Beyond The Wedding Feast at Cana: The New Covenant in Jesus Christ

by Father Lambert Nieme

Beyond The Wedding Feast at Cana: The New Covenant in Jesus Christ

“I swore an oath to you and entered into covenant with you – oracle of the Lord GOD – and you became mine” (Ez 16:8).

When I was a student at the Catholic University of Louvain, I used to spend my evenings in the library. There is a cafe nearby where the students enjoy drinking good Belgian beers. I remember the evening I met a friend smoking outside the cafe. He invited me to join the other friends inside. I did not want to drink as I was so tired. However, one of them said to me “si nous ne buvons pas, c'est en vain que Jesus a changé l'eau en vin,” which is translated “if we do not drink, it is in vain that Jesus has changed water into wine.” Many are those who like referring to Jesus at the wedding at Cana to justify themselves about alcohol use. It raises questions: why did Jesus not change water into wine in a cafe to satisfy the lovers of good wine? Why did he do it in the context of a wedding? The way John ended his narrative of the wedding feast can help us to respond to these questions. “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed His glory, and His disciples began to believe in Him”.

Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John never uses the word miracle throughout his gospel. He uses the word sign instead. A sign conveys a meaning and it always points out something else. For example, if I notice a handicap sign painted on the ground in a parking spot, I will not park there without having a disabled parking placard. The blue sign on the ground refers to people with disabilities. Therefore, if Jesus' action of changing water into wine is a sign, the question is which reality is it pointing out. The context of the wedding where Jesus performed this first sign helps to unfold the reality in question by having a look at the salvation history in general.

Since the fall of man, God willed to restore communion with us by saving us from sin and death. He established Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants. They are the way God unfolded his redemptive plan. Unfortunately, Israel did not remain faithful to God. However, “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tm 2:3). God is both a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. He did not give up His will to rescue His people and sign a new Covenant that would not be broken anymore. Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 speak clearly about His New Covenant. God Himself will dwell amid His people in the way they never experienced under the old covenants. This is the great prophetic hope of the Old Testament.

Jesus, God made flesh, is the fulfilment of this prophecy. His first sign points out the New Covenant that brings forgiveness of sin, internal renewal of the heart, and intimate knowledge of God. The sign of Cana refers to Jesus Himself as the bridegroom, the one sent by the Father to sign once and for all the new and eternal Covenant with His people. The context of the wedding feast where the sign was performed is very appropriate for a covenant, instead of a mere contract. A contract is broken when one of the parties entering into the agreement is no longer faithful. It is not the case for a covenant. The will of one party or its unfaithfulness cannot break the covenant. As long as one party, God, remains faithful, the Covenant will last forever. The Church teaching about the sacrament of marriage is based on God's Covenant with his people. Marriage is more than a civil contract; it is a lifelong covenant of love.

However, the wedding feast at Cana was not yet the hour for Jesus to accomplish the final redemption and the celebration of the eternal wedding feast. Cana fulfilled the prophecy of old about the messianic time of abundance when people would drink wine without cost (Is 55, 1). The same wine foreshadowed the eschatological fulness of the Covenant. The ultimate hour for Jesus to sign the New and Eternal Covenant is the hour of His glorification through His death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day. He defeated death by rising from the dead and restoring life, especially for those who believe in Him. He also reveals what life should look like for a people living in the New Covenant inaugurated through the pascal mystery. The Holy Eucharist is the highest celebration of this New and Eternal Covenant signed once and for all with the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

The mother of Jesus, the woman, the advocate, the new Eve played a central role in this redemptive mission of her Son. She led Jesus to His first glorious work. May she continue to intercede for us today so that we can be worthy of the New and Eternal Covenant in which we were born again and have been made new creatures who delight in God through the Holy Spirit. May the same Spirit of God grant us the grace we need to inherit eternal life thanks to our faith in Jesus.
Fr. Lambert Nieme