The story of the wedding feast at Cana is one of the most poignant tales in the Bible. Yet it is not because Jesus turned water into wine; his miracle often overshadows the true message of the role Mary plays in the ministry of Christ. In this story, a mother’s love becomes a pivotal turning point for Jesus. It is as if Jesus needed to hear his mother’s faith in him in order to properly commence his ministry. Jesus for the first time assumes a position of spiritual leadership. Although he already had with him his disciples, never before the wedding feast at Cana did Jesus demonstrate the magnitude of his presence. Even before he knew it himself, Mary as his mother recognized the time had come. In many ways, the incident represents a rite of passage for Jesus.
This is also one of the few stories in the Bible that is almost more about Mary than about Jesus. Mary becomes the ultimate role model for faith. For Mary knows that in initiating her son’s ministry through the miracle of transforming water into wine, that she loses him as her son forever. The sacrifice she makes in this story is poignant, particularly as it arrives at a wedding—symbolizing what any typical family would have expected of Jesus. Mary knows that Jesus is not a typical son and she supports him through undying faith.
Mary’s faith is transformative and liberating. Through Mary we see an exceptional amount of courage, which is prerequisite of faith. We see that other people, often mothers but also friends or mentors, can see in us what we cannot yet see in ourselves. Jesus also had to trust his mother in his powerful moment. He said first, “My hour has not yet come,” but Mary knew better; she had the wisdom of a mother who knows her son even better than he had known himself at that time (John 2:4). The wedding feast at Cana also shows how faith in others and in ourselves brings tangible results to those around us: as Jesus and Mary together turned disappointment into joy with a simple act of faith.
References
Bible: ESV
Ancient Jewish Weddings Weddings in Ancient Jewish Custom There is an example of a wedding feast from the gospel of Luke that is not of the famous Cana Wedding Feast that takes place at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, but a gathering in the house of a Pharisee. The Pharisees and scribes invited Jesus there because, as always they were trying to test Him. It was on the Sabbath, and there had
The eye moves easily around the painting and its different elements. People are the focal point of "The Marriage Feast at Cana." However, the bright blue sky and the cheerful trees in the background suggest that the party is not merely a debauch occasion. There is a genuine sense of joy in the painting. Ricci emphasizes a few elements to let the viewer understand the subject matter. The table is
Miracles and Their Meanings The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze eight Biblical miracles, and assess their meaning. Specifically, it will briefly describe each sign/miracle and explain how this sign/miracle reveals the deity of Christ. Each of these miracles creates an aura of goodness and wonder around Christ, and unerringly indicate his deity and his mission on Earth. Probably one of the most well-known miracles Christ performs
Sacraments As Bernard Cooke (1994) notes, for many centuries, sacraments were what "structured people's lives and experiences" (p. 6). The celebration of the holy mysteries (the concept that is denoted by the word sacrament) gave meaning and purpose to the lives of individual Christians as they united themselves to their Church and through that institution to their God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who instituted the sacraments. Christ's institution of the sacraments
Introduction While the Gospel of John bears some similarities to the Synoptic Gospels, as Barrett (1974) points out, it also sets itself apart in several unique ways by focusing on the mystical nature of Christ and the importance of the Church. Even the Synoptic Gospels offer differing details of the life and teachings of Christ, and in many instances, John agrees or is more in line with Mark, while Mark differs
The Carnevale and Sensa festivals were outlawed and the Book of Gold, which had recorded the names of patrician families of Venice for more than four centuries, was burned. Before leaving Venice Napoleon instructed his men to take twenty paintings along with five hundred manuscripts of rarity including the 'Wedding Feast at Cana' by Veronese. Napoleon additionally took the four bronze horses of San Marco to be taken from the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now