What I’m Thinking: Fill the Jar

When Jesus was asked to provide more wine for a wedding feast, he didn’t start with empty jars. He started by having them filled.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m thinking about the second chapter of John’s Gospel (John 2:1-11), its opening portion which describes the wedding at Cana. Now the wedding at Cana itself may not be a familiar phrase to you, but you probably remember that Jesus turned water into wine. He did it during the feast following this wedding.

During it, the host ran out of wine and Jesus became aware of it. His mother actually encouraged him to do something about it. So he told the servants to fill up some large jars with water. And when the servants then dipped pitchers into those jars, they found that they were now once again serving wine.

John says that this was the first sign that Jesus performed and revealed his power, his glory.

The curious thing is is that this is not creation from nothing as we usually think about the creation story in Genesis. Instead, Jesus directs the servants to start with some existing things, to start with some large jars – ones that ordinarily would have held water for purification rituals – and to fill them with water. Water and jars and then a little sign from God and you have wine.

We have, among other things, been separated from weddings and from wedding receptions, from those great celebrations of life over these last nearly two years of a COVID – global COVID pandemic. I think it’s worth remembering that Jesus started by telling people to fill the jars.

I know that many of us are running close to empty. I know that many of us find it a real strain to celebrate, to hold onto joy in these days. So if there’s nothing else that you hear in this story, hear this:

Jesus says: Take a moment. Fill up the jar. Let there be something inside the jar that can be transformed and in its transformation become the greatest thing that anyone has ever experienced.

Fill up the jars.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.