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Second Sunday after Epiphany (1882)

John 2:1-11 Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world promised and sent by God. This incontrovertibly follows among other things from the fact that a man never called Him in vain for help in physical and mental distress. The Lord not only proved in all such cases that it is a very small thing to Him to satisfy all sorrow, that His Word possesses almighty power, that nothing is impossible for Him, but every time it cost only a word of earnest request to move Him for help. That leper spoke pleadingly only: "Lord, if You will, You can make me clean," and the Lord answered at once. "I will do it, be clean" That centurion asks on behalf of his gouty servant; the Lord speaks at once: "I will come and heal him."1 That gouty servant let himself be brought before the Lord, he, like his carriers, had the confidence that nothing more was needed than only to lay before His eyes the whole inner and outer adversity and to make known the desire for help in speaking gestures; and behold, the Lord is so sincere to help willingly, sincere affability, sincere goodness. - It might appear all the more striking that the Savior gave such a repellent response to His own mother in our Gospel as this remark made to Him, "They have no wine!" "Woman," He said, "what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come." Since it not often happens that the Lord similarly appears to answer His faithful when they call on Him, let us make this Word of the Lord the object of our consideration. The Word of the Lord: "My hour has not yet come"; whereby we want to consider: 1. the occasion in which He says it. This occasion was a cheerful one, namely a wedding in Cana of Galilee, to which the Lord had been invited along with His newly called disciples. He as a guest among the guests! But what might lack at a wedding when He Himself, the Almighty, the founder and admirer of matrimony, the supreme benefactor of blessing, Whose fountain never runs dry, is present in grace and with all bounty? And yet what one should hold as impossible in his presence occurred. The small supply of wine of the bride and groom ran out all too early. The mother of Jesus, who governs like a stewardess in the house, is aware of the incoming deficiency. She would like to see the bride and groom spared the shame and therefore speaks freely to Him: "They have no wine!" as if it would require nothing more than this hint to avoid this embarrassment. But this same hint, this eloquent request in a few words, gave opportunity to the Lord with the words: "My hour has not yet come!" But it is now not rare in the homes of believing Christians that the Lord, though not with explicit words, still seems to speak a similar thing with the deed. Lack, distress, embarrassment, fear, and divers temptations very often occurs despite of all sincere fear of God and piety. Christians are bearers of the cross, their way to heaven is the way of the cross. This is certainly not unconscious to them when they follow the Lord entirely; but, when it came to the wedding, they merrily enter this way, they indeed know that the Lord is with them, is their shepherd, how can they then fear lack? - How hard is the impact when they believe to hear to their prayer in distresses an answer like this one: "Man, what have I to do with you? My hour has not yet come"! - It behooves us to learn then in such temptation, like Mary, what the seemingly harsh Word is interpreted for the best in crazy faith and saw a promise in it with sharp eyes.

Matthew 8:2-3, 7.

2. The promise that He gives with it. The reason why the Lord speaks to His dearly beloved mother: "Woman, what have I," etc., is not noted by the holy evangelist. However, we will hardly err if we assume that the Lord Christ did it, among other things, in order to address already in advance the idolatrous worship of Mary of the papacy. No doubt Mary, who perhaps at this moment somewhat leaned on her mother's right, has well understood the chastising word of the Savior. She was also a poor sinner. What wonder if weakness is revealed to her? But this is no less evident, that she hung her soul with full confidence on her and the world's Savior. She took the apparent rejection as an assent, as a promise and therefore gave the servants the ominous admonition: "Whatever He says to you, do it!" And herein consists still today the heavenly art and cunningness of believing Christians. If the Lord seems to give a negative answer at times, if He seems not to hear, if He seems to have shut up His mercy in wrath2, then faith says: Take heart, His hour has not yet come. He Himself still has said: "My hour has not yet come." Therefore He has set for Himself an hour, an hour of help, an hour of grace, an hour of joy; this is determined in His counsel of love held over my life, in His election of grace from eternity. Oh, what promise, what sweeter comfort lies in these words of the Lord: "My hour has not yet come"! So it should come, it will surely come, and we should wait for it with hope and patience. When this hour strikes, then help is there, and the Lord reveals His glory. 3. The revelation of His glory that follows it. The beginning of help at Cana was very unimpressive. A word to the servants: "Fill the water jugs with water!" - That was their job at the wedding anyway; the large stone water containers were emptied every so often through the many legal washings, they had to fill them up again with buckets from the well. At Christ's command the servants do this even now, without knowing what would happen this time with all the water. They filled up the six water containers standing there to the brim. How great was their astonishment as the Lord further ordered: "Draw some out now and bring it to the master of the feast!" Who would want to bring water to the master of the feast without whose desire, or even water instead of wine? But the servant had not forgotten Mary's word: "Whatever He says to you" etc. And so great was their reverence for the Lord, they felt themselves impelled for obedience so enormously by His majestic Word that they drew out without reply, brought it to the master of the feast! And behold, the first, great, glorious miracle of the Lord Jesus suddenly became manifest. The master of the feast discerned wine, fine wine, and the servants vouched that they had filled up the six stone vessels with water. Oh, what high, spiritual, heavenly joy and astonishment will have seized all heart there at the wedding! The disciples were already believers before; but their faith received such a powerful increase by this sign of Christ that their previous faith, compared to the present, appeared to be a faint glimmer, yes, it was as if they believed only now. This part of our evangelical history still often repeats itself among believing Christians. The Lord has often set up shop a long time ago, come to their assistance in their troubles, but they did not suspect it: there is nothing to see but floods of tribulation and many streams of tears. Suddenly it will turn. The hour of help is there. The Lord stretches out His miraculous arm and suddenly releases them from all distress. So much water of anxiety before, so much wine of joy now. Therefore wait for the Lord! He says at last: "Now My hour has come!" and reveals to you His glory. Georg Stckhardt

Psalm 77:10.

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