Picture yourself as the bridegroom at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. This was not only your first marriage but, as God enabled you to avoid divorce, also your only wedding. So, you put all you had into it, body, soul, and spirit. All who heard about it were excited, and those who did not receive an invitation begged for one. The day dawned with half the town trooping toward the venue. Halfway through the enjoyment, you learned of the lack at the wedding.
You are aghast. In the presence of the entire town? Perhaps you overdid the invitation and the preparation. Even the stewards look ashamed, sorry to be associated with a failure. Would they lose their bartending licenses as a result? They start gathering the tools of their trade to make a quick getaway. The lack at the wedding is beading your brow with sweat. That is when Mary notices you, since a bridegroom should not sweat on his day of glory.
She enquires about the reason and discovers it is the lack at the wedding. Pshaw! Is that why the man is perspiring so much? Does he not remember that he invited Jesus to the wedding? Perhaps his trouble is clouding his memory. So, she decides to come to his aid, alerting her son that their host was in great trouble. As soon as Jesus enters the picture, the bridegroom’s problem is solved.
Now, imagine that the man did not invite Jesus. As you do so, imagine that Jesus is not active in your life. The lack at the wedding (or naming ceremony or office) would remain. This is a lesson for us if our blessings tarry. God’s promises are the Yes, and they are the Amen.
The Lack at the Wedding Would Persist If Jesus Were Absent
So, why do we have so few of them manifesting in our lives? We are extremely regular in the church. Perhaps we even have an honorary position for serving so long and so faithfully. Some of us may have designated chairs, complete with padded seats. Our names are near the top of the church register. We even give liberally, chair some committees, and so on.
And yet, getting blessings is a struggle; they do not come to us easily. What could be the problem? The problem-solver is missing. His name is Jesus, and unless He is invited, we remain foreigners to blessings and friends with shame. The same way the bridegroom would have been had he not invited Jesus.
We revisit this theme from time to time because of Jesus’s comment to church people. He told them, “Not all who say Lord, Lord will enter into Heaven.” It is our goal to ensure that none of us will hear these awful words that Jesus spoke to those churchgoers. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
May that never be our portion. To avoid that, as well as the lack at the wedding of our lives, we must be sure Jesus is invited. Paul counsels us to check ourselves from time to time to be sure we remain in the faith. We add our voices to his and apply the advice to ourselves. May we never miss Heaven.
The Bridegroom Was Not Unique
The bible, and by extension, our lives, contains several instances in which the Presence of God saved people from shame. Take Zacchaeus, whom many of us remember for his short stature, but he was known for something else. His story may be like ours. Even as we take the front-row seat in church, we know that people hate us. They would do us harm because we are so wealthy, and they know we became rich by corrupt means.
In that case, the lack at the wedding may be a loss of life. In recent days, you hear of Tech giants having firebombs thrown at them. A few of the political leaders in one country hide out on army bases. Only God knows how such a lack at the wedding ceremony of their lives will end. That was what Zacchaeus was in his days among his own people. He was rich but hated.
How about me? What about you? Well, the only one who can prevent harm from coming to such people is Jesus. When Zacchaeus met Jesus, the man recognized his need. If he did not change and repent, all his money would not make up for the lack at the wedding ceremony of his life. He might die like a fly.
He recognized his need for Jesus. Have I recognized my need for Jesus, or am I still depending on outward trappings? What about you? Do not let the lack at the wedding be the last chapter of your life’s story. The bridegroom invited Jesus, and his end was sweeter than the beginning. Zacchaeus, despite his high social position, clearly saw his need to invite Jesus into his life. His end was sweet. It is our turn.
Maranatha!
