A Reason To Put Faith In Jesus Series

A Reason to Put Faith in Jesus

John 2:1-11

Pastor Jim Luthy

It’s not only possible, but even probable that some of you came this evening struggling to put your faith in Jesus. Some may have come with a friend or with your parents with a general idea of who Jesus is and what Christianity looks like. You’ve seen good things and bad, good Christians and bad Christians, and heard inviting things about Jesus and other things that only make you scratch your head. Maybe you are the teenage son or daughter of someone who believes and you are struggling to put faith that is your own into Jesus. It could be that you’ve put your faith in Jesus, maybe even years ago, but in certain situations you struggle to trust him and obey or have confidence that he can or will make a difference in your life.

As we continue with our “long walk with Jesus,” we come across an event in Jesus’ life that caused his disciples to really trust him. My hope is that you, too, will put your faith in him completely so you can begin to discover new and greater joy by walking further and deeper and more completely in relationship with the now risen Jesus.

Consider the experience of young Daniel in the movie, “The Karate Kid.” Daniel finds himself a little out of place when he and his mother move from New Jersey to California. When a group of tough guys beat him up, he enlists the help of Mr. Miyagi, an elderly Japanese gardener from his apartment complex, to teach him karate for self-defense. Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel and takes him out to his home. Instead of jumping in to the lessons, Daniel is put to work painting a fence, waxing Mr. Miyagi’s car, and sanding the floors. Daniel is growing quite frustrated with his experience, much like some of you who are frustrated with your life experiences. He thought he was supposed to be doing something else.

What Daniel didn’t know is that Mr. Miyagi was teaching him all along. The movements from the chores he was doing were the basics of karate. When Mr. Miyagi demonstrated that he was actually teaching the young student all along, Daniel was amazed and put his trust in him. From that day on, Daniel put his faith in Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate and much more.

In the same way that Daniel discovered in that garden that Mr. Miyagi was the master teacher, the disciples discovered that Jesus was more than a master and teacher at a wedding in Cana. The Bible describes the event as the first miracle Jesus performed. In John’s account, concluding with verse 11, we learn that Jesus “thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him.” Let’s consider this story from their perspective.

For a moment, let’s forget all that we know about Jesus and the Scriptures except what has been encountered by those ordinary fishermen and laborers who attended this wedding with Jesus. Being Hebrew and under the rule of the Roman Empire, they were in a culture that had high expectations for a coming deliverer—a “braveheart” like William Wallace who would rise up and restore them as a nation. It was this expectation that led them to the wilderness to hear the message of John the Baptist. It was this expectation that caused their ears to perk up when John proclaimed that Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Expecting to learn from Jesus, they called him “Rabbi,” which means “teacher.” After spending the day listening to Jesus, Andrew went and found his brother, Simon, and said, “We have found the Messiah.” Between their belief in the credibility of John the Baptist and the force of Jesus’ own character and quiet confidence, these otherwise unschooled, ordinary men decided to follow Jesus to see more about him and what he would do.

On the third day of following him, they found themselves with him at a wedding in a small town called Cana in Galilee.

Let’s pick up the story in John 2:3. “When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, "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 stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, 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 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."