The Actionable Parable of Water into Wine

There is a common theme throughout the parables and teachings of Christ and the early apostles which compare the Savior as the bridegroom.  We see numerous parables and lessons throughout the gospel of wedding feasts, the ten virgins, and the coming of the bridegroom; even Paul directly connects the church as a bride and the Savior as a bridegroom.  These all carry with them powerful messages of our relationship or desired relationship with the Lord, and the Lord’s desired relationship with us.

One of the most interesting experiences in the ministry of the Savior is detailed only in John – it is also one of the most commonly known experiences.  As John called it, it was his first miracle, and was as the request of his mother.

Here we have the Savior attending a wedding feast, and is approached by his mother.  For all intents and purposes, his mother makes reference that the event is out of wine, and requests him to do something. As a result, and with a little comment in reference to his time no yet at hand, he requests that six pots are filled with water and brought to him.  He then performs his first known or documented miracle in turning the water into wine.

What a unique and, in some instances considered, uncharacteristic use of His power. Where does this action fit into His message, His mission, and the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Nowhere else do we see in his ministry the use of his power and authority in performing a miracle that was so temporal.  Wine for a wedding feast?

We have heard throughout our lives numerous conversations of potential lessons in the miracle: the respect for his mother, the potential that this might be his own or a family members wedding, or even the intentional decision to begin to reveal his potential to the world.  But none of these potential answers really falls into what we know of Christ after this experience.  He wasn’t one to seek for attention with his performance of miracles, he was more or less one to perform miracles out of compassion, out of need, and by no means out of the need to attract attention.

In fact, through the account when the ruler of the feast tastes the wine and reflects that they have saved the best for last, this infers that no one really knows what actually took place to present that wine at his table.  The miracle comes and goes nearly unnoticed by most present, without the converting fanfare that one might hope for if he were seeking attention.

Yet, this begs another question: why would John include this experience?  Admittedly, through his own words, Christ did so much that if every one of his acts were recorded, the books of the world could not contain them.  So why take time and space, and detail what looks to be a relatively ineffective or unnecessary act from the Savior at a wedding he attended?

Could there be that there is something more than the event itself, and the fact that it was his first recorded miracle?

This short event, although on the surface holds little to the lessons of eternal principles, may be a parable in action.  There may be a lesson here, not in his words, but in his actions - an eternal principle. He may be trying to teach us as he did with his parables, but instead of telling the story, he is being the story.

Let’s step back and pretend for a moment, that this is a parable, a story someone is telling us that is to contain a spiritual message.

A Son of God attends a wedding feast in celebration of the union of the bride and the bridegroom.  The wine of the ground is served, with the best available wine served first, and then the dregs served last as is traditional at these feasts – as is therefore expected.  The event seems to go longer, or is more attended than expected and they prematurely run out of wine.   To honor this celebration this Son of God exercises his power and authority and changes water into wine.  As the wine is being served, it is heralded as the best wine which has been served – better than the wine which was served at the beginning of the festivities.

Does this parable not speak directly to us, and to our times?  Throughout the history of the world, the Lord has celebrated the union of the church (bride) and the Savior (bridegroom).  He has sent prophets and faithful spirits to the earth at various times to ensure that such a union is adequately represented, perpetuated, and that those attending the union remain participants for as long as possible.  Then there came a time when there was no prophets, no priesthood, no power or authority to participate in; and the Lord was required to restore that substance to the earth, and that wine to the union.    Yet, in doing so, he created and reserved only the very best to go forth at the end of the event.

We are that wine that has been reserved for the last days.  John, the master of prophecy, instills near the beginning of his gospel an experience which carries with it a strong message for those of the latter days; the best wine, as the ruler of the feast exclaimed, as been reserved until the end, and is a pure product of the Saviors power and authority being exercised.

We are the water that has been changed to celebrate this union, and we have been created by the Savior for this purpose.  We are the salt of the earth, we are the savor, we are the taste, and we carry with us a purpose and have been reserved for these last days to fulfill that purpose – in which we are the best equipped to do so; much better equipped than all of our predecessors.  It was the ruler of the feast which exclaimed that he was surprised to see the most tasty, purest, and best wine was reserved until the end of the celebration.

It is a fitting comparison when this experience is taking to consideration with the plan of salvation.  At the wedding feast, the Savior takes something as mundane and tasteless as water and turns it into something full, robust, and as the ruler of the feast would say – the best wine available.  Similarly, here in the plan of salvation, this experience at the wedding feast teaches us that Christ not only can, but will, take something as common place as we are, as flawed, as mundane and tasteless in an eternal sense, and make use something robust, full of flavor, and rich with taste – the best eternal beings that have ever been presented.