The John passage speaks of a transformation. Jesus leads us into transformation of identity, not a mere patching up of our brokenness. "In Christ" does not imply the still incomplete self in religious wrapping, but a new self that unfolds over time.

Thomas Keating, in The Mystery of Christ, points out the spiritual import of wine in spiritual teaching. He observes, "The sparkling, heady character of wine is the symbol of the experience of refreshment, enthusiasm and exhilaration that characterize the fruits of the Spirit."

That transformation of our life into Life, the spiritual vitality of divineness, is indicated by wine in another way. Water becomes wine. This is not meant to be. Divine inspiration is the fermenting Quality that transforms us spiritually. We do not transform ourselves, Spirit does; we can only cooperate, disposing ourselves to be changed into the wine of Vitality.

Who are the persons invited into this transformation? Everyone. A person does not have to have a particular religious or spiritual IQ. Jesus appealed most to those who did not even pass Religion 101. These persons were not leaders in the Jewish church, and likely most would never have been invited to attend.

The amount of water changed into wine is estimated at about a thousand quarts. - Okay, did they have designated donkey drivers? - What does such abundance indicate? There is no limit to the potential of Spirit to change lives and transform persons into divineness. Take the one person you think farthest from spiritual rebirth or renewal, and the Gospel says, "He, she, can become a new Person, in one moment."

We see in this miracle the revelation of Christ's union with the human family, a marriage that ... transports the guests into the New Creation. The corporate personality of the new humanity is called the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ grows through the process of our personal awakening to divine life. Thus, everyone is invited to this wedding banquet. If we consent to participate, we receive the gift of the Spirit without measure, ...

*Thomas Keating. The Mystery of Christ.

At the conclusion of Christian Scripture, we see reminders of a vision of drinking in the joy of fulfillment spiritually in our participation in the divine nature:

16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

*Revelation 7.16-17 (NLT)

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

*Revelation 21.5-7 (NLT)

1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

*Revelation 22.1-2 (NLT)

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

*Revelation 22.17 (NLT)

Keating refers to a deep spiritual message in the John Scripture. The sign at Cana implies something marvelous for us to claim by faith and grow into in feeling: the consummation of the Spirit of Christ with human nature - yes, your nature, and not just some metaphysical and mysterious part of you.

Therefore, catch this one! In marital union, two become one flesh, one new person. Likewise, both Spirit and you are changed in the transforming union of marriage with Christ. Now, think on that for a while...

*This writing ministry is the offering of Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida, a Pastor in the United Methodist Church, and Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. To contact Brian, write to barukhattah@embarqmail.com .