Come And See His Power

COME AND SEE HIS POWER

John 2:1-11

Introduction

The greatest invitation in the world is this: ‘Come and See Jesus’. John 1:29 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” We are looking at John’s Gospel and some of the things that he wants us to see in Jesus. John introduces us to the Savior with 7 signs - actions that point to who Jesus is.

The first sign is one that, in our modern context, might be a surprise: miracle at a wedding at Cana where Jesus turned water to wine. Only John tells us about this miracle. Cana is about four miles fromNazareth, and this is quite likely the wedding of a close family member. (Swindoll). This sign is chosen purposefully by John to demonstrate the power of Jesus. Remember his purpose: John 20:31 “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

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What is John showing us about Jesus? He invites us to Come and See the Power of Jesus!

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.

This powerful sign when Jesus turned water to wine tells us three things about Jesus.

1. Jesus Cares About Our Ordinary Lives.

Everything about this is so ordinary. It is an everyday setting, with his family, in an embarrassing situation; his mother being a little bossy. Mary is never named in John, just “mother of Jesus”. She only appears here and at the cross in John’s Gospel. The guests at the party never knew anything happened.

We should never think that Jesus is disinterested in the ordinary days of our lives.

Romans 12:1 MSG “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

Lewis: “Jesus introduces the presence of God into the day-to-dayness of being human.”

Because Jesus cares about our ordinary lives, we can know that we never walk alone, He is always near. He wants to be part of all of our lives, not just the religious part!

2. Jesus is Compassionate Toward Our Struggles.

Mary presents an embarrassing problem to Jesus. Mary knows that Jesus is no ordinary party guest. The host (a family member? Friend?) has run out of wine. Weddings in those days were different than today. Marriages were arranged by the parents. The couple has been legally married for at least two months, and maybe up to a year. After that, the groom would take to the streets with his friends in a procession from his home to the bride’s in a grand parade accompanied by joy and singing. The groom took his bride home, where family and friends feasted for as long as a week. The grooms’s family was expected to provide enough food and drink for everyone. (Swindoll)

To run out of wine would have been damaging to the reputation of the host. (Bruce)

Jesus is not presented with a spiritual need, nor a life-necessity, nor a theologically important moment - it was just that someone needed compassionate help.

Jesus is compassionate about the cares, hurts, struggles, and pains of others. This is the Jesus we get to know in stories of the Gospels. A thirsty woman at a well, an anxious tax collector in a tree, a soldier with a sick son, an apostle whose mother in law was ill. Your concerns and cares are important to Him. The compassion of Jesus gives us strength to face all the trials of our lives.

1 Peter 5:7 NLT Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

3. Jesus is Worthy of Our Confidence

Mary believes that He can do something about that problem. Mary confidently points others to pay attention to Him. “Do whatever he tells you.” It seems like she does this without his ever agreeing to help. Jesus’ response is to produce an overabundance of wine of outstanding quality! 150 gallons!

Miracles of Jesus are not just impressive, but important. They demonstrate his ability to manipulate the elements.

They demonstrate his willingness to act on behalf of others. They give hope to those who are hopeless and strength to the weak. They produce faith in those who experience them.

Is Jesus any less powerful today? I know we have probably all prayed for a miracle in some way or another and maybe we didn’t get what we desired. Don’t let that convince your heart that Jesus isn’t real, doesn’t care, or isn’t able … instead think of the times when Jesus did answer prayer, when there was healing, when he carried you through. Faith doesn’t always have an answer to every question, faith just points to someone who does.