Sixth Commandment and John 2

The Gospel according to St. John, chapter 2.

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Please turn to page 321 in the Lutheran Service Book as we recite together The Sixth Commandment.

You are not to commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other. … God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you.

According to my younger brother, a chemist, wine is the second most complex fluid on earth. Begging the question, what is the most complex? Blood. Interesting that Christ’s blood is present in, with and under the wine we drink during the Lord’s Supper.

Twenty years ago, I visited Cana in Galilee where I purchased two bottles of wine. I used it during the wedding ceremony of my older brother.

Four years ago, when Cindy and I married, we gave bottles of wine as favors to our wedding guests. We were guaranteed not to run out. … Over one hundred years ago, when my grandparents married, the party lasted a week. When the food and wine was gone, people threw their money on the table and bought more.

It was all for the good – my grandparents’ wedding, my brother’s wedding, our wedding. Weddings celebrate marriage.

The sixth commandment, like the other nine, prohibits certain behaviors and lifestyles, while at the same time, promoting other behaviors and lifestyles. In this case, the Law prohibits sex outside of marriage – in any form – because God knew – and still knows – these deeds do not promote a healthy community or upstanding individuals.

In his conclusion to this commandment in The Large Catechism, Martin Luther wrote, “[It] demands not only that every one live chastely in thought, word, and deed in his condition, that is, especially in the estate of matrimony, but also that every one love and esteem the spouse given him by God. For where conjugal chastity is to be maintained, man and wife must by all means live together in love and harmony, that one may cherish the other from the heart and with entire fidelity. For that is one of the principal points which enkindle love and desire of chastity, so that, where this is found, chastity will follow as a matter of course without any command. Therefore also St. Paul so diligently exhorts husband and wife to love and honor one another.”[1]

Luther had a healthy understanding of the commandment. While citing Paul’s exhortation for husband and wife to love one another, he reminded Christians to live chaste lives. Even the married are to live chastely in thought, word and deed. Or as a friend of mine once said, everyone is called to celibacy – with the exception of one person in your life – your spouse.

So, perhaps you can reflect upon the commandment in light of John 2. If you are married, treasure your spouse this evening with some loving-kindness. If you are not, pray for the married couples you know, for those preparing for marriage. Encourage those struggling with their marriages to seek help. Offer a prayerful word of support to those who are separated, divorced or widowed. Finally, thank God for the Bride of Christ, the Church, that we may truly reflect God’s love for all people. And when we do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

[1] Luther’s Large Catechism, #219-221.