Cana Miracle Series

Marriage at Cana

Concerned parent - your child spent a night at a friends but ended up at a party where alcohol flowed freely, too freely. After the supply ran out, in comes the Youth Leader with a surprise. Not 1 keg or 2 - but 12 kegs! They didn't even all fit in his extended cab pickup. This will be the party of a lifetime, no one will forget this party - or, probably everyone will forget it.

There are things that Jesus does that we would have thought better of Him if He hadn't.

The Word

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.

Examination

How do you explain to your teenager that Jesus made 180 gallons of top notch alcoholic beverage to bring out to guests who had already drunk all of the original supply?

Distilling made wine more potent - in Jesus day it was tough to get drunk on wine if it was new.

Modern orthodoxy includes a heretical thought - God is against drinking wine, alcohol.

God is against drunkenness - you do that to substitute glory with woozy.

Who was getting married? One of Jesus’ brothers (groom responsible even then for the drink and food) Was it the unnamed disciple of John’s gospel. - the one Jesus loved?

As Andy Rooney would say “NO one knows”

Midnight wedding - stars - sands - bless the nations

But Jewish wedding was focused on the feast - not the ceremony. Celebrate the PROMISE

Wedding feasts usually lasted 7 days - so to run out too soon is a bit of a concern.

What can you compare to running out of wine -

Jesus was undoubtedly dancing - maybe not the chicken or electric slide - but He partied

You may have a hard time imagining Jesus enjoying life - why is that?

Did your religion mess you up? Jesus messed up the religion of His day too.

Water jars contained water held for ceremonial purposes - washing rituals

Jesus was turning upside-down the rituals Don't put new wine in old wineskins?

Mary sounds a little whiny, she wants Jesus to fix the problem, like Shelley asking Kenny to go to the store to get more pop. Mom - I'm at a party!

Consider how the servants filled the jars - with a bucket drawn from the well - and they filled them with water - just like they had done a hundred times before

Look carefully at the passage - when did the water become wine?

This first miracle has nothing to do with healing or casting out demons or calming winds.

Ask people to consider why Jesus would do such a thing

Is it because Jesus is working up to bigger and better things

Is it because Jesus cares about your daily needs too

Imagination

Jacob and Rachel - 7 bottles left - save for special occasions, anniversary, birth,

seven children follow -Tabitha (dies 3 days later) - no opening wine now

Yeshua, Jacob, Mary and Elizabeth, Joseph, Simon - no 7th child born

1 by 1 they marry, give bottle away, grandchildren come.

Then after last child marries - what to do with 7th bottle?

Life had been good to them, made them happy and strong - but nothing prepared Jacob for this

Special supper set, best dishes and in the centerpiece is the bottle

Rachel tells him the sad news. Lump growing - Doctor says this will be the last winter