A Contemplation

  Background story: Jesus and his disciples had been invited to a wedding. So was Mary, His mother. They ran out of wine so Mary approached Jesus. He performed His miracle of turning water into wine.

  “Standing nearby were six stone jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold close to thirty gallons.” John 2:6

  I am reading an abridged version of “The End of Religion” by Bruxy Cavey. He points out in the book that miracle is meant to be the word for sign. (I am going to have to do a lot of reading with this new understanding of what Jesus’ miracles, the signs pointing to His divinity, were all about! It is so much more than simply being able to perform wonders because He was the Son of God. They are really lessons about His message of love and faith in Him as well as a challenge to the status quo. But that’s thoughts for another day.)

  Bruxy also said in his book that Jesus could have used all the empty wine skins or flasks or casks to perform this miracle but He didn’t. He used sacred water jars that were set aside for Jewish religious practices.

  His first miracle, or sign of His divinity, was to challenge the religious rituals of His people; rituals that had replaced relationship. He used something held sacred for religious reasons to bless everyone with a whole lot of wine to celebrate the joyous union of two people. Apparently, it was pretty good wine, too!

  That alone is fascinating but my mind ended up leaping elsewhere.

  I’d mentioned a couple of days ago how Jesus made sure the Disciples had swords so they could be counted as rebels according to Roman law that forbade Jews from having weapons.

  He was arrested by the Pharisees but could not be killed by them because they had to follow God’s Law about killing. That’s how Pontius Pilate, the local appointed Roman governor, ended up involved.

  Back to the water jars. “The religious leaders would wash their hands ceremonially as a way of symbolizing their desire to remain free from sin.” (Thanks, Bruxy, for the historical context.)

  Just before Pontius condemned Jesus to death, he washed his hands with water in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see you to it.” Mathew 27:24

  Hmmmm… Pontius Pilate used a Jewish religious practice…why? I can speculate that he did this as a mockery of Jewish beliefs. Or maybe he misunderstood the practice and believed the hand washing was a way to be absolved of sin as opposed to being emblematic of the desire. It could also be for many other reasons. Since I don’t know what was in Pontius’ heart, I have no way of knowing the full reasons for his choosing to wash his hands.

   The Pharisees killed Jesus by wielding a Roman weapon. I think the manipulation of Pontius to do their "dirty work" is the same as if they had drawn a sword themselves. Yet, “His accusers couldn’t enter the headquarters of the Roman governor because it would defile them and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.” John 18:28

  (My brain feels like it’s going to explode!)

  Back to the jars...There were six! Each one held twenty to thirty gallons of water. That’s a lot of hand washing for a public display of a desire to be free of sin. Desire is only the first step. Desire without action, without change, without taking responsibility for choices and actions, is nothing. And gallon after gallon would disappear. But, in reality, and behind closed doors, the Pharisees did not live up to such public proclamations. Behind closed doors they plotted murder.

  Time after time, Jesus challenges the religious leaders. From stone tossing to healing on the Sabbath, He demonstrated that religion wasn't the answer. He was.

  Thanks to Jesus, I don’t have to wash my hands. (Smile.) I mean, I do. Hygiene is important. (Another smile.)

  I get the feeling I am just scratching the surface in uncovering the profound connections all these Bible stories have with each other. It’s been a couple days of incredible revelation that has enriched my understanding of some of the key components to my faith. Right alongside these revelations is a growing understanding of who Jesus is and what His life and death and life accomplished.

  It has also shaken up my ideas of religion. I blog religiously but I don't blog because of a requirement to do so. This idea was shaken out of me very early when there was a whole lot of guilt when I didn't write seven days a week. That, I feel, is where and why Jesus challenges religion. I blog because it has been a wonderful way to to ponder and explore life.

  I am also going to encourage my readers not to take my words as “gospel truth”. There is much I don't fully understand. I heartily encourage you to embark on a journey of seeking the truth of Jesus for yourselves. God bless your journey. AMEN!