Exegesis of Wedding at Cana

Unlike the synoptic Gospels, John's Gospel reports the Jesus' conversion of water into wine at a wedding in Cana. While Jesus is attending a marriage with his disciples, his mother brings to his attention that the hosts have run out of wine. His mother, who remains unnamed, tells the surrounding servants to follow Jesus' command. As directed, they fill the empty containers with water. At once, Jesus orders them to take a sample to the head waiter of the event, at which his miracle becomes known. This is now known as Jesus' first miracle, according to the Gospel of John. The author of John's Gospel states that the purpose of this miracle is to "reveal his [Jesus'] glory," in order to instill a sense of faith within his followers.

Chapter 19 Summary: Faith In Jesus

"Faith is...the power of goodness and truth, the power of God." (Nolan) Jesus helps us to understand and interpret this sense of faith. He brings about a greater truth in order to make us aware of God's presence, however it is we who "must decide and act." (Nolan) Jesus' presence on earth created a religious movement, which in time has only been strengthened. This movement was initially a dozen followers, family members, and a handful of priests within the community. Despite the fact that following Jesus' death and resurrection, it became apparent that there was no successor, his movement flourished under his inspiration. Through the faith of his followers, "Jesus continued to live." (Nolan) To this day, Jesus remains as the leader of the church. This unconditional faith has led to the belief that Jesus is the true word of God. "The faith which Jesus awakens in us is at the same time faith in him and faith in his divinity." (Nolan) Our devotion to our faith, is in turn a devotion to Jesus. Ultimately, faith in Jesus is the belief that "goodness can triumph over evil."

Reflection on Ch. 12

I feel as if Ch. 12 tends to give people the wrong message. It seems as if this chapter does a lot of preaching, rather than actual teaching. From what I can understand, they would like Christians to develop a certain kind of faith in order to enter the Kingdom of God. To me, I don't really think the kind of faith really matters. As long as you have some kind of faith, you are good. Jesus doesn't expect us to develop something over night and instantly enter the Kingdom. I believe, He would rather us have our own beliefs in order to have our own understanding. We therefore are able to pick up our own knowledge and faith from it all, and become more aware of what we need to do in order to enter the Kingdom of God with whatever "sweet" faith we have collected from either past experiences or just by going to Church.

Have A Little Faith

This song truly describes what is necessary to get through life. Just " a little faith" will get us farther than what we need in our everyday lives. This is what we need for entering the Kingdom of God, and any of those hard obstacles in life. If we even have a small ounce of faith, we are sure to get through life. After all, this is all that Jesus asks of us to have- just some faith. And once again, if you've got that faith, come into the Kingdom.   

     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UkKTlzyLhQ

Arms Spread Apart

This image is a great symbol of what we as Christians should follow. This young boy has his arms wide open and spread apart. It seems as if he is trying to embrace/enter something. Perhaps he is trying to prove to us the kind of faith he has. The welcoming arms show that he must have some sort of faith in order to be so willing to have them so open. This correlates well with Ch. 12 and 19. You need to have faith if you want to enter the Kingdom and this boy surely has faith which in this case is the amazing amount of openness within his arms.

Chapter 12 Summary: Coming of the Kingdom

In this Chapter, we learn about the coming of the Kingdom and what is expected from it. Jesus had the mindset that in order for the Kingdom to come, there must be a belief in God. This coming would then be a "miracle", which may seem impossible however, anything impossible to us is possible to God. This Kingdom that we are waiting for has to come, and by no exception can it be built. It must be received as a gift, and cannot be "achieved".

There is a certain kind of power that can enable us to reach this Kingdom. That power is God. Jesus believes that the power that attains the impossible, is faith. Faith is the key component which enables us to reach the kind of power God had. With this faith, the kingdom is therefore available for us. We must remember that faith gets power from truth that people believe and hope for. The power of faith is the power of truth. True faith comes with compassion. If we cannot be compassionate with one another including our own selves, than we cannot long for a kingdom.

It is essential to know that faith is a decision. You cannot be indecisive in terms of your own faith. This will provide people with a reason to judge you and assume you lack faith. Either you make the kingdom the basic values of your life, or you don't. Or there is the other option where you recognize the kingdom as the "eschaton" (destiny) of humankind, or you do not. You must sway one way or the other to prove that you have faith, otherwise there is no use.

In the end, regardless of what happens, the kingdom will come because people will believe. When you believe in God, you are proving that all good is greater than all evil. We must keep in mind that although the kingdom will come, it does not necessarily mean it is near. Jesus professed numerous of times to His people that it does not matter whether or not it is near, but that it will be theirs when it eventually arrives. This kingdom that will arrive, is more than just words. As stated in the Gospel of Mark (13:26 parr, 14:62) "This event is not the coming of the "kingdom" as such, but the coming of the "son of man". It is imperative that we as Christians understand this assertion. We must not just wait for an actual kingdom, but of the coming of Jesus.

Regardless of the challenging hardships we face in our lives, it is important to know that God will always have the last word. The kingdom will be near because both God and ourselves, have a certain kind of sweet faith that will help guide us into the kingdom of God.