The Treasure Hunt (14 Jan).

In a Treasure Hunt, you have to work out the clues and follow the signs to find the treasure. John's gospel is like a kind of treasure hunt. In it there are clues laid for us to follow, and signs to look out for. And in this evening's gospel, John tells us that the first of these signs is what Jesus did at the wedding reception at Cana in Galilee. Jesus turned water into wine.

When we take part in a treasure hunt we mustn't mistake the clue or the sign for the treasure itself. And it's the same with this story. You might think that having all that wonderful wine was the treasure. No. That's just the sign - the first of the miraculous signs that John carefully records in his gospel to point us to the treasure. And those of us who've put our faith in Jesus, as the first disciples did, discover that the real treasure is Jesus Himself, and the joys of God's kingdom that Jesus invites us to share.

John's gospel gives us a series of clues or sign- posts. They are moments when, to people who watch with at least a little faith, the curtain between heaven and earth is pulled back and God's love can be seen, working with transforming power, in this world. Yet, if we're honest, many of us feel embarrassed about talk of the miraculous. In our sophisticated 21st century Western world, stories about Jesus performing miracles seem, frankly, rather out-of-place, incongruous. That's why some people prefer to say that these are pleasant but imaginary legends. Nice stories, which 'illustrate' a spiritual truth. But, of course, they didn't actually 'happen'.

Well, if we're going to take the gospel seriously, then this kind of interpretation simply won't do. Perhaps it was because John didn't want his readers to mistake the clue for the treasure that he deliberately chose not to use the word 'miracle' at all. Instead he chose the term 'sign'. A sign is real but it is not an end in itself. Rather, a 'sign' emphasises the significance of the action to which it points. The whole point of the 'signs' that John records is that they are moments when heaven and earth intersect with each other, in order to reveal who Jesus really is. John wants us to see that in these real events, the life of heaven came down to earth; 'the Word became flesh'.

So, 'on the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee'. A particular village where a particular bride and groom began their married life. To grasp the significance of this sign, it helps to remember that in the Bible weddings are themselves signs of the intimate, loving union between God and His people. And 'the 3rd day' is also the day of resurrection, the day when Jesus rose from the tomb and Life emerged from death.

On the third day a wedding took place. The wine ran out. Then a rather strange dialogue took place between Jesus and His mother, and Jesus said that His time hadn't yet come. What's He on about? Again, to grasp the significance of this remark, it helps to be aware that Mary is only centre-stage on 2 occasions in John's gospel: here in Cana and, in ch.19, at Golgotha, the place of the Skull. And it is then, as Jesus is crucified, that His time has come, and the meaning of all the signs comes together and His glory is fully revealed even as He is lifted up on the Cross. That is the ultimate moment when heaven and earth meet. When the eyes of faith can see the glory hidden in the shame as the Life-giving Word gives up His spirit. Even now, at the beginning of John's gospel, this 1st sign points ahead to the ultimate sign of the Cross.

Before that can happen, other transformations must take place. For one, Mary has to give up her place of honour and authority as Jesus' mother, with a right to tell Him what to do. Instead, she has to become, as every disciple must, someone who recognises and submits to the authority of Jesus. For those who would see His glory need to trust Jesus unconditionally and to be willing to do whatever He tells us.

What He told the servants to do was to fill 6 huge jars with water. Jars used for Jewish purification rites - symbols of how religion was organised before Jesus came on the scene, of the old way of looking at God and His world. And from within that Jewish system, God in Christ does a new thing, brings about transformation.

On the superficial level, running out of wine at a wedding banquet wasn't just inconvenient. It would have been a social disaster that would have disgraced the family for years to come. A truly terrible start to the newly married couples' life together. And it wasn't any old plonk that saved the day - but the very best vintage - out of this world!

On the deeper level, water - the raw material of creation - is exposed to the transforming power of the new order that Jesus brings. Notice that Jesus doesn't command the water-jars to be discarded or smashed. Rather, they are to be filled up to the brim. This is the way God works. He doesn't crush like a bulldozer. He takes and transforms anything and everything that can become a useful vessel for His purposes. And note too that the sign is only complete when the water-turned-wine is drawn out and given to others. So God's transforming love at work within us has to be poured out and given away if the glory of Jesus is to be revealed.

The Greek word which St. John used to say that Jesus 'revealed' or 'manifested' His glory is the word from which we get the term 'Epiphany'. During these Sundays of the Epiphany season, the Collects and Bible readings encourage us to consider what it might mean to see Jesus for who He really is and to share that understanding with others. The transformation from water to wine signifies the effect that Jesus had, and still has today, on people's lives.

But such transformation cannot happen without our co-operation, for God does not bulldoze His way into our lives. God-in-Christ stands at the door and knocks. He waits for us to open the door of our lives to Him and to affirm - with heart and mind - that we are ready to 'do whatever He tells us'.

John Barr