Now, all of this is not to say that we do not have a lavishly generous and unexpectedly gracious God. It is not to say that we are unable to draw inferences from the events in the life of Jesus that will assist us in our spirit-animated journey of faith as functionaries in this world on behalf of God’s kingdom. It is to say, however, that if we miss the real world importance of the life of Jesus, and if we do not first set these stories within their historical, cultural, and social contexts, and make every effort to first understand them on their own terms as they would be understood by those who experienced them first-hand, then we are most likely going to miss out on the true theological richness that lies ready at hand, as Jesus does go about revealing God. We must not skip over the fact that this is, first and foremost, a real-world event happening to and with real-world people with real-world customs and concerns.
It has been previously said that Jesus created a problematic situation. What was that situation? Why was it problematic? Was it a problem for Jesus? To answer the last question first, we can say “no,” it was not a problem for Jesus at all, at least directly. It could be an indirect source of problems for Him, which we’ll be able to understand as we make our analysis. So it was not a problem for Jesus, but rather, it was a problem for the bridegroom, who was the host of the meal. How was it a problem for him? One would think that Jesus had solved a problem, rather than created one, but reaching that conclusion would be unfortunately short-sighted. At least initially, we might think that the bridegroom would be appreciative of Jesus’ actions, as He intervenes to “save” the party by our customary way of thinking, but we shall quickly disabuse ourselves of this notion.
We should not look at the fact that His mother presents the information that the party had run out of wine as indicative of a problem that the bridegroom would be looking to rectify, as the fact that they had run out of wine would be of no real concern to either the head steward of the party or the bridegroom. Running out of food and wine was a common occurrence. Sometimes, people who were slated for service later in the function would receive nothing at all, and this was accepted as part of the meal culture. It might very well be the case that Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were going to be part of the group that would not have received any wine, as they were probably sitting at the “wrong end” of the table. With this in mind then, and this has been said before, we need to look at this as a situation into which she believed Jesus would want to enter, based upon what she knew about her Son, and about His conception of the kingdom of God which He preached. We might even be able to surmise an intrusion of her own sense of His status as Messiah, and based upon that, her interpretation of the great messianic banquet of Isaiah, with this interpretation possibly informed by Jesus’ own thoughts on such (though this is pure and unsupported speculation).
Again, the fact that there is no wine is not a problem. Why is that? It is not a problem because the bridegroom would, presumably, though he would have some type of concern for the enjoyment of all of his guests, be most concerned with providing wine and food to the most honored guests. As the service of food and wine reached further and further away from his seat and that of his honored guests, so too would his concern with their provisions recede. As long as a certain group of individuals had been able to eat and drink to their heart’s content, all was well, and the wedding feast would be looked upon as a success.
Additionally, it must be pointed out that the bridegroom was now going to gain stature in the community due to the fact of his marriage. We can couple that with a successful wedding feast, which would also contribute to his enhanced stature in the community. Because Jesus has done what He has done, this is now at risk of being undone. The bridegroom, while he is lounging at the banqueting couch with his honored guests, is being unknowingly put at risk of a diminished stature in the community. How is this so? It is because the best wine is now being served, at the end of the banquet. Rather than looking upon this as an act of considerable generosity and thoughtfulness on the behalf of this bridegroom, which we are prone to do, this would be perceived as a slight to his honored guests. Questions would arise. Why did they not receive this wine? Why were they not good enough to receive these superior libations? It would be wondered why the bridegroom was mocking his guests in this way. Rather than being enjoyed by the elites of the community, the best wine is now going to be enjoyed by the servants and less honored guests, thus putting them on the same level as the honored guests, or worse, elevating them above the honored guests, which could be perceived as an insult to honor, thereby becoming a source of conflict.
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