The Desire of Ages
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 15: At the Marriage Feast
This chapter is based on John 2:1-11.
Jesus did not begin His ministry by some great work before
the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. At a household gathering in a little Galilean
village His power was put forth to add to the joy of a wedding feast. Thus He
showed His sympathy with men, and His desire to minister to their happiness. In
the wilderness of temptation He Himself had drunk the cup of woe. He came forth
to give to men the cup of blessing, by His benediction to hallow the relations
of human life. {DA 144.1}
From the Jordan, Jesus had returned to Galilee. There was to
be a marriage at Cana, a little town not far from Nazareth; the parties were
relatives of Joseph and Mary; and Jesus, knowing of this family gathering, went
to Cana, and with His disciples was invited to the feast. {DA 144.2}
Again He met His mother, from whom He had for some time been
separated. Mary had heard of the manifestation at the Jordan, at His baptism.
The tidings had been carried to Nazareth, and had brought to her mind afresh
the scenes that for so many years had been hidden in her heart. In common with
all Israel, Mary was deeply stirred by the mission of John the Baptist. Well
she remembered the prophecy given at his birth. Now his connection with Jesus
kindled her hopes [145] anew. But tidings had reached
her also of the mysterious departure of Jesus to the wilderness, and she was
oppressed with troubled forebodings. {DA 144.3}
From the day when she heard the angel's announcement in the
home at Nazareth Mary had treasured every evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.
His sweet, unselfish life assured her that He could be no other than the Sent
of God. Yet there came to her also doubts and disappointments, and she had
longed for the time when His glory should be revealed. Death had separated her
from Joseph, who had shared her knowledge of the mystery of the birth of Jesus.
Now there was no one to whom she could confide her hopes and fears. The past
two months had been very sorrowful. She had been parted from Jesus, in whose
sympathy she found comfort; she pondered upon the words of Simeon, "A
sword shall pierce through thy own soul also" (Luke 2:35); she recalled
the three days of agony when she thought Jesus lost to her forever; and with an
anxious heart she awaited His return. {DA 145.1}
At the marriage feast she meets Him, the same tender,
dutiful son. Yet He is not the same. His countenance is changed. It bears the
traces of His conflict in the wilderness, and a new expression of dignity and
power gives evidence of His heavenly mission. With Him is a group of young men,
whose eyes follow Him with reverence, and who call Him Master. These companions
recount to Mary what they have seen and heard at the baptism and elsewhere.
They conclude by declaring, "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law,
and the prophets, did write." John 1:45. {DA 145.2}
As the guests assemble, many seem to be preoccupied with
some topic of absorbing interest. A suppressed excitement pervades the company.
Little groups converse together in eager but quiet tones, and wondering glances
are turned upon the Son of Mary. As Mary had heard the disciples' testimony in
regard to Jesus, she had been gladdened with the assurance that her
long-cherished hopes were not in vain. Yet she would have been more than human
if there had not mingled with this holy joy a trace of the fond mother's
natural pride. As she saw the many glances bent upon Jesus, she longed to have
Him prove to the company that He was really the Honored of God. She hoped there
might be opportunity for Him to work a miracle before them. {DA 145.3}
It was the custom of the times for marriage festivities to
continue several days. On this occasion, before the feast ended it was found
that the supply of wine had failed. This discovery caused much perplexity and
regret. It was unusual to dispense with wine on festive occasions, and [146]
its absence would seem to indicate a want of hospitality. As a relative of the
parties, Mary had assisted in the arrangements for the feast, and she now spoke
to Jesus, saying, "They have no wine." These words were a suggestion
that He might supply their need. But Jesus answered, "Woman, what have I
to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." {DA 145.4}
This answer, abrupt as it seems to us, expressed no coldness
or discourtesy. The Saviour's form of address to His mother was in accordance
with Oriental custom. It was used toward persons to whom it was desired to show
respect. Every act of Christ's earthly life was in harmony with the precept He
Himself had given, "Honor thy father and thy mother." Exodus 20:12.
On the cross, in His last act of tenderness toward His mother, Jesus again
addressed her in the same way, as He committed her to the care of His
best-loved disciple. Both at the marriage feast and upon the cross, the love
expressed in tone and look and manner interpreted His words. {DA 146.1}
At His visit to the temple in His boyhood, as the mystery of
His lifework opened before Him, Christ had said to Mary, "Wist ye not that
I must be about My Father's business?" Luke 2:49. These words [147]
struck the keynote of His whole life and ministry. Everything was held in
abeyance to His work, the great work of redemption which He had come into the
world to accomplish. Now He repeated the lesson. There was danger that Mary
would regard her relationship to Jesus as giving her a special claim upon Him,
and the right, in some degree, to direct Him in His mission. For thirty years
He had been to her a loving and obedient son, and His love was unchanged; but
He must now go about His Father's work. As Son of the Most High, and Saviour of
the world, no earthly ties must hold Him from His mission, or influence His
conduct. He must stand free to do the will of God. This lesson is also for us.
The claims of God are paramount even to the ties of human relationship. No
earthly attraction should turn our feet from the path in which He bids us walk.
{DA 146.2}
The only hope of redemption for our fallen race is in
Christ; Mary could find salvation only through the Lamb of God. In herself she
possessed no merit. Her connection with Jesus placed her in no different
spiritual relation to Him from that of any other human soul. This is indicated
in the Saviour's words. He makes clear the distinction between His relation to
her as the Son of man and as the Son of God. The tie of kinship between them in
no way placed her on an equality with Him. {DA 147.1}
The words, "Mine hour is not yet come," point to
the fact that every act of Christ's life on earth was in fulfillment of the
plan that had existed from the days of eternity. Before He came to earth, the
plan lay out before Him, perfect in all its details. But as He walked among
men, He was guided, step by step, by the Father's will. He did not hesitate to
act at the appointed time. With the same submission He waited until the time
had come. {DA 147.2}
In saying to Mary that His hour had not yet come, Jesus was
replying to her unspoken thought,—to the expectation she cherished in
common with her people. She hoped that He would reveal Himself as the Messiah,
and take the throne of Israel. But the time had not come. Not as a King, but as
"a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief," had Jesus accepted the
lot of humanity. {DA
147.3}
But though Mary had not a right conception of Christ's
mission, she trusted Him implicitly. To this faith Jesus responded. It was to
honor Mary's trust, and to strengthen the faith of His disciples, that the first
miracle was performed. The disciples were to encounter many and great
temptations to unbelief. To them the prophecies had made it [148]
clear beyond all controversy that Jesus was the Messiah. They looked for the
religious leaders to receive Him with confidence even greater than their own.
They declared among the people the wonderful works of Christ and their own
confidence in His mission, but they were amazed and bitterly disappointed by
the unbelief, the deep-seated prejudice, and the enmity to Jesus, displayed by
the priests and rabbis. The Saviour's early miracles strengthened the disciples
to stand against this opposition. {DA 147.4}
In nowise disconcerted by the words of Jesus, Mary said to
those serving at table, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." Thus
she did what she could to prepare the way for the work of Christ. {DA 148.1}
Beside the doorway stood six large stone water jars, and
Jesus bade the servants fill these with water. It was done. Then as the wine
was wanted for immediate use, He said, "Draw out now, and bear unto the
governor of the feast." Instead of the water with which the vessels had
been filled, there flowed forth wine. Neither the ruler of the feast nor the
guests generally were aware that the supply of wine had failed. Upon tasting
that which the servants brought, the ruler found it superior to any he had ever
before drunk, and very different from that served at the beginning of the
feast. Turning to the bridegroom, he said, "Every man at the beginning
doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is
worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now." {DA 148.2}
As men set forth the best wine first, then afterward that
which is worse, so does the world with its gifts. That which it offers may
please the eye and fascinate the senses, but it proves to be unsatisfying. The
wine turns to bitterness, the gaiety to gloom. That which was begun with songs
and mirth ends in weariness and disgust. But the gifts of Jesus are ever fresh
and new. The feast that He provides for the soul never fails to give
satisfaction and joy. Each new gift increases the capacity of the receiver to
appreciate and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. He gives grace for grace. There
can be no failure of supply. If you abide in Him, the fact that you receive a
rich gift today insures the reception of a richer gift tomorrow. The words of
Jesus to Nathanael express the law of God's dealing with the children of faith.
With every fresh revelation of His love, He declares to the receptive heart,
"Believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these." John
1:50. {DA 148.3}
The gift of Christ to the marriage feast was a symbol. The
water represented baptism into His death; the wine, the shedding of His blood [149]
for the sins of the world. The water to fill the jars was brought by human
hands, but the word of Christ alone could impart to it life-giving virtue. So
with the rites which point to the Saviour's death. It is only by the power of
Christ, working through faith, that they have efficacy to nourish the soul. {DA 148.4}
The word of Christ supplied ample provision for the feast.
So abundant is the provision of His grace to blot out the iniquities of men,
and to renew and sustain the soul. {DA 149.1}
At the first feast He attended with His disciples, Jesus
gave them the cup that symbolized His work for their salvation. At the last
supper He gave it again, in the institution of that sacred rite by which His
death was to be shown forth "till He come." 1 Corinthians 11:26. And
the sorrow of the disciples at parting from their Lord was comforted with the
promise of reunion, as He said, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit
of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's
kingdom." Matthew 26:29. {DA 149.2}
The wine which Christ provided for the feast, and that which
He gave to the disciples as a symbol of His own blood, was the pure juice of
the grape. To this the prophet Isaiah refers when he speaks of the new wine
"in the cluster," and says, "Destroy it not; for a blessing is
in it." Isaiah 65:8. {DA
149.3}
It was Christ who in the Old Testament gave the warning to
Israel, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1. And He Himself provided no
such beverage. Satan tempts men to indulgence that will becloud reason and
benumb the spiritual perceptions, but Christ teaches us to bring the lower
nature into subjection. His whole life was an example of self-denial. In order
to break the power of appetite, He suffered in our behalf the severest test
that humanity could endure. It was Christ who directed that John the Baptist
should drink neither wine nor strong drink. It was He who enjoined similar
abstinence upon the wife of Manoah. And He pronounced a curse upon the man who
should put the bottle to his neighbor's lips. Christ did not contradict His own
teaching. The unfermented wine which He provided for the wedding guests was a
wholesome and refreshing drink. Its effect was to bring the taste into harmony
with a healthful appetite. {DA
149.4}
As the guests at the feast remarked upon the quality of the
wine, inquiries were made that drew from the servants an account of the [150]
miracle. The company were for a time too much amazed to think of Him who had performed
the wonderful work. When at length they looked for Him, it was found that He
had withdrawn so quietly as to be unnoticed even by His disciples. {DA 149.5}
The attention of the company was now turned to the
disciples. For the first time they had the opportunity of acknowledging their
faith in Jesus. They told what they had seen and heard at the Jordan, and there
was kindled in many hearts the hope that God had raised up a deliverer for His
people. The news of the miracle spread through all that region, and was carried
to Jerusalem. With new interest the priests and elders searched the prophecies
pointing to Christ's coming. There was eager desire to learn the mission of
this new teacher, who appeared among the people in so unassuming a manner. {DA 150.1}
The ministry of Christ was in marked contrast to that of the
Jewish elders. Their regard for tradition and formalism had destroyed all real
freedom of thought or action. They lived in continual dread of defilement. To
avoid contact with the "unclean," they kept aloof, not only from the
Gentiles, but from the majority of their own people, seeking neither to benefit
them nor to win their friendship. By dwelling constantly on these matters, they
had dwarfed their minds and narrowed the orbit of their lives. Their example
encouraged egotism and intolerance among all classes of the people. {DA 150.2}
Jesus began the work of reformation by coming into close
sympathy with humanity. While He showed the greatest reverence for the law of
God, He rebuked the pretentious piety of the Pharisees, and tried to free the
people from the senseless rules that bound them. He was seeking to break down
the barriers which separated the different classes of society, that He might
bring men together as children of one family. His attendance at the marriage
feast was designed to be a step toward effecting this. {DA 150.3}
God had directed John the Baptist to dwell in the
wilderness, that he might be shielded from the influence of the priests and
rabbis, and be prepared for a special mission. But the austerity and isolation
of his life were not an example for the people. John himself had not directed
his hearers to forsake their former duties. He bade them give evidence of their
repentance by faithfulness to God in the place where He had called them. {DA 150.4}
Jesus reproved self-indulgence in all its forms, yet He was
social in His nature. He accepted the hospitality of all classes, visiting the
homes [151]
of the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant, and seeking to elevate
their thoughts from questions of commonplace life to those things that are
spiritual and eternal. He gave no license to dissipation, and no shadow of
worldly levity marred His conduct; yet He found pleasure in scenes of innocent
happiness, and by His presence sanctioned the social gathering. A Jewish
marriage was an impressive occasion, and its joy was not displeasing to the Son
of man. By attending this feast, Jesus honored marriage as a divine
institution. {DA 150.5}
In both the Old and the New Testament, the marriage relation
is employed to represent the tender and sacred union that exists between Christ
and His people. To the mind of Jesus the gladness of the wedding festivities
pointed forward to the rejoicing of that day when He shall bring home His bride
to the Father's house, and the redeemed with the Redeemer shall sit down to the
marriage supper of the Lamb. He says, "As the bridegroom rejoiceth over
the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." "Thou shalt no more
be termed Forsaken; . . . but thou shalt be called My Delight;
. . . for the Lord delighteth in thee." "He will rejoice
over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with
singing." Isaiah 62:5, 4, margin; Zephaniah 3:17. When the vision of
heavenly things was granted to John the apostle, he wrote: "I heard as it
were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as
the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready." "Blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
Revelation 19:6, 7, 9. {DA
151.1}
Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call
to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one
who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private
houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the
marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an
interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the
household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His
divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. He often
repaired to the mountains for solitary prayer, but this was a preparation for
His labor among men in active life. From these seasons He came forth to relieve
the sick, to instruct the ignorant, and to break the chains from the captives
of Satan. [152] {DA 151.2}
It was by personal contact and association that Jesus
trained His disciples. Sometimes He taught them, sitting among them on the
mountainside; sometimes beside the sea, or walking with them by the way, He
revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He did not sermonize as men do
today. Wherever hearts were open to receive the divine message, He unfolded the
truths of the way of salvation. He did not command His disciples to do this or
that, but said, "Follow Me." On His journeys through country and
cities He took them with Him, that they might see how He taught the people. He
linked their interest with His, and they united with Him in the work. {DA 152.1}
The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests
of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have
received the gospel of His grace. We are not to renounce social communion. We
should not seclude ourselves from others. In order to reach all classes, we
must meet them where they are. They will seldom seek us of their own accord.
Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There
is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is
found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the
hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment. {DA 152.2}
As disciples of Christ we shall not mingle with the world
from a mere love of pleasure, to unite with them in folly. Such associations
can result only in harm. We should never give sanction to sin by our words or
our deeds, our silence or our presence. Wherever we go, we are to carry Jesus
with us, and to reveal to others the preciousness of our Saviour. But those who
try to preserve their religion by hiding it within stone walls lose precious
opportunities of doing good. Through the social relations, Christianity comes
in contact with the world. Everyone who has received the divine illumination is
to brighten the pathway of those who know not the Light of life. {DA 152.3}
We should all become witnesses for Jesus. Social power,
sanctified by the grace of Christ, must be improved in winning souls to the
Saviour. Let the world see that we are not selfishly absorbed in our own
interests, but that we desire others to share our blessings and privileges. Let
them see that our religion does not make us unsympathetic or exacting. Let all
who profess to have found Christ, minister as He did for the benefit of men. {DA 152.4}
We should never give to the world the false impression that
Christians are a gloomy, unhappy people. If our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we
shall [153]
see a compassionate Redeemer, and shall catch light from His countenance.
Wherever His Spirit reigns, there peace abides. And there will be joy also, for
there is a calm, holy trust in God. {DA 152.5}
Christ is pleased with His followers when they show that,
though human, they are partakers of the divine nature. They are not statues,
but living men and women. Their hearts, refreshed by the dews of divine grace,
open and expand to the Sun of Righteousness. The light that shines upon them
they reflect upon others in works that are luminous with the love of Christ. {DA 153.1}
Click here to read the next chapter:
"In His Temple"
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