Part One Of The Wedding Of Cana Series

INTRODUCTION:

CANA OF GALILEE

Nathanael, one of Jesus's first disciples is called in John 21:2

"Nathanael from Cana in Galilee." This was his home town and he

no doubt knew many of the people.

This was a very small village about three hours journey from

Nazareth. It is not named in the Old Testament nor in Josephus.

Jesus did his first miracle in a very obscure place.

Jesus's mother was there. There is no reference to Joseph.

Tradition says he died when Jesus was 16 years old. In verse 12 we

read that the brothers of Jesus were there also. This bride and

groom must have been close friends of the family of Jesus. This

means Jesus began the use of His miracle powers for friendship.

Why is John the only one of the Gospel writers to record this first

miracle? It is because John was the only one of the writers who was

there. It was a very secret miracle known only to a few. After the

cross Mary lived with John, her sisters son, and they no doubt

talked of this first miracle often.

MIRACLES

There are 35 miracles in the Gospels. Matthew tells of 20, Mark of

18, Luke of 20, and John of only 7.

This was the first miracle of Jesus. 30 years as the Son of God on

earth and He did not use His supernatural power. Satan tempted

Him to use it before this but He refused. He even starts here very

cautiously and quietly.

A miracle is a manifestation of power that is greater than nature,

indicating a Creator above the creation, and a Law Maker above

the law.

People today have a low view of miracles because the word is used

so loosely. You have miracles everywhere in the grocery store. You

have miracle whip, miracle suds, miracle bandages, and a host of

miracle gadgets. You can buy products that work miracles on your

hair, complexion, grass, or the engine of your car. This word no

longer stands for a direct and visible act of God that cannot be

explained by science or reason. It now means anything that is

amazing or wonderful that can be produced by the intelligence of

man and explained by science.

Even Christians no longer use the word in the proper way. A group

of youth were out in a boat off the coast of Miami when a storm

came up and the engine stopped. The waves were so high they

began to sink the boat. It was miles out of the regular route of the

coast guard but they came that way for the first time and they

rescued the youth. It was called a miracle, but this really fits into

another category. There are three ways that God works in history.

The first is called PROVIDENCE. This is the general guidance that

God gives which is fully in conformity with natural laws. The

second is SPECIAL PROVIDENCE. This is when God works

within law, but with such amazing timing that it is quite awesome.

Life may be spared because of split second timing, or of

circumstances that are out of the ordinary, but which is not

impossible to have happen. The third is MIRACLE. This is when

God goes beyond any law and just breaks into time and does what

cannot be done or explained by any law or knowledge known to

man. It is clearly supernatural. Some object and say God has to

work through law, but this is to make law superior to God. He

made the laws and He can go around them whenever He chooses.

He seldom does, but just because a man has gone through his front

door coming home from work every day for twenty years does not

mean he cannot choose to go through the back door. God can at any

time do what is not according to the laws of nature, for He is the

Lord of nature and not its servant.

An example of these three ways God works would be-

You get in an accident and you are not hurt=Providence.

You get thrown out of your car and land in a haystack=Special

Providence. You get smashed and broken and are nearly dead, but

suddenly you rise up and walk away with no injury whatever=Miracle.

VERSE 1

WEDDING

As marriage was the first institution of God, so marriage became

the scene of Christ's power revealed on earth. This first miracle

brought pleasure and joy to life and this was the purpose in all of

the miracles of Jesus. He came to give life abundant and His

miracles gave life from death and health from sickness and

produced faith to overcome doubt.

By His presence here we see Jesus breaking down the wall between

the sacred and the secular. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we