DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
The First of Signs:
In St. John 2:11, the Evangelist states the
two purposes of these signs: to fix attention on the Divinity of the Lord Jesus
as He manifests seven aspects of the glory of God, and to evoke commitment and
submission to Christ as Lord (vs. 11).
The first sign occurred at a wedding reception, involved a significant
verbal exchange between the Lord and His Mother (vss.
3-6), and was marked by a transformation of a large volume of water into
premium wine (vss. 7-10).
You will do well to examine the setting of
this first sign: a wedding celebration to which Christ was expressly
invited. However, His presence at
the wedding changed the entire “equation.” The event is revealed as “the
introduction of the Spirit of Christ to the world,” in the descriptive
words of Archimandrite Theodor Micka, “the
greatest feast know to man at that time: the wedding feast.” Hence, the manifestation of the divine
glory of the Incarnate God and Savior in the marriage at
Christ expands the foundational truth of the
Old Testament - that God creates mankind as male and female to “Increase
and multiply” (Gen. 1:28).
Thus, marriage for the Faithful is no longer a legal contract between a
husband and a wife. The glory of
God in this wedding reveals that blessed marriages are Holy Mysteries. The redemption, salvation, love,
forgiveness, and knowledge of God’s glory in Christ, become a integral part of the mission of husbands and wives lived
in the Church and the world - to disclose the Divine Bride and Bridegroom.
As Father John Meyendorff
points out, “the Orthodox Church implicitly integrates marriage in the
eternal Mystery, where the boundaries between heaven and earth are broken and
where human decision and action acquire an eternal dimension.” The Lord Jesus pours out His glory for
marriages. In saying that
Jesus’ disciples “believed in Him,” the Evangelist shows that
Christian faith includes Christ’s expanded definition of marriage as Holy
Mystery.
Next, consider the exchange between His Mother
and the Savior. The Theotokos initiated a glorious spiritual action by the
words, “They have no wine” (vs. 3). In identifying a need, she manifests one
of her gifts - to be our ready Intercessor. The Lord’s response was not a
harsh rebuttal of her. Rather, He
clarifies that He is no longer under her authority nor subject to her wishes,
something she still might well have expected (Lk. 2:51 and
Mt. 12:47,48). His formative years
were over. Note well, she took no
offense at His words, but continued in her role as Intercessor: “Whatever
He says to you, do it” (vs. 5). Here again the glory of God is disclosed
in magnifying the role of His Virgin Mother as first among intercessors for
those in need.
Finally, there was the changing of water into
wine. The failure of human beings
to provide is contravened by the grace and love of Christ our God. The Incarnate Lord reveals the glorious
truth that God transforms earthly relationships into Life-giving, heavenly
bonds filled with His Spirit.
Behold! In becoming
Incarnate, God has given us His Holy Mysteries.
O Lord, Thou wonderful Turner of water into
wine, bring Thy divine flame to our extinguished
fire. Turn the water of our being
into divine wine, that we may be like to Thee; and,
being so, may live in Thine immortal Kingdom with Thy
glorious angels. (St. Nikolai of Zica)