The young woman walked into church on her father’s arm, her face beaming with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Her soon-to-be husband stood in the front of the church, surrounded by friends and family. They were not Hollywood beautiful, but they were truly beautiful, beautiful in the sense of being real people about to be married. As a pastor, I have witnessed this scene many times.

Jesus delights in the joy of the bride and groom in this week’s Gospel. He loves the proud parents, celebrating parties, and the honeymoon, too. This is the first miracle that John records for us. He calls it a sign that revealed Jesus’ glory. However, unlike many of Jesus’ miracles, the object of the miracle is not so clear. Opening the eyes of a blind man, cleansing a leper, etc., had a clear object that benefits from the miracle: the person healed. But who benefits here? What problem is solved? Jesus keeps a family from embarrassment and lets the party continue. He doesn’t want this couple, decades later, to remember their wedding as when they ran out of wine.

Embarrassment is not fatal. It is not even a terrible problem on a rational scale of problem severity. Way worse things could happen. But Jesus brings his abundance anyway. John notes how large the water jars are. They hold 20-30 gallons. Jesus makes between 120 and 180 gallons of wine. A friend in the catering business says this would serve about 1,000 people at a wedding reception today. Jesus provides, over what had already been served, an overflowing joy to this wedding.