“Come on, let’s go,” Jesus told his disciples. It was very early in the morning. The sun was starting to appear on the horizon. The journey was on foot. The destination was 90 miles away.
Were they going to the Temple to worship? Or were they going to a synagogue to teach? Or were they going to an isolated place to pray and meditate? Only Jesus knew.
“We are going to the desert to pray and meditate,” John and Andrew speculated. John and Andrew were former followers of John the Baptist, who often led his followers to the desert for days to reflect, pray and yearn for the coming of the Messiah. Now the Messiah was here, “Surely the Messiah is going to do what John the Baptist did,” John and Andrew thought.
John and Andrew believed the Messiah was a holy man and knew that self-denial is the first step to holiness. They knew that hermits often hear the voice of God while praying.
What was Peter thinking? Peter was a man of action, a roll-up-your-sleeves, stand-up-and-say-it kind of fellow who loved the idea of going somewhere. Peter believed that God’s people needed to be on the move.
“Perhaps Jesus is taking us somewhere to preach,” Peter thought. “I’d better prepare a sermon in my mind in case Jesus needs a breather.”
What was Nathaniel thinking? “Come and see,” his friend Philip had invited him. So he came and liked what he saw. Nathaniel saw Jesus as a man with deep thoughts. He saw Jesus as a man of meditation and contemplation. Nathaniel thought that Jesus was like him.
Nathaniel loved to spend hours sitting under a fig tree reflecting on the mysteries of life. Nathaniel was convinced that Jesus was taking the Apostles to a quiet house in a distant, solitary place to ponder.
What was Philip thinking? Philip was the only disciple with a Gentile name. When the Greeks came looking for Jesus, they went to him. Philip probably had a Greek connection, or maybe he had a heart for Gentiles.
“This must be a missionary journey,” Philip thought. “Maybe Jesus is going to take us to Galilee, out of Judea into a distant land to teach.”
Did this speculation occur? Probably not, but nobody knows.
We know, however, that the disciples often had high aspirations and expectations. We know that all of them left their jobs behind and followed Jesus, Who told them that He was going to build God’s kingdom.
Sometime during the journey, one of the disciples – we do not know who – asked, “Rabbi, where are we going? Are we going to the desert?”
“No!” Jesus replied.
“Are you taking us to the Temple?” asked another.
Another chimed in, “No, silly. We are going to the Gentiles.”
Then a chorus of confusion broke out and ended only when Jesus lifted his hand and said softly, “We are on our way to a wedding.”
“What? We are going to a wedding?” Someone exclaimed.
Jaws dropped, followed by a short silence.
John and Andrew looked at each other. “A wedding?” They said simultaneously. “John the Baptist would not have gone to a wedding. At a wedding there is drinking and laughter and dancing,” Andrew protested.
“And noise!” Philip chimed in. “How can we meditate at a noisy wedding?”
“How can we preach at a wedding?” Peter exclaimed.
“Why would we go to a wedding”? One of them asked.
A good question. Why would Jesus take his disciples to a party on their first journey? Didn’t they have work to do? Didn’t they have doctrines to teach? Wasn’t their time limited? How could a wedding fit into Jesus’ mission to save the world?
Why did Jesus go to a wedding? Because He was invited. And when Jesus showed up with his friends who were not on the guest list, the invitation was not rescinded. The bride and groom made sure that Jesus was in attendance. They thought that Jesus would enliven the party.
The couple did not invite Jesus because He was a celebrity or because of his miracles. At that time, He had not performed a single miracle.
I suppose Jesus was invited because the common folks in town enjoyed being with Him.
Why? Because He, the Almighty did not act high and mighty. The Holy One did not act holier than thou. The One Who knew it all wasn’t a know-it-all. The One Who made the stars did not put His head in the clouds. The One Who owns all the stuff on earth never strutted.
Jesus was never a name dropper, a showoff or a highbrow, uppity smart aleck. Jesus could have been all these, but He wasn’t.
Jesus’ purpose was not to show off but to show up. He made it a point to be as human as anyone else in town.
Jesus went to the synagogue even though He did not need to study. Jesus worked as a carpenter even though He did not need an income. Jesus had known fellowship with angels, yet He went to parties thrown by sinners and tax collectors.
The task of saving the world was on His shoulders, yet He took time to walk 90 miles from Jericho to Canna to attend a wedding.
As a result, people liked Jesus. Of course, there were those who chafed at His claims. Jesus was called a blasphemer, but Jesus was never called a braggart. Jesus was accused of heresy, but He was never an arrogant person. Jesus was called radical, but He was never called unapproachable.
Jesus never used His heavenly status for personal gain. Jesus’ faith made Him likable, not detestable. Does our faith make us likable or does it make us detestable?
Where did we get the idea that a Christian must be solemn? Where did we get the idea that to be a disciple of Jesus, we must have a long face?
I think Jesus went to the wedding to have fun. He had been having a tough time because He had been in the desert for 40 days without food and water. He had fought the devil there and in doing so, had a job change, going from carpenter to Savior. He needed a break with good food and good wine and a good time among friends.
Jesus didn’t go to the wedding to turn water into wine, though that’s what He eventually did. Turning water into wine was a favor Jesus performed for His friends, the bride and groom.
Jesus did not go to the wedding to show off His power. The bride and groom didn’t even know what He had done. Only Mary, the wine steward and the servers knew what happened. There was no public announcement made about the changing of water into wine.
There is no record that Jesus preached at the wedding.
That leaves only one reason why he went – to have fun. Jesus went to the wedding because He liked people, food and wine.
We are not talking here about debauchery, drunkenness and adultery or about compromise, coarseness or obscenity.
What we are talking about is the freedom to enjoy a good joke, enliven a dull party and appreciate a fun evening with friends.
I think Jesus loved going to parties. His foes accused Jesus of eating too much, drinking too much and hanging out with the wrong people. Have you been accused of eating too much and being a friend of sinners? Jesus was. “People have accused Jesus of being a glutton and drunkard and that He is a friend of sinners and tax collectors …” (Matthew 11:19).