of the same power, the same Presence;
It is equally near to us: but we have not, the Church in general has not,
the same faith to behold it. He cannot do visible miracles among
us, because of our unbelief. When we have the same constant universal
self-denying faith that those first Christians had, then may we hope that
the like signs will follow our faith, which were promised to theirs.
Let us learn of our Lord's miracles, especially of this one in Cana, to
see His hand in the daily course of our lives, in the turns of our fortune,
in the growth of our crops, in our joy and sorrow, in our health and sickness.
Let us say continually to ourselves, It is Christ, Who died for me, Who
sends me these blessings; Christ, Who died for me, and rose again, and
Who is even now at the Right Hand of God, He lays on me this chastening
for my good: my meat, drink and sleep, the comforts and conveniences of
my life, my friends and relations, are all His immediate gift: He is near
me at every moment: let me go on but a little while in faith, and the veil
will be drawn up: "He will destroy in this mountain," in His Church, "the
face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread
over all nations:" we shall see Him as He Is, ordering all things, and
we shall see all things as they are, ordered by Him.
All our Lord's miracles are, in this way, short glimpses of a power
and mercy which is going on among us, just the same whether we perceive
it or no. But the turning the water into wine shows itself to be
of this kind more than many of the others, because it is not so much a
miracle of mercy, as most of them. No great affliction or very pressing
need called for it. The guests wanted wine; but it does not seem
that, if they had gone without, anything worse would have happened to them
than that little disappointment. Whereas most of the miracles, that
came after, were for healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting
out evil spirits, or in some way or other removing great affliction.
There is no such call in this case. Christ's work here is in appearance
a mere manifestation of power, as when strong persons do something wonderful
merely to make a show of their strength, not because it does any great
good at the time. We may be sure then that there is some deep mystery
in it. God's works are never intended simply to set us on wondering,
but to teach us worthy thoughts and dutiful ways. So this work of
turning water into wine teaches in the first place to remember Christ's
presence and power in all that we call the works of nature: and in the
next place we may be certain that it was a kind of parable with a deep
meaning, acted before people's eyes, as other parables are told, like histories
in their ears. Let us consider a few of its circumstances.
It took place at a wedding feast: and we know what is commonly likened
to a wedding feast in Holy Scripture. Our own Prayer Book tells us.
It is the mystical, the heavenly and sacramental union between Christ and
His Church. By virtue of this blessed union, and the better to fulfill
its divine purposes, a complete change has been made of all things; there
is "a new heaven and a new earth:" "the old things are passed away, behold
all things are become new:" [Rev 21:1,4,5] the gold which had become dross
is changed back again into fine gold: the garden of Eden, which had become
a wilderness, is renewed and becomes Paradise again. By these and
other like parables the Holy Scripture represents to us the great gift
of our Almighty Saviour, His uniting us to Himself by taking our nature
upon Him, and by making us, each in our turn, in Regeneration, members
of Himself. This is sometimes compared in the Prophets to the changing
of water into wine: and this, no doubt, is what our Divine Master would
give men a token of, when He changed water into wine at this marriage in
Cana.
Observe, He did it not, until towards the end of the feast; for the
governor of the feast, having tasted the water that was made wine, was
surprised at the goodness of it, on this very account, because it was the
end of the feast, whereas, he says, it was the custom generally to set
forth the best wine first. Why did our Lord wait till the end of
the feast? Most likely it was to represent to us His waiting till
the last Time before He entered on His great work of salvation, and began
to make all things new. He waited till the world was grown old, and
the latest age of it was come: and then in the fulness of time He came
forth from the Father, "made of a woman, made under the law," "that we
might receive the adoption of sons." [Gal 4:4,5] This is what seems
to be represented by His keeping the good wine until now. God does
not humour our impatience. He keeps His best till last, by a certain
rule, to which all who would be happy must submit. He will have us
bear chastening, imperfection, doubt, distress, here, that we may, by His
mercy, come at last to be "satisfied with the plenteousness of His house,
and to drink of His pleasures, as out of the river." [Ps 34:8] Thus
our Lord's waiting with His good wine till the end of the feast may encourage
us in patient expectation, and charitable bearing with what cannot be helped.
Again, the water which was made wine was put there for the purifying
of the Jews: that is, that the guests might have abundance to wash themselves
when they sat down. "For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they
wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders." [Mark
7:3] The water then was for the purifying of the Jews, and our Lord
turned it into wine. What are we to learn from this circumstance?
Surely that the Jewish law and ceremonies, the saints and commandments
and histories of the Old Testament, were now to be made known to men in
their full and high meaning. "The darkness is past and the true Light
now shineth." [1John 2:8] That which was glorious in Moses, hath
now, in comparison of the glory which excelleth. The Passover is
turned into the Holy Communion, circumcision into Baptism, the brazen serpent
into the Cross, the cleansing of the leper into the Absolution and remission
of sins, Moses and the Prophets into Christ and His Apostles, the glory
of the Lord over the Mercy-seat into the inward Presence of God the Holy
Ghost. Thus is the water, the poor mean element of this earth, and
of the law, turned by the touch and word of Christ into "wine that maketh
glad the heart of man."
Again, our Lord did this mighty work, upon mention being made to Him
of the want by His blessed Mother. She said unto Him, "They have
no wine," and we know not how much of men's good may depend on the prayers
of good and holy Christians.
Again, Christ seems at this feast to take leave in a manner of His Mother,
to prepare her to be separated from Him: as at the last feast of His Life,
the Holy Supper, He takes leave of His disciples. He was now going
to be without any regular home, not to have where to lay His head, to be
far from her, who had thitherto so earnestly watched Him: therefore He
says, "What is there between Me and thee? Mine hour is not come;"
meaning, perhaps, "For a time we must part, to meet together again, and
never part more: that will be, when Mine hour of suffering is passed: but
for the present we have nothing to do with each other." May we not
hereby understand, first, more and more of our most Holy Saviour's unspeakable
love for us, in that He spared not His Mother's grief when He was to give
Himself for us? And next, may we not learn this lesson, that Christ's
work on earth cannot be done, nor the purpose of His coming answered, except
some at least of those who believe on Him will make up their minds to give
up all for His sake: to hate father and mother and brothers and sisters,
"yea and his own life also," [Lk 14:26] in order to take up their cross?
Did I say, some must do this? nay, all of us must do it, in our
measure and proportion: we must all make sacrifices, use self-denial, give
up our own will, as God shall call and enable us: else how can we be like
Christ, Who gave up all? and if we be not like Him, how can we help to
do His work? We must say to our dearest friend on earth, What have
I to do with thee? We must part with them for a time, we must deny
ourselves much, very much, of the joy which we may have promised ourselves
in them, that we may the better tread in our Lord's steps, and more powerfully
promote His Kingdom. So doing, we shall by God's mercy make both
ourselves and our friends more sure to meet again in the heavenly kingdom,
when our hour shall be full come.
By this time perhaps we may discern some part of the reason why this
particular miracle, the turning water into wine at a marriage feast, came
first among our Lord's mighty works: why it was, as St. John calls it,
the beginning of miracles. It was so, because it was in an especial
way a sample, a taste, a glimpse, of that power which is at the bottom
of all miracles: the power which keeps up the ordinary course of the world,
and works such astonishing changes in it. The turning water into
wine was, as I said, a sample of this power, exercised as it is every year
in the growth of the vine: and next, it was especially fitted to be the
first miracle, because it was a type and figure of the great work, on which
our Lord was now publicly to enter, the renewing of lost mankind: and it
was so ordered in all its circumstances, as to give us all much instruction,
how we should work under Christ, and follow His steps in that great work.
When we think of this marriage feast in Cana, let it put us in mind
that Jesus Christ is in our feasts, is with us wherever we are, and in
all that we do, turning our water into wine, our earth into heaven, if
we prevent Him not by our sins. "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do
it:" those were the words which His Mother spake unto the servants, and
if they had not obeyed her voice, it does not seem as if the miracle would
have been wrought. Never let us forget that our Christian privileges
and blessings depend on the same condition. It depends on our sincerely
trying to do whatever Christ hath said unto us, whether our blessings shall
be blessings indeed, or that happen which sounds so fearful in the Prophet;
"I will curse your blessings: yea I have cursed them already, because ye
do not lay it to heart." [Mal. 2:2] Alas, how sad it is to think
how many of God's best gifts to men are daily and hourly thrown away by
our sins, and falling under this fearful sentence: how many marriages,
how many feasts, nay how many solemn meetings and aweful Sacraments are
turned from tokens of God's favour into judgements and occasions of falling,
because Christ's servants will not even purpose and try to do whatever
He saith unto them, and so make them blessings indeed!
And even when we have some such purpose, yet let us not reckon too positively
upon the full sense of a present blessing at all times. The way of
the Gospel is to keep the good wine until the last. The clearest
and most precious foretastes of God's favour and eternal joy come rather
after long waiting, sore trial, patient endurance of pain, care, and ill
usage, than when we first seem to need them. In regard of these spiritual
comforts, as of the other fruits of our Christian labour, "let us not be
weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
Again, if we would be perfect followers of Christ, we must be content
to part with our friends now, as He at this feast with His blessed Mother,
that we may meet them bye and bye with a holier welcome, when our and their
hour is come; and that so we may keep them for ever.
Finally, since we are all used, I hope, to begin and end our principal
meals with a solemn offering of thanks to Almighty God, what if we try
to do so hereafter with less hurry and more decency than most of us, I
fear, are apt to do? What if we recollect this feast at Cana as a
token that Christ is even now present, ready to bless and break our meat
for us, and turn our water into the wine of Angels, if we will not hinder
His blessing! Christ is present in our daily refreshments, and in
our more solemn feasts; let us try to do whatever He saith unto us; let
our meals be pure, innocent, and thankful, and then fear not but they will
be glad and joyful enough, true tokens of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
