The Second Sunday after Epiphany
John 2:1-11
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This past fall, I officiated a wedding in Nashville, TN, and the groom requested an interesting wedding hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing.”
As I mentioned then, the hymn selection was unusual for a wedding; I had never sung it for such an occasion. However, as I ponder the hymn’s story of being brought to the eternal wedding feast of Jesus, it began to make sense.
The hymn, “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing,” encourages us to look beyond this earthly life toward the destination where the gift of marriage is meant to accompany us.
Eternal life with Jesus.
Now, I share with couples who are getting married in premarital counseling a rather lengthy quote from the Church Father St. John Chrysostom, who died in the 5th century; his words speak to the purpose of their journey. But it remains worth hearing in its entirety. He writes,
Some say that marriage was ordained by God as a blessing to the human race. Others say that marriage is a necessary evil for those who cannot restrain their sexual appetites. In truth it is impossible to speak in such ways about marriage in general; we can only make judgments about particular marriages. There are some marriages which bring great blessings to the husband and the wife, to their children, and to all their neighbors. But there are other marriages which seem to bring few blessings to anyone. The difference between these two types of marriages lies in the spirit with which the bond was forged and is maintained. If a man and a woman marry to satisfy their sexual appetites, or to further the material aims of themselves or their families, then their union is unlikely to bring blessings. But if a man and a woman marry in order to be companions on the journey through earth to heaven, then their union will bring great joy to themselves and to others.
With this lens, Chrysostom saw marriage as a gift for man and woman to forge and maintain, to journey and be led through this valley of life on earth to the eternal joys of heaven, to the Lamb’s High Feast, and this changes the lens in which we view marriage, doesn’t it?
Marriage is a celebration of a man and a woman being united and becoming one, and it’s for this reason that, should a divorce or separation of husband and wife occur, it’s so painful.
Marriage is for the procreation and gift of children, but also to console one another when children are not given.
Marriage is for the encouragement of the Christian faith, to learn to pray not only for one another, but with one another.
Marriage is for a man and a woman to support each other through burdens, whether it’s losing a job, caring for aging parents, or them dying, dealing with erring and rebellious children, or caring for each other during illness.
Marriage is a gift for this earthly life.
If you recall, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Sadducees approach and ask Jesus about the resurrection by posing a question to Jesus. They say,
“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:24-30)
In light of these words of Jesus, marriage is a gift for this life, for the companionship along the way to eternity.
And viewing marriage through this lens should change how you speak, approach, and conduct yourself in this blessed estate.
Do you argue and fight among one another? Do you speak unkindly to one another? Are you short with one another?
Confess your sin, reconcile, and be at peace in Christ Jesus at once.
Have you gone through trials and tribulations? Has cancer, illness, or has aging caused unexpected struggles and crosses in your marriage?
Learn to pray together, read God’s Word together, and bear one another’s burdens so your faith can be strengthened. This way, you can support each other as companions on the journey through this life to the eternal joys of heaven.
Have you begrudged the children God has entrusted to you? Do you see them as commodities to be entertained or as a means for you to live out your dreams?
Stop this and confess this sin of idolatry and recognize them as the unique and precious treasures they are from the Lord.
The Gospel this morning shows how much God loves marriage. If you step back, you’ll see that all of Scripture is the story of one great wedding. This means how we view and treat our relationships reflects the Christian faith and the love Jesus, the bridegroom, has for you, His bride, the Church.
Now, some believe Jesus wasn’t being very kind to His mother in the Gospel this morning when He said, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
No, Jesus was not being rude or disrespectful to His mother; instead, we begin to see a separation in how Jesus now speaks as His life now leads Him to the “Hour” of His crucifixion.
You see, the “Hour” of His crucifixion and the wine His mother speaks of are deeply connected and foreshadow a greater wedding than the one at Cana.
The jars used for purification, into which the water was poured, were intended to fulfill the Old Testament law for cleansing oneself. However, the wine in Jesus’ first miracle points to the greater cleansing of sin, received through His shedding of blood at the hour of His sacrificial death on the cross.
Here, the passage from Ephesians 5 comes to mind,
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:25-32)
Again, reflect on these words,
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)
All of Scripture contains the story of one great wedding.
While your first parents fell into sin in the Garden, bringing sin into marriage and all of God’s children, Jesus comes to reconcile God’s children, His Church. The words of St. Paul paint the most beautiful image of Jesus’ sacrificial love, the bridegroom, for you, His bride, the Church.
This is an image all marriages are to take, to learn to sacrifice for one another, to forgive one another, to love one another. Because no one hates their own flesh, but desires to nourish and care for it.
When you see marriage in this way, you begin to appreciate the blessings it provides and recognize how marriage is a sacrificial gift for the journey of a man and a woman through life. This is reflected in the image of Christ’s love for His Church, leading the faithful to eternal life, where we all long to sing with the company of heaven at the Lamb’s High Feast. +INJ+
