January 14thMore than Miracles
To my dear TFMC family,
I had the pleasure of visiting Cana back in 2018 when I visited Palestine/Israel. During our travels, we stopped in Cana and visited the purported site of the great miracle, and in the church built on that location, we were also able to see the famed vessels that were apparently used in the miracle.
As exciting as this might have been, I treat the providence of such artifacts with a degree of suspicion. It was, afterall, most of these ‘holy sites’ were identified only after the 3rd century. A lot of history has happened between when events occurred, and when those sites were named, and even, to how they are hallowed today. So I hold a certain degree of skepticism.
And at the same time, I do hold my hand open with the possibility that these particular vessels may have been used for that purpose. I am no archaeologist, so what do I know? It is, however, the mystique of being in these places where these events were purported to have taken place that enhances the story for me.
The uniqueness of the Gospel of John and the author's intent to highlight the divine side of Jesus means that there are some details that matter a lot, and some which aren’t as important. For me, whether or not these particular stories happened in these particular ways, and these particular miracles, happened in these particular places, isn’t as important to me. What’s important to me is what these stories are telling us about Jesus, about God, and about God’s dream.
Did Jesus really turn 180 gallons of water into really, really, really good wine? It doesn’t matter that much to me. I’m not as concerned with Jesus’ aptitude with respect to oenology, as I am with what Jesus is revealing in these signs and wonders.
And while I might have been a bit theatrical on Sunday trying to illustrate how we need to dig a bit deeper to find a bit more meaning, when we read the story this week of Jesus cleansing the temple, you need not worry about me literally ‘flipping out’ and flipping tables over. In John, Jesus doesn’t do things for theatrical sake. There’s a rhyme and a reason. John has a purpose for telling the stories of Jesus that he does in the order that he does. All of it brings us to affirm and reaffirm our belief in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us.
From now until Easter, we will be spending time with John. We will be exploring John's signs and wonders, all the while seeking to come and see and meet Jesus.
Yours,
Craig Janzen Neufeld, Pastor