Picture six men walking on a narrow road.…
The men’s faces are eager, but common. Their leader is confident, but unknown. They call him Rabbi; he looks more like a laborer. And well he should, for he’s spent far more time building than teaching. But this week the teaching has begun.
Where are they going? To the temple to worship? To the synagogue to teach? To the hills to pray? They haven’t been told, but they each have their own idea.
John and Andrew expect to be led into the desert. That’s where their previous teacher had taken them. John the Baptist would guide them into the barren hills and for hours they would pray.…
Surely he will do the same.…
Peter has another opinion. Peter is a man of action. A roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy. A stand-up-and-say-it sort of fellow. He likes the idea of going somewhere. God’s people need to be on the move. Probably taking us somewhere to preach, he is thinking to himself. And as they walk, Peter is outlining his own sermon, should Jesus need a breather.
Nathaniel would disagree. Come and see, his friend Philip had invited. So he came. And Nathaniel liked what he saw. In Jesus he saw a man of deep thought. A man of meditation … Nathaniel was convinced that Jesus was taking them to a place to ponder …
Did such speculation occur? Who knows?…
Maybe it was Andrew who asked it.…
“So Rabbi, where are you taking us? To the desert?”
“No,” opines another, “he’s taking us to the temple.” …
Then a chorus of confusion breaks out and ends only when Jesus lifts his hand and says softly, “We’re on our way to a wedding.” …
“Why would we go to a wedding?”
Good question. Why would Jesus, on his first journey, take his followers to a party? Didn’t they have work to do? Didn’t he have principles to teach? Wasn’t his time limited? How could a wedding fit with his purpose on earth?
Why did Jesus go to the wedding?
The answer? It’s found in the second verse of John 2. “Jesus and his followers were also invited to the wedding.” …
Big deal? I think so. I think it’s significant that common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus. I think it’s noteworthy that the Almighty didn’t act high and mighty. The Holy One wasn’t holier-than-thou. The One who knew it all wasn’t a know-it-all. The One who made the stars didn’t keep his head in them. The One who owns all the stuff of earth never strutted it.…
Jesus was a likable fellow. And his disciples should be the same. I’m not talking debauchery, drunkenness, and adultery. I’m not endorsing compromise, coarseness, or obscenity. I am simply crusading for the freedom to enjoy a good joke, enliven a dull party, and appreciate a fun evening.…
We used to be good at it. What has happened to us? What happened to clean joy and loud laughter? Is it our neckties that choke us? Is it our diplomas that dignify us? Is it the pew that stiffens us?
… I must confess: it’s been awhile since I’ve been accused of having too much fun. How about you?
Max Lucado
Intentional Faith 