Day 61 - The sign we need

John 4:46-54

So here we are, in Cana with Jesus.

The last time he was here for a wedding Jesus had turned water into wine, but he did so under duress and had to be persuaded by his mother. On this visit, again, Jesus seems just as reluctant. Reluctant to show off his power, even though the king’s official comes to him as his only hope for his dying child. Jesus answers him along the lines of unless you recognise the signs none of you will ever believe.

I guess we all want some sort of sign before we can believe with our whole hearts.

Perhaps Jesus is reluctant because he is worried that people will get so caught up when witnessing signs of power that they will forget that his miracles are a signpost. A sign that simply points to Gods glory, which of course is the source of all power. The signs and miracles of Jesus should always point us towards God and reveal his love for us.

Ultimately the sign of God’s love revealed is the broken but triumphant figure of Jesus on the cross. At the time a crucified Messiah was not the sign either his disciples or contemporaries were looking for, but it was the one they needed. It is still what we need as it demonstrates that God seeks us out not in our triumphs but in our defeats, comes to us not in our places of achievement but regret, and is with us not only in times of light but also in moments of darkness.

The film The Silver Linings Playbook also revolves around signs. Pat Solitano, a young man with bi-polar disorder, is trying to rebuild his life after a disastrous outburst. He seeks out signs, what he calls silver linings, that his quest to live a positive life will succeed. His father is a fanatical Philadelphia Eagles fan and is always trying not just to find a sign but actually to induce one in order to win the bets he has made on the games. While Pat seems pretty clear not just about the kind of signs he seeks but also the outcome he hopes they produce, a reunion with his estranged wife. He is not prepared for Tiffany Maxwell, a vulnerable young woman who also struggles with mental illness. Tiffany and her bold candour and open brokenness is definitely not the sign Pat is looking for. But in a climatic scene, in which Tiffany at one point repeats several times, “If it’s me reading the signs...”, Pat realizes that in Tiffany’s candour, brokenness, and love, he finds the sign and the person he needs. Not the one he’s looking for, but the one he needs.

As we reflect on the cross of Christ in this Easter season, it may be a good time to indulge in some hindsight and think again of those moments in our lives when God revealed his love for us and gave us what we needed rather than what we wanted.

God of miracles, sometimes we are slow to believe in your power, even though your miracles are happening all around us, in each and every day, as you are at work in people's lives.

Thank you for always helping us to open our eyes to see you in other people and open our hearts to receive the gift of your grace, not for our own benefit but, to let your love to flow through our hearts and out into your beautiful but broken world. Amen.

Johnny O’Hanlon