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“But you shall be called My Delight Is in Her”. These are the words of the prophet Isaiah in today’s reading in reference to the Lord’s name for Israel, the chosen people. The prophet Isaiah continues in this language of love by describing the Lord as the Bridegroom and Israel as His Bride. He writes: “and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
The relationship between the Lord God and the people of Israel can be traced back to God’s covenant with Abram, who later became known as Abraham. In Genesis chapter 15, verses 1 through 6 on page 11 in the pew Bibles, we read: “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.’”
The scriptures go on to describe the sealing of this covenant through the sacrifice of animals made by Abram. Whereupon the Lord had a ‘deep sleep’ fall upon Abram and then the Lord spoke to Abram in a dream and foretold to him the oppression of Abram’s descendents in the land of Egypt as slaves. But the Lord encourages Abram by also telling him that his descendents would eventually leave the land of their oppressors with many possessions.
Then when the sun had gone down, the Lord God made another covenant with Abram in which He promised to give Abram’s descendents what later became known as the Promised Land. It is this Promised Land that the prophet Isaiah is referring to in his prophetic writings. The Promised Land was the Lord’s covenantal gift to Abram’s descendents who would come out of Egypt. This gift was held in such high regard that the covenantal gift was looked upon as a marriage between the Lord and the descendents of Abraham through his son Isaac, born of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
In the gospel reading for today from John, Jesus of Nazareth, is at a wedding feast with his mother and his disciples in the village of Cana. Up until this time, Jesus’ disciples have not seen Jesus do any miracles. Yet, they have followed Him anyway. Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he and his parents had escaped the wrath of King Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Later when Herod died, Jesus and his parents had returned to Judea and settled in Nazareth. This was to fulfill the prophecy, “Out of Egypt, I called my son.” This echoes the stories of Abraham’s descendents who went into Egypt and later left to claim the Promised Land.
Cana of Galilee is within the Promised Land and it is here where Jesus does His first miracle. So it should not surprise us that His first miracle takes place at a wedding feast, which is a reminder to the Jews of God’s covenantal relationship with them. For we who are Christians, it is even more pertinent.
The wedding feast at Cana, which marks Jesus’ manifestation of His divinity to His disciples through the action of a miracle, is also a prophetic precedent of the coming Feast of the Lamb. In Revelation, chapter 19, verses 6-8 on page 1401 in the pew Bible we read:
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’ – for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.’”
The Bride is the Church and the Lamb, who is the Bridegroom, is Jesus the Christ. It is the same Jesus of Nazareth who first revealed His divinity through the miracle of changing the water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana. It is the same Jesus of Nazareth who three years later would have His ministry abruptly ended through the betrayal of one of His disciples. Through this betrayal and the following desertion of His disciples, Jesus of Nazareth, suffered the cruelties of the crucifixion as the Lamb of God. As the Lamb of God, Jesus bore our sins. This same Jesus will one day return to claim His Bride, the Church.
Every righteous deed that the members of the Church have done to the glory of God will be woven into the bridal gown. This gown will testify to all of creation the love of the saints for Jesus, the Lamb of God. Woven into the bridal gown will be the sacrifices of the martyrs along with all of the righteous deeds of the saints. The giving to the poor, the hospitality towards strangers, the temperament of passions in order to do what is right and pleasing unto God. All of these good deeds and many more will be woven into this beautiful gown. Even the humble gift of a cup of water will not be left out. Yet in all of its beauty, the bridal gown will only reflect the glory of God.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we are told that the Holy Spirit gives the Church a variety of gifts and ministries that are to be used for the edification of the believers and for the glory of God. Each spiritual gift and ministry is to be honored. Paul writes, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”
Scripture is clear that even our righteousness comes from the Lord. Without the Lord, we have nothing to proclaim or boast, for the good deeds that we do all come from Him. The servants at the wedding feast in Cana who filled the jars with water did not change the water into wine. It was Jesus who did the miracle. The servants were only obedient unto Him. Because of their obedience, they were witnesses of the Son of God’s first public miracle.
Today, we who claim to be followers of Christ, are asked to be obedient to Him. When we are willing to submit to the will of Jesus and obey Him, then we too will see miracles happen. The same Jesus who changed the water into wine is waiting to do an even more difficult miracle. He is waiting and willing to change our hearts to become the heart of the Bride of Christ. The spotless Bride, who will one day rejoice at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God, is our Promise from God. All we have to do is to be obedient unto the Lord in all our ways.
If we would truly commit ourselves to following the way of Christ, then we would see many come to Him. It is through us that the world learns of our Savior. Are we ready to be obedient and to serve the good wine to the world? Will the Lord be able to say of His Bride, My Delight is in Her?
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