JOHN 2:1-12

[2:1] On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

[2] Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

[3] When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

[4] And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

[5] His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

[6] Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. [1]

[7] Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

[8] And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.

[9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom

[10] and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

[11] This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

[12] After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers [2] and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

If you’re like most people you don’t like conflict.  Of course, every now and then you end up getting backed into a corner where you feel like you have to do something.  Believe it or not that happened to me many years ago during a wedding rehearsal.  That’s right…during a wedding rehearsal.  I was a young minister with just a few years of experience under my belt and this was a very challenging wedding rehearsal.   It was a challenging wedding rehearsal because the groom and all of the groomsmen were state troopers.  Now I can tell you that state troopers don’t like being told what to do.  They like telling you what to do. So everything I said and did was questioned.  Finally after several minutes of dealing with their passive aggressive behavior I decided that something had to be done.  So I got them all together. “Gentlemen,” I said, “this rehearsal will go a smoother if you just remember one thing.  In this sanctuary, I am the law.”

You may not like conflict but sometimes it’s unavoidable.  Just look at Jesus and his mother.  Even they had their moments.  One of those moments took place at that wedding in Cana.  It all started when Mary went to Jesus and told him that the wedding hosts had run out of wine.   Now when Mary did that she wasn’t just passing along a bit of gossip to Jesus.  She told him about the problem because she wanted him to do something to help solve the problem.  Much to her surprise though Jesus wasn’t in the mood to help solve the problem.  Instead of springing into action Jesus got angry.  He got angry and scolded his mother.  “Woman,” he said, “what does this have to do with me?  My hour has not yet come.”

Jesus got angry because he wasn’t ready to start his ministry.  He got angry because it wasn’t his fault that the wedding hosts ran out of wine.  You also have to wonder what the relationship was between Mary and the wedding hosts.  It must have been more than just a casual relationship.  Otherwise why would Mary get herself all worked up over their predicament?  So it’s also possible that Jesus got angry because he felt like his mother was trying to manipulate him into doing what she wanted him to do.

One thing we can safely rule out is the possibility that Jesus got angry simply because he liked getting angry.   Some people are like that you know.  They like getting angry and they enjoy conflict.  It’s almost as though it gives them a big adrenaline rush.  Those people may be few and far between but they’re out there.    They’re the people who are involved in those road rage incidents that you read about in the newspapers.  They’re the trash talking athletes who are always shooting their mouths off on Twitter.  Many years ago an unusual help wanted ad appeared in a newspaper.  The help wanted ad was aimed at people who like conflict and enjoy mixing it up a little. The help wanted ad appeared in a Florida newspaper and I assure you I’m not making this up.  The ad read as follows:  “Wanted.  Alligator wrestlers.  Must be brave and willing to take risks.  Male or female okay.  No experience necessary.”  Now if that job sounds interesting to you there’s more.  Some of it’s good news and some of it’s bad news.  The bad news is that alligator wrestlers only get paid $12 an hour.  The good news is that the job comes with medical insurance and a full death benefit.

Some people welcome conflict, but Jesus wasn’t one of them.  Jesus didn’t get angry that day just for the fun of it.  There were a lot of good reasons why Jesus got angry that day.  There were a lot of good reasons why Jesus didn’t want to help solve the problem. So why did he do it?  Why did he turn the water into wine after he made it very clear that he wasn’t going to do it?

That’s where the miracle at the wedding in Cana is so important.  

After everything was said and done Jesus realized something very important. Jesus realized that sometimes it’s more important to love than it is to be right. Let me say that again.  Sometimes it’s more important to love than it is to be right.

Jesus was the one who was in the right that day.  It wasn’t time yet for him to start performing miracles.  The wedding hosts were the ones who created the problem. It’s also clear that his mother was trying to manipulate him into doing something that he didn’t want to do.

So, Jesus was right but after the initial confrontation Jesus realized that he loved his mother and because this was important for her it was important for him.  That’s why Jesus turned the water into wine.

Sometimes conflict is unavoidable but the next time you find yourself in the middle of a tug-of-war with someone ask yourself this question.  Is being right and getting what I want here more important than my relationship with the person on the other end of this rope?

Sometimes it’s more important to love than it is to be right.

The other thing that the wedding in Cana teaches us is what happens when you understand that it is more important to love than it is to be right.  What happens is that you will end up being blessed in ways that you can’t even begin to imagine.  Just look at what happened at the wedding in Cana.

Jesus didn’t just turn the water into cheap every day wine.  He didn’t just turn the water into a giant jug of cheap Gallo wine.  He turned the water into an excellent top of the shelf wine.   The wine was so good that it amazed the steward who was in charge of the wedding feast.   When the steward tasted the wine he praised the groom.  He said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine.  But you have kept the good wine until now.”

At the end of the day everyone went home happy.  The wedding hosts were happy.  Mary was happy because the wedding hosts were happy and Jesus was happy because his mother was happy.  

Good things happen when you understand that it’s more important to love than it is to be right. Blessings come to you when you understand that it’s more important to love than it is to be right. Grace filled moments come to pass when you understand that it is more important to love than it is to be right.

Many years ago during World War II two soldiers went to see a priest in a small village in Italy.  They went to the priest because they wanted to bury their friend in the church’s cemetery.  Unfortunately, the man couldn’t be buried in the cemetery because he wasn’t Catholic.  Even so, the priest wanted to help.  So, he told the two soldiers that they could bury their friend just outside the cemetery’s fence and that’s what they did.  The next day when the two soldiers went back to the cemetery they couldn't find their friend’s grave.  So, they went to see the priest.   The priest told them that after they left his conscience began to trouble him.  His conscience troubled him so much that he wasn’t able to get to sleep.  So, he got up in the middle of the night, went out to the cemetery and moved the fence.   He couldn’t change the rules but he could move the fence. 

Good things happen, great things happen, grace happens when you understand that it’s more important to love than it is to be right.   Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

January 20, 2013