Juice Ex Machina

Juice Ex Machina By Mark D. Stucky When wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, why did Mary request and expect Jesus (who seemed slightly exasperated) to act as an on-demand, divine liquor store? Yet, gallons of fermented juice of grapes appeared where only water had been. But sermons are rarely preached about all that wine, and the awkward subject gets changed when mentioned. This first miracle by Jesus still seems odd. It wasn’t a person’s healing from a dreadful condition. It wasn’t a life-changing event for those in dire need. It was just a favor to his mom to avoid family embarrassment. “Mary, save miracles for crucial things,” we might self-righteously judge. We, of course, never pray petty requests. So we can feel smug over such undeserved and unconditional compassion. (First published in Pensive, Issue 4, April 2022. This ironic and humorous poem ponders the first miracle of Jesus (recorded in John 2:1-11) and its unusual nature and context (although all miracles are, by definition, unusual). See also my poems “The Ascension (with Rewrites)” and “What Would Jesus Tweet?”) (Image by Skitterphoto on Pixabay.com.)