John 2:1-11
Miracle
shot: Jesus turns water into wine
John 2:1-11
On the third
day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been
invited to the wedding. 3 When the
wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They
have no more wine." 4
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?"
Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants,
"Do whatever he tells you." 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the
kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to
thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to
the brim. 8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and
take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the
water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come
from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom
aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the
cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved
the best till now." 11 This,
the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus
revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
Jewish weddings
were steeped in tradition and ritual. One of the customs was providing an
extravagant feast for guests. Something went wrong at this wedding, however,
because they ran out of wine early. In that culture, such a miscalculation
would have been a great humiliation for the bride and groom even though the
responsibility fell on the hired steward of the wedding.
Mary turned to Jesus and said, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus
replied. "My time has not yet come." His
mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he
tells you." Nearby were six stone jars filled with water used for
ceremonial washing. Jews cleansed their hands, cups, and vessels with water
before meals. Each large pot held from 20 to 30 gallons.
Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water.
He told them to draw some out and take it to the steward of the banquet, who
was in charge of food and drink, and unaware of where the wine came from. He was astounded and took the bride and groom
aside and complimented them. Most couples served the best wine first, he said,
then brought out cheaper wine after the guests had too much to drink and would
not notice. "You have saved the best till now,"
he told them.
By this miraculous sign, Jesus revealed his glory as
the Son
of God. His amazed disciples put their faith in him. The reason for a miracle is to produce faith
- not the miracle itself (healing or walking on water). John 10:38-39 But if I do it,
even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and
understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. John
14:11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles
themselves. Miracles are faith producing!
Points of Interest from the Story:
Not only did Jesus produce a large quantity of wine,
but the quality of it astonished the banquet master. In the same way, Jesus
pours his Spirit into us in abundance, giving us God's best.
While it may seem insignificant, there is crucial
symbolism in this first miracle of Jesus. It was not a coincidence that the
water Jesus transformed came from jars used for ceremonial washing. The water
signified the Jewish system of purification, and Jesus replaced it with pure
wine, representing his spotless blood that would wash away our sins.
MIRACLE: FIRST AND LAST
Jesus turned water into
wine - wine is a sign of life and a sign of God’s wrath. Rev 14:19 The
angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into
the great winepress of God's wrath. It would be a miracle to escape the
winepress of God’s wrath. How could that
happen? John 19:32-34 The soldiers therefore came and broke the
legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the
other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did
not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a
spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. FIRST miracle turned water to
wine - LAST
miracle - blood and water flowed from the fountain of eternal life. The first miracle showed a great quantity (6
jars) and quality (excellent wine) of God’s best for a temporary moment of
pleasure saving a few people from embarrassment. The last miracle that looked very similar
(water and wine/water and blood) showed a great quantity (All sins can be
forgiven) and quality (perfect lamb of God) God’s best for eternal life saving
all who believe from eternal torment. [you can’t make this stuff up].
MY SEED WILL CRUSH THE HEAD OF THE
SERPENT
But wait, Did Jesus call Mary mother in this story?
No, he called her woman - how odd - how beautiful. In Genesis Eve is referred to as the first
woman and in Gen 3:15 we have the Protoevangelium
("First Gospel"), foretell how the woman one day will have her seed,
her son, who will crush the head of the serpent/Satan. Jump ahead thousands of
years to a wedding in Cana. [Mary] the new Eve (which
means mother of all living) reveals her seed, her son as the miracle working
son of God who will soon crush the serpents head.
THE NILE RIVER TURNED TO BLOOD
But wait - what was the
first public miracle of Moses - who represents the old covenant of the law? The
first plague on Egypt, he turned water into blood which ultimately led to the
death of the firstborn of the king of Egypt and freedom for the Jews from
slavery. Jesus first public miracle
turning water into wine ultimately led to the death of the only begotten son of
the King of glory which brought freedom for all from the slavery of sin and
death.
AN UNEXPECTED AND BETTER WINE
But wait - there is more. Mary saying “they
have no more wine” and Jesus providing way more than they would need,
way better than they could imagine, from a source that seemed impossible
(water) is a commentary on Judaism of that day.
It had become an empty religion of laws and regulations that no one
could keep - along comes Jesus to introduce something that would provide way
more than they would need, way better than they could imagine, from a source
that seemed impossible (Jesus of Nazareth, can anything good come from there? -
said by a resident of where? Cana)
NEW WINE NEEDS NEW WINESKINS
But wait - Matt 9:17
Neither do men pour new wine into
old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the
wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both
are preserved. The old covenant will not work with the new life that Jesus
offers. The New Covenant in his blood is
not just newer - it is better. It makes the old obsolete.
BUT WAIT…Conclusion
Acts 1:4-8
On one
occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you
have heard me speak about. For John
baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit, and you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 2:11-21 …miracle of hearing…
…“we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own
tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun
of them and said, "They have had too much
wine."
14 Then Peter
stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me
explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk,
as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet
Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men
will dream dreams. 21 And everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
…but
wait…
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