John 2:1-11; Romans 12:6-16; Exodus 33:12-23
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
There is no
human institution that is more ancient or more universal than marriage. Every
culture of every time and every place has instituted, promoted, and protected
marriage in some way or another. In ancient and medieval times, marriages were
seen as contracts between families and were often arranged in order to procure and
to secure land and wealth, and to maintain ruling dynasties. In addition to
these purposes, marriages were entered into with the intention of procreation
to produce offspring and heirs. Indeed, our modern conception of marriage,
which holds that love and equality are the key factors, is extremely new and
innovative, and has shallow roots in human history. Arguably, the first
marriage, instituted by the LORD Himself in Eden, was not a union of love or
equality, or even of sexual attraction, but marriage, as the LORD instituted
it, is a union of completion and fulfillment – the union of man, – for “it is
not good that the man should be alone.”
But, why? Why
is it “not good that the man should be alone?” Well, that’s a good question – a
question that is not answered directly, but implicitly and by example
throughout the rest of the Holy Scripture. For, when we consider how marriage
is portrayed in the Scriptures we see that it is bound up in selflessness and
sacrifice and redemption. For example, consider these famous marriages in the
Holy Scriptures: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and
Ruth, the Bridegroom and Bride from the Song of Solomon, and Joseph and Mary.
Now, of course these marriages were not perfect, indeed they were riddled with
problems of various kinds. Thus, these Biblical marriages do not serve as models
of perfection that preach the Law to us, “Be like this!” but, rather, they are
realistic examples, Gospel examples, of sinful people, …well, sinning, and repenting,
and being forgiven and restored.
Let’s take
Adam and Eve as our chief example. They had it all: Peace, love, and excellent
real estate. They were the first marriage, created by God, brought together by
God, and blessed by God. Obviously, they are the supreme model for marriage.
And yet, they sinned, and in their sin they plunged all of God’s creation,
including all their children and all their children’s children, into sin and
death. Of course, the model for marriage was not what came after the fall, but
what God instituted before the fall. First and foremost, God created Adam and
Eve in unity with one another. Husband and wife were united in heart, mind,
spirit, and will. Adam wanted only that which was good for Eve and glorifying
to God, and Eve wanted the same for Adam. They were truly united as “one flesh”
in every way imaginable. The LORD instituted their marriage union so that they
might reflect Him – His selfless, sacrificial love which gives life, reproduce
with Him – in the procreation of children to be raised in the selfless, and
sacrificial image of God, and to reign with Him over all that He had made – in
selfless, sacrificial stewardship of God’s creation.
And, that is
precisely why Satan attacked Adam and Eve in the way that he did. Satan
attacked their marriage in attacking their unity of heart, mind, spirit, and
will. His seemingly innocuous question, “Did God really say?” was meant to
create disunity. It created a divide between God’s will and word and another
will and word, any other will and word. Before the question, Adam and Eve were
in unity with God’s will and word, and with each other. But, after the
question, they were divided and defeated in heart, mind, spirit, and will, even
before actively sinning by eating the forbidden fruit. And, the poisonous fruit
of their sin was born quickly: They hid from God because they were afraid of
His holiness and righteousness. They were ashamed of their nakedness, for they
no longer saw each other as “one flesh,” but as individuals to control,
manipulate, and to possess. And they blamed each other, and they blamed God,
for their own sinful failings. And, to seal their fate and their separation
from both God and from each other, they became self-righteous, seeking and
finding their justification and purpose in themselves alone. Truly, nothing can
be more separate, divided, and isolated than self-righteousness and
selfishness. No longer did they reflect the LORD who is in essence selfless and
self-sacrificing. No longer could they reproduce Godly fruit, the fruit of
selfless love and sacrificial service. And, no longer could they reign over all
creation as God created them and blessed them to do, for all creation became to
them, now, means to control, manipulate, and to possess to their own selfish
ends.
We live in a
cynical age, and I know that my speaking this way about the sanctity of
marriage, even within this Christian congregation, has some of you wagging your
heads in disagreement, disillusionment, disgust, and unbelief that anything so broken,
so messed up, and so filled with disappointment, conflict, hurt, and mental,
emotional, and spiritual pain as marriage could possibly be the key to knowing
God, His will, and His purpose for our lives and our relationship with Him. Indeed,
that’s precisely how Satan wants you to think. Moreover, that’s why the
institution of marriage is under attack today. For, marriage has always been
under attack, even from the beginning when God created man and woman in His
image and blessed them and joined them in a selfless and sacrificial one-flesh
union.
And thus, Jesus’
first recorded miracle in the Scriptures occurs at a wedding. This is not by
chance, mind you. St. John’s Gospel is arranged like a catechism. His purpose
in writing it is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name.” Marriage is the
chief and key revelation that God has given us that we may know Him and trust
in Him, and conform to, and reflect Him in the world, reproducing His love in
others, and reign with Him in and over His creation.
With only a
cursory reading, it might appear that John included this miracle of Jesus only
so that His power might be revealed. While, that is certainly a part of John’s
purpose, and His account certainly accomplishes that purpose, that is only to
scratch the surface of John’s telling of the events of the Wedding at Cana. This
story is a revelation of Jesus’ re-creation, or creation anew, of His Father’s
creation that had fallen into sin and death. It is not a coincidence that this
wedding occurred on the “third day.” Third day language in the Scriptures is
fraught with weight and meaning in connection with Jesus’ resurrection on the
Third Day. This is new creation language, and the story cannot be rightly
understood without seeing it through the interpretive lens of Jesus’ bodily
resurrection. Moreover, it may be reckoned from John’s numbering of days that
the third day was in fact the Sabbath Day, the day of rest. This may be part of
the explanation of Jesus’ initial protest to Mary’s request that He do
something about the wine problem at the feast. Jesus’ reply, “My hour has not
yet come,” once again, necessarily, connects this story with the hour of Jesus’
passion and death upon the cross.
The time for
Jesus’ fulfillment of God’s Law, Word, and will in His death upon the cross has
not yet come. Nonetheless, that hour will come, and when it does, Jesus will be
raised from death on the Third Day and He will usher in a new creation. This is
symbolized in the six stone jars of water used for purification rites. The six
jars represent the six days of the former creation, ruined by sin and death,
thus, requiring purification. However, in the new creation, sin and death have
been defeated, atoned for, and removed. There is no longer need for
purification, for the Father’s Law, Word, and will have been fulfilled in
Jesus’ holy and innocent life, obedience, suffering, and death. In His first
miracle, or His first sign, as John refers to it, Jesus demonstrated that He
has come to “make all things new.” He will fulfill the Law, Word, and will of
His Father and release all creation from the curse of sin. Thus, the story of
the Wedding at Cana is much less about marriage and weddings, or even about
powerful miracles and signs, than it is simply and plainly about Jesus and His
work of atonement and re-creation. It is truly the first sign of who He is and
what He came to do. As John puts it, “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did
at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in
Him.” And so do we.
Thus, when
the Lord returns on the Last Day, there will be a wedding in heaven. For, just
as Adam’s Bride was brought forth out of his riven side, so will Jesus’ Bride,
the Church, brought forth out of His riven side in the water of Holy Baptism and
His holy, precious blood in Holy Communion, be presented before Him as a Bride
adorned before Her Bridegroom. Truly, marriage is the preeminent revelation the
LORD has provided us to the kind of relationship He desires to have with you.
He is not a God who is far off, but a God who is so very near to you that He
became flesh and blood, that He might marry you and have a one-flesh union with
you that, together, you might reflect His glory, reproduce His selfless and
sacrificial love, and reign with Him over heaven and earth forevermore. This is
what was instituted by God in marriage from the beginning, and this is what is
at stake when we seek to reduce marriage to mere equality, love, or sex.
Therefore,
when it comes to marriage in this world, which is passing away, render unto
Caesar what is Caesar’s. Let those who determine human rights grant human
rights where and when they believe it is needed. We do not have a mandate to
change the world by force, but rather by influence. Indeed, the model for Christians
is salt, leaven, and light. By being Christian, by following the example of our
Lord Jesus in showing love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others, in and through
our callings, our vocations, we will change the world, not by force, but by influence.
However, we can only do that if we do not permit ourselves to become conformed
to the world. Truly, we have no hope of influencing marriage for the better in
this life and world if we do not understand and hold to what our LORD
instituted marriage to be in the first place. Therefore, husbands and wives are
to love and to serve each other as they love and serve the Lord. And, those who
remain single, you are to love and to serve others as you love and serve the
Lord. And if you are blessed with the gift of children, then your primary Christian
duty is to raise your children up to love and serve others even as they love
and serve the Lord. For, the LORD instituted marriage that you might know Him
and the kind of relationship He desires to have with you, a relationship of grace,
mercy, compassion, and forgiveness borne out of selflessness and sacrifice,
which are truly love.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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