Why a Wedding?

When Jesus performed His first miracle, He did so at a wedding, with many people present. He could have picked any number of events to go to or miracles to perform, but He chose a wedding and to turn water into wine. Why? The reason is twofold: to identify Himself as the Bridegroom of His people and show the marital part of His bond with mankind and to show the importance of marriage and the family. A marriage as the backdrop for Christ’s first miracle shows that this should also be an important issue for us and that Christ took His relationship with us seriously.

By going to a wedding, Christ established His identity as the Bridegroom of His people. In the account of the wedding at Cana in John’s Gospel, after the water had been made wine, the headwaiter said to the bridegroom that many serve good wine first and then inferior wine, but “you have kept the good wine until now” (John 2:9-10). Just as the bridegroom provided the (original) wine for the wedding, so will Christ provide as the Bridegroom of His Church the wine of the new covenant, which was foreshadowed by the water made wine. He also referenced what He had already done in making a marriage of mankind with God by becoming man as well as what He would do in the future by establishing His Church and making Her His own Bride. Christ was emphasizing the marital nature of his bond with humanity by choosing to perform His first miracle and reveal His identity at a wedding.

Scripture tells us that Christ could not perform miracles in places where people lacked faith. He chose a wedding because in that event faith and openness to His word were made manifest, as the bride and groom showed their willingness to welcome the gift of life and follow God’s design for humanity in joining a man and woman together for life in order to start a family. Jesus was blessing the couple in order to teach us the importance of marriage and that nothing pleases Him more than seeing a man and a woman joined together to bring new life in the world and raise them up to be instruments of His in the world to teach others about Him.

By performing His first miracle at a wedding, Christ was pointing out to us His intention of making His Church His Bride and providing the wine of the new covenant, His Blood, as the wedding gift. He wants to wed us so as to reconcile us to God and have us be with Him forever in heaven. He also was underscoring the importance of traditional marriage and the family and showing that His blessing is upon those who open themselves to His design for humanity.