EPIPHANY II – SUNDAY

LESSON: JOHN 2:1-11

On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. John 2:1,2

It was a great honor for Jesus to make His gift of wine at this lowly marriage feast by means of a great miracle. Hereby Jesus became the bride’s most important donor. In any case, He may not have had any money for precious gems to give her as a gift. Such an honor Jesus never accorded to any of the Pharisees. In this way He confirms marriage as a work and ordinance of God. No matter how despised it is, or regarded as insignificant by men in general, God nevertheless recognizes His work and is pleased with it.

Because the estate of holy matrimony can rest on the comforting fact that God has established it and is pleased with it, and because Christ Himself honors it for our consolation, all men should really be pleased with it. They should regard it as an honorable estate and be very favorably inclined to it, being sure that God is well pleased with it.

They should also be ready joyfully to endure everything that is difficult in this estate, even if matters sometimes seem worse than they actually are. It is an estate which practices and cultivates faith in God and love towards one’s neighbor by means of trouble and toil, unpleasantness, the cross, and disagreeableness of all kinds. All these are not uncommon experiences where God’s Word and work are taken seriously.

SL.XI.464,3-4
AE 76, 238

PRAYER: Lord God, heavenly Father, in many ways and places you have taught us that holy matrimony is an estate well-pleasing to you and to be honored by all men. Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus, for the striking way you honored this holy estate at the wedding in Cana, giving us strong encouragement to follow your holy example in this respect. Amen