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Water- God’s Extravaganza John 2.1-12
Doing Theology with ordinary Readers.
A multicultural Approach.

Ambrose J. Bwangatto

Introduction

The title suggested by Sr. Vandana, Doing Theology with Ordinary Readers, is one of the great initiatives in biblical scholarship to recover marginalized or lost voices from history and is one of the aspects of confronting the legacy of intellectual racism[1]. From her Indian cultural milieu, we realize that interpreters do not live in a vacuum. They live in concrete historical situation, in particular cultures. From their cultures, they derive not only their language but also patterns of thought and conduct, methods of learning, emotional reactions, values, interests, and goals. If God’s word is to reach them, it must do so in terms of their own culture or not at all. This leads us to realize the importance and value of the concrete historical human experience as also is clear from the Incarnation itself. God did not reveal himself by shouting from heaven but by speaking from within a concrete human situation. He became present as a man among men in Jesus, a first century Jew. This unmistakably demonstrates God’s intention to make his word known from within a  concrete human situation[2]. Let us now turn to the article suggested for discussion.

The wedding scenery described in the gospel of St. John has drawn a lot of interest from a broad section of people, from the intellectual in the theological faculty to the common man on the street, from the firm believer in God’s revelation in the scriptures to the self portrayed atheist, from the Christian who holds the bible as the guiding principle of ones life to believers in other faiths. This interest is generated by the unique reference to the miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. Many people apply this text in their day to day lives especially to justify their drinking habits or the presence of alcohol in their midst. One priest on a flight traveling from the Holy Land back to Uganda had a stopover at Khartoum Airport and the security discovered a bottle of wine in his luggage with alcohol content measuring 17%. It is forbidden to carry alcohol in the Sudan. The security personnel called him and quizzed him about the alcohol in his luggage. In a state of wonder he exclaimed: what a miracle! My bottle of water from the Holy Land has turned into wine, and pretty good wine! Amazed at the priest’s exclamation, the security just gave him a warning and he continued with is journey. Also a certain pastor had drunk himself silly, and was arrested by the police. He claimed that he had celebrated four (4) masses and in each mass there is wine, so that is why he looks drunk, but in actual fact it is the blood of Jesus that had made him look so. In the many societies, wine takes a special position in peoples lives. People compose many songs praising wine and drinking as such. Wine makes people cheerful and brings a certain warmth in peoples lives. I wish to make a description of my own context, that is Uganda, and show how the people can read the text of John 2:1-11. We shall take into consideration the main elements present in this text and their interpretation by the marginal readers in the Ugandan context. The main locus of this reading are the Inhabitants of the central region of Uganda called Baganda, a people who are so proud of their culture and land. Perhaps, I should give the etymological meaning of their generic name.

The Baganda considering the beauty of their country and its abundant resources and their rich culture which they claim superior to all the surrounding cultures, considered themselves relatives of God, that is why he favored them among all the people and granted them the best portion of the whole land. The word “Muganda” is in genitive and literally means relative of. This is the singular of “Baganda”, relatives of. Then it depends to whom one is related to. Generally the Baganda claim that they are relatives of God. In Luganda, which is their dialect, it is transliterated thus: Baganda ba Katonda.

The Baganda have a very rich culture. Their monarchy is the oldest established institution in Uganda and it is still existing. It was established in the 16^th century and there is a long line of kings some of whom are an inspiration to many young Ugandans especially as they exhibited a rare wit and wisdom in dealing with colonialists. Many Baganda king are revered as symbols of resistance to colonial rule. The name of my country Uganda is a derivative from the mighty kingdom of Buganda which is still standing today[3].

My home country,  the modern Uganda, especially the central region where I come from, there are myriads of water sources especially rivers and lakes. Our region has never experienced a drought and the vegetation is green all year round. Water is recognized in absence. When it is there, many people do not pay attention to it, may be it is presumed that it must be there all the time. St. Cyril of Jerusalem describes the importance of water and says: Because all things depend on water. Water produces herbs and living things[4]. Water is the base for everything. So it is very important. 

I, Bwangatto Ambrose John, am from the central region of Uganda. I am the 6^th. child in the family of 10 of whom 2 have already gone for their eternal rest. My home is at the end of the village, near the swamp, one can say for sure that it is at the margins of the village. One of the basic characteristics of the people from my region is celebration. There are important feasts in people’s lives and a wedding ceremony is among them. A wedding feast is never a private affair. It is a community feast whereby all the members of the community have to participate actively. In Buganda, it is a taboo not to involve the people in the preparations of major life feasts. On a wedding day everybody is involved. The men are responsible for the preparing of beer and serving it, building the shelter for the occasion, and provide security for the bride and bridegroom. The women are responsible for preparing meals, cleaning and decorating the home. The children are responsible for making sure that there is enough water throughout the celebration, also to help the women with firewood in their cooking. People who do not attend such community life feasts are considered witches and wizards and are usually banished from the village community. This self definition of the Baganda as a community, not only a community of persons physically related to each other in the here and now, but also as community with a special favorable relationship with God can have a lot of implications in reading the bible and interpreting it.

Reading the Bible with Ordinary Readers

Uganda was evangelized by missionaries from various European countries. This came as a result of  the treaty of Westphalia  and its consequences in religious distribution. We know from that treaty that the prince determined the religion of his subjects as it was clearly stated that: Huius regio, eius religio. The white Fathers who were predominantly French and hence Catholic came to Uganda in 1879 and found that Church Missionary Society missionaries who were English and hence Protestants had already set their base in Uganda. The Protestant missionaries stirred their animosity and hatred against the Catholics which was by then a big European problem, and now becoming incarnated in Uganda. The Protestants went to the king Muteesa I, and accused the Catholics who had just arrived, of having one sole allegiance to the Holy Father, the Pope in Rome, and of adoring images especially of adoring a woman called Mary and of cannibalism. They also accused the White Fathers of being French and hence bringing in French colonialism. When the king invited the Catholic missionaries to defend themselves against the accusations, they used the local images to explain to the king the whole program of their mission. They taught the King that the faith they preach transcend national borders. They promised the King to invite The Mill Hill Missionaries who are from Britain to prove their case. They went on to tell the king that the woman the protestants talked about is really a Queen Mother ( in Luganda: Nnamasole) the mother of the king of the whole world who is called Jesus Christ. This king is not interested in temporal power, rather he wants all peoples to attain eternal life.  A mere mentioning of the word Nnamasole made the king appreciate a teaching which has a relationship with his kingdom. He invited the Catholic missionaries to go to his court and give him catechesis especially about that king who has a revered mother like himself. This was the beginning of doing theology with the margins. It has been so for a long time. The figure of Mary is well understood in Buganda since it is drawn from the real life situation of the people. Most of the images we use in addressing Mary are derived from the royal vocabulary in Buganda. Titles like Namasole, Nabagereka, Nabakyala are applied to Mary as also applied to the royals.  

In Buganda, it is only the Queen Mother who can reprimand the king and her requests must be granted by the King. Looking at the text of John2:4, Mary said to Jesus “They have no wine left” and despite the apparently negative reply she went on to instruct the servants: Do whatever he tells you (v.6). This text can draw a powerful symbolism for the position of the queen mother in Buganda and the position of the Virgin Mary in the life and ministry of Jesus. We realize that right from the Annunciation, Mary was very close to Jesus participating actively in his life. She carried him in her womb for nine months and Elizabeth called Jesus the fruit of the womb of Mary (Luke 1:42).  In Buganda, the birth of a crown prince is a celebration for the whole kingdom. It means that the kingdom has got a heir who is a true sign of continuity. When we recount the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, we realize a joyous moment. The heavenly choirs of angels sing in chorus that: Glory to God in highest heaven, And on earth his peace for men on whom his favor rests (Lk.2:14). In the proverbs and wisdom sayings of the Baganda, there is an initiation ceremony which is frequently referred to in history. One of the king’s close friend called Majanja had got a gift of twins. The king proposed that the initiation of Majanja’s twins be carried as one ceremony with the initiation of the king’s twins. The  initiation ceremony of Majanja and the King’s twins lasted seven days and up to now any big celebration has Majanja’s ceremony as its reference: Usually people exclaim: Nakiraba ku mbaga ya Majanja ( I saw it at Majanja’s ceremony). It is an imperative custom to serve drinks to all the guests at any ceremony without discrimination. Any ceremony is a community event of which all members present must enjoy. At Cana, Mary did not ask for bread. She did not say to Jesus that they are hungry and that they have no beds to lay on. Rather she noted the most significant element at any celebration. The need for a drink. The Baganda call wine or beer “entaba luganda” ( the one that bridges relations). The people will talk about the success of any party in relation to the quantity of beer served to the guests. The bride and bridegroom will now be considered social and their family a symbol of unity. Mary’s intervention in the mood of the party is an indicator for  community responsibility. It is presumed that she was in terms of  intimacy with the family. Cana was near to Nazareth, perhaps only 3.50 miles away. No doubt she noticed the whispering and growing embarrassment, understood at that there was something wrong, that quite probably because Jesus and his party had been invited on their arrival in the town there had been a miscalculation, and the host’s hospitality was likely to be shamed. At once therefore and with confidence she appealed to her son and whispered encouragingly to the servants flustered over the shrinking supplies which quite obviously now were going to be hopelessly insufficient; Do whatever he tells you. In effect do not worry, he will find some way. And he himself had noticed, and was preparing to take action at the right moment (v.4). In Uganda, having a person of some means attending your ceremony is a valuable treasure. This is so in both the traditional society and modern society. In the past, if a chief were to attend a ceremony, it meant a lot to the host. The same applies to the present day mentality. Many people organize their feasts with small budgets, but then expect a multitude to attend. The scarce supplies for the party are likely to be strained by the present numbers. In many cases, the presence of someone blessed with extraordinary means is likely to turn the fortunes of the host and his guests. Many important guests are consulted to help replenish, may be, the shrinking supplies of beer or provide transport to fetch some promised drinks and bites from a distant relative, or even assist in the general program of the feast. The presence of Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee was a rare opportunity to the hosts. Jesus averted an embarrassing situation. He jumped into a chaotic situation and reinstate sanity, amazement and wonder (v.10).

Another great insight derived from this text is the role of women and their sense of perception. In my Ugandan situation women remain a formidable power, despite being marginalized. In many situations women focus most of their attention to others, that is children and men. Women resist oppressive structures and work very hard to change some situations, but they end up becoming victims in the due process. In Uganda, women have overtaken men in business and they have proved successful entrepreneurs. This is facilitated by the Micro-Credit facilities which prefer women to men because their businesses are geared toward the stability of their families, care for the children and in some instances their men/husbands. This is clearly affirmed by the Congregation paper on the Collaboration of Men and Women. It states that among the fundamental values linked to women’s actual lives is what has been called a “capacity for the other”. Women preserve the deep intuition of the goodness in their lives of those actions which elicit life, contribute to the growth and protection of the other. This intuition is linked to women’s capacity that structures the female personality in a profound way. It allows her to acquire maturity very quickly, and gives a sense of the seriousness of life and of its responsibilities. As sense and a respect for what is concrete develop in her, opposed to abstractions which are so often fatal for the existence of individuals and society. It is women, in the end, who even in desperate situations, as attested by history past and present, possess a singular capacity to persevere in adversity, to keep life going even in extreme situations to hold tenaciously to the future, and finally to remember with tears the value of every human life[5]. Women remain indispensable if we are to experience a change in the world order. Mary’s initiative to consult Jesus about the shrunken supplies of wine at the wedding feast, rewarded her with a seemingly aggressive answer from Jesus: Woman, what has that to do with me? (v.4). According to exegetes, this form of address is not disrespectful; it was commonly employed in speaking to women (cfr.4:21). But it was completely unheard of for a son to address his mother in such a fashion. In my own context, it has been discovered that when a person attains a certain social rank with its monetary consequences, he develops an attitude of disregard in some instances even of his parents. This response of Jesus to his mother, addressing her by her generic name, woman, is a familiar situation in my cultural and social setting. This refers mainly to upstarts. There is no respect for anyone. People from south-western Uganda have a tendency of even beating up their mothers. But in the case of Jesus, this form of address to his mother can be understood when we look at the corresponding texts, so that this text is clearly understood. This corresponds to Luke 2:49, where Jesus reminds his mother of his relation to the Father, which transcends all human relationships ( see also Mk.3: 31-35), so here he reminds her of the only title under which she may command his intervention; further, the time when she may thus command has not yet arrived. My hour has not yet come (v.4). The hour of Jesus is that of his glorification, the crucifixion, death, and resurrection by which salvation is achieved. Just as it is in this glorification  that Jesus achieves his destiny, so it is in virtue of it alone that Mary’s intercession can have efficacy. Nevertheless that hour can be, and is, foreshadowed in the “signs”  of Jesus.

A Historical-Critical Exegesis of John 2: 1-12

Before we go into the exegesis of this text,  I wish to draw your attention to some points which are related to exegesis. These points will serve a good purpose and map out a clear relationship between theology and exegesis. There are ten theses proposed by David C. Stein Metz about exegesis and I have found the following so appealing.

1. The meaning of a biblical text is not exhausted by the original intention of the author.

2. The most primitive layer of biblical tradition  is not necessarily the most authoritative.

3. The importance of the Old Testament  for the church is predicated upon the continuity of the people of God in history, a continuity which persists inspite of discontinuity between Israel and the Church.

4. The Old Testament is the hermeneutical key  which unlocks the meaning of the New Testament and apart from which it will be misunderstood.

5. The church and not human experience as such is the middle term between the Christian interpreter and the biblical text

6. The gospel and not the law is the central message of the biblical text.

7. One cannot lose the tension between the gospel and the law without losing both the gospel and law.

8. The church which is restricted in its preaching to the most primitive layer of biblical tradition as the most authoritative is a church which no longer preach from the New Testament.

9. Knowledge of the exegetical tradition of the church is an indispensable aid for the interpretation of Scripture[6].

The text John has chosen to serve as his first sign, is not found in the synoptic tradition, though it may be called to mind in the parabolic teaching of Mk 2:22. In the following episode we find the fulfillment of the prophecy made to Nathanael in Jn.1:51 of  something greater than the messiahship to which they will be witness. It is fairly to explain why such an account would not have found its way into the synoptic outline even if the witness responsible for the synoptic tradition (Peter) had been present, since it would have readily been passed over in favor of material better assimilable into the kerygma; on the other hand, it is precisely such event that lends itself to the Johannine “irony”.

Several elements in this narrative call for special comment. 

First, the setting: Marriage and the marriage feast had been a standard metaphor in Israel’s theological tradition ever since the time of prophet Hosea. Hosea described Yahweh’s election of his people in terms of a betrothal. The virgin bride of the Exodus had proved an adulterous wife, but the prophet looked forward to a future  renewal when God’s people would again become the virgin bride, and Yahweh would espouse them to himself for ever “in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy”( Hosea 2:19). In Isaiah 54: 4-8 and 62: 4-5, the messianic era is described under the figure of a wedding banquet. This is the same metaphor which Jesus himself will use when he compares the coming of the kingdom to the great wedding feast which the king prepared for his son (Mtt.22:1-44; Lk22: 16-18 also Mtt.8:11). It is clear that the real bridegroom at the Cana wedding  feast is none other than Jesus himself; or to state the position more accurately, the feast which occupies the evangelist’s attention is not really the celebration that took place at Cana, but rather the nuptials of the kingdom which would be accomplished when the “hour” of Jesus arrived[7]. John in v.1 reports the third day as the one on which the wedding feast took place at Cana in Galilee. In the following chronology (1: 29,35,41,43) we must take this to mean the third day following the call of Philip and Nathanael. Thus the wedding feast at Cana takes place on the “seventh day” of the new creation story. John has not mentioned a sixth day, which would have  been spent in travel from Bethany to Cana. Undoubtedly, John has deliberately arranged the chronology to build  up to a “third day”, evoking the memory of the Lord’s resurrection ( glorification) on the third day after his death- here, the glory of the Lord (v.11) is manifested on the third day after its promise. Cana in Galilee is mentioned in the New Testament only by John. It is called “of Galilee” to distinguish it from another place of the same name in Phoenicia (Jos.19:28 qana). A marriage feast lasted seven days, with fresh guests arriving each day. Wine flowed freely at these festivals and the supply may have run short (v.3) about the time of the arrival of Jesus and his friends towards the end of the week. 

Second, we have the symbolism of the wine: The significance of the wine becomes clear in this context. In the prophetic ( Am.9:13; Hos.2:24; Joel 4: 18; Is.29: 17; Jer.31:5) and  Apocalyptic ( Henoch10: 19; Apoc. 29:5) literature, wine in abundance is one of the signs which would characterize the age of salvation. More directly to the point , the wisdom literature had compared the teaching of Wisdom to the rich wine of the banquet (e.g. Prov.9:5), and Jesus himself  had spoken of his teaching  as new wine which would must not be put into old wineskins,( Mk, 2:22). Against this background, the deeper meaning behind some of the apparently chance remarks of the dialogue begins to emerge. Mary’s words “They have no wine” not only describe the situation at the Cana feast; they are a judgment on the Jewish purification rites (v.6) and on all the institutions of the dispensation[8]. Jesus’ answer means, Yes, that is so, since the hour had not yet come. The hour referred to in v.4 is clearly  not the hour designated for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry; Cana does infact mark the beginning of his ministry[9]. Here, as elsewhere in the Fourth gospel, the “hour of Jesus” has only one meaning: it is the hour of his passion and glorification. The sign which Jesus worked at Cana would be an anticipatory sign of the fulfillment to come, but those present would not have the genuine wine of the new kingdom until the hour of Jesus’ glorification had arrived. The remark of the Chief Steward, which brings the narrative to a close, seems at first to be only a pleasantry[10]. Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine;  but you have kept the good until now (v.10). The steward’s protest to the bridegroom is apparently an allusion to the custom of some hosts to reserve inferior wine to a stage in the feast when the guests were less capable of judging the quality of the wine. The final words in reality state the main point of the narrative. Human projects often begin in a grandiose way, only to fade away into obsolescence. The reverse was true of God’s plan of salvation. Everything that had gone before was to pale into insignificance in comparison to the brilliance of the revelation made in Jesus Christ. God had saved the overflowing fullness of his gift of the spirit until these “last days”.

Third, we look at the Mother of Jesus: The Mother of Jesus occupies only a subordinate place in this narrative. She is not mentioned after v.6,and does not enter into the development of the story. The unusual manner of Jesus’ words to his mother, “Woman!” has been defended as a title of polite and honorific address[11]. Mary is mentioned elsewhere in John 2:12; 6:42; 19:25 but never by name. Both in this account and in that of  19:25-28, where she is  brought into intimate relationship with her son, at the beginning and the end of his public life, a certain symbolic pattern emerges in John’s treatment of her. Mary’s observation to the Lord is not precisely the request of a miracle, though evidently she is counting on the resourcefulness of her son.  

Fourthly, the six stone water jars (v.6): Stone was used because in Jewish belief it could not contract  ritual uncleanness. It is doubtful that John sees any special significance in the number six ( the number of imperfection cfr.Ap.13:18). Jewish purification custom demanded ceremonial washings before and after eating. John alludes to this ritual in order to explain the presence of such a large quantity of water. This circumstance also allows him to point up a pattern that will accompany Jesus’ “signs”. A type associated with Judaism is systematically replaced by antitypes that originates in Christ. The reality of what Jesus is about to do is stressed. The jars contained nothing but water v.7. John mirrors the reticence of the first chapter of Genesis in alluding to Christ’s creative miracle. His word alone suffices to effect the change.

 In conclusion, I wish to make a little comment about this episode at the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee. For the evangelist, it is a frontispiece to the gospel, summing pictorially what is to come: how our Lord enters into peoples’ troubles; how unbelievably  he suffices in every difficulty; and above all how he enriches things for us. What water is to wine, what that embarrassing insufficiency was to the relief he wrought for his host, so is any other life compared to the fullness, the color, the adventure and the achievement that he gives. But if that is the main lesson, many other thoughts too leap out and stare at us arrestingly as we move towards it. There is the fact Christ was there; they wanted him to be there; had no fear that he would be out of his element, or fail to fit in, or make others uncomfortable as the Baptist, with his asceticism, would have done. And be sure there was no awkward silence at that part of the table where he sat. For Christ did not hold aloof from innocent human happiness. This simple story closes with a threefold climax:

-It was the first sign wrought by Jesus

-It was a manifestation of his “glory”.

-It awakened or confirmed his disciples’ faith.

Some Implications of John 2:1-11

As we stated above that the Baganda define themselves as a community, with both vertical and horizontal dimensions, it is an imperative to strengthen the social bonds existing among them. This has proved so helpful especially in this age when HIV-AIDS is claiming thousands of lives and subjecting young orphans to a social wilderness. The strong bonds existing in communities have provided an atmosphere for alleviating  and perhaps avert a social crisis as there would have been many children who are left without care. The position of Mary and her presence at the feast and the command she gives to the servants in v.5, appears to have occupied some position of authority at the feast; possibly the wedding was that of a near relative. Relations however distant they may be are instrumental in critical moments for family members. If there is a person who needs help, then the members present solicit some help from among themselves to help one of their members. In case of death, children are distributed among the relatives to help them grow in a secure and community oriented environment. The distinctions in relations are not so prominent as we have it in Europe. Such categories as niece, nephew, cousin, uncle, aunt, maternal and paternal uncle are not as distinct as I have observed it here in Europe. All the brothers of my father are my fathers, not uncles; all the sisters of my mother are my mothers, not aunts; the same applies to all children of all my fathers ( read: paternal uncles) all are my brothers, not cousins. And they are never visitors at home and they can visit us without notice, since they are coming home.

However, there are some political and economic and spiritual implications derived from reading this text. A careful observation of the world today, gives a picture which is unimaginable. That we have different worlds in one world. We have the developed world, call it first world, then the developing world, or the second world, and the underdeveloped world or third world. Still a new a demarcation has been created, the two-thirds world. This gives us an understanding that there are disparities in our world where the gulf between the haves and have-nots is widening each other day. More than half of the world population lacks the basic needs that make human life meaningful. There is misery  and suffering and people are looking for wine to cheer them up on the party of life. Many sub-Saharan African countries are looking for a way to participate in the celebrations of the world-wide party. But unfortunately, they have no wine (Jn.2:4). All they had, has been plundered by colonialism and incongruencies in the world order. We need a passionate voice that will prompt the wine of the world’s resources flow and hence create an atmosphere of joy, happiness and a meaningful existence in the world. Uganda in particular and Africa generally want their cause to be addressed by the powerful men and women of the world. We need a Mary to be our advocate. The degradation and humiliation in which countless peoples are plunged, need to be addressed by those with enough resources, so as to create that sense of wonder and amazement like the steward’s remarks: everyone serves the best wine first……..(Jn.2.10).

References

1. Sr. Vandana, ‘Water- God’s Extravaganza: John 2: 1-11’ in R.S. Sugirtharajah (ed.), Voices from the Margin:  Interpreting the Bible in the Third World (New Edition), Maryknoll, NY, 2002
2. Gerald O.West, ‘Mapping African Biblical Interpretation: A Tentative Sketch, in: Gerald O. West and Musa  W. Dube (eds.), The Bible in Africa: Transactions, Trajectories, and Trends, Leiden, etc. 2000.
3. James C. Plastoras, The Witness of John. A Study of Johannine Theology, New York, The Bruce Publishing Company, 1972
4. Adam A.K.M, (ed.) Handbook of Postmodern Biblical Interpretation, St. Louis Missouri, Chalice Press, 2000.

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