On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. – John 2:1

 Today's Scripture Reading (October 26, 2020): John 2

American poet and philosopher Criss Jami argues that "Telling an introvert to go to a party is like telling a saint to go to Hell." As a lifelong introvert, I agree. No matter how hard an introvert might try to fit in, we never do. And the level of discomfort in those troubling moments is off the charts. An introvert at a party has found their hell; they know that they have been condemned.

Several years ago, I was an observer to an argument about whether or not Jesus ever laughed. The bible doesn't mention his laughter, although it does mention his tears, so it is an interesting question. But from a human behavior point of view, it is almost impossible to imagine a Jesus who never laughed or at least cracked a smile. Can you imagine thirteen guys gathering around a fire as they traveled together around the countryside and the latest joke not being told? That the antics of one of the apostles did not provoke the others to laugh, or that there wasn't a moment of good-natured fun?

We may not know whether or not Jesus laughed, but we can make this observation. He never turned down a reason to party. Whether it is a wedding in Cana or time with tax-collectors and prostitutes, Jesus showed up at the celebration regardless of the reason behind the party. And there seemed to be no inhibition to inviting him. We have no reports that people didn't want to ask Jesus to the celebration because he would spoil the fun; all the evidence that we have points to Jesus as someone who welcomed a reason to party. Jesus was someone who seemed to have been equally comfortable being alone as he was celebrating with his friends. And a marriage party was the best party of all.

There is an old tradition that argues that the Wedding at Cana was John's. And that after John witnesses Jesus turning the Water into Wine, he left his bride at the altar to follow Jesus (and that might have been a good reason to leave Jesus off of the guestlist for your next party). The story is cute but highly unlikely.

John notes that at this party, Mary was present. After the story of Jesus at the Temple at the age of twelve (Luke 2:41ff), there is no mention of Joseph. The best answer to the puzzle of Joseph's disappearance was that he had died sometime after "The Case of the Missing Jesus." As a result, Jesus had been responsible for caring for the family until his siblings were old enough to care for themselves. And at the Wedding at Cana, Jesus was still at home, helping to care for his siblings. His time had not yet come.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 3