Why the Wedding at Canaan?
Why did Jesus choose the Wedding at Cana to be the beginning of his ministry?
John 2:1-11
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 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 20, to 30 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 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, thou 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 guest have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” This, the first of his miraculous sighs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.
I have heard this story of the “wedding at Cana” preached many times over the years. I’ve heard it preached with emphasis on Mary, on the bride, and groom, and on the miracle itself. I really thought I had heard it preached every way there was to preach it. But not long ago the Holy Spirit began to bring this story to my mind repeatedly. And of course I realized the Lord wanted me to begin to research this story as a sermon.
As I have said many times before “ Everything in the Bible is there for a reason.” The God who constructed this complex mathematical DNA structure that we call life, is the same God who created this caldron of Gases, and Matter we live on and in, that we call Earth, and Universe. Now it would appear to me absolutely absurd to think that a Creator would place man in the middle of all this and then fail to give him instructions as to how to function in this creation.. Well he did. It is the Bible. The undisputed Word of God to those that believe. I, for one, am continually amazed how people can believe God created this complex world, and then believe this biblical roadmap is somehow just a mishmash of words. It only appears to be that way if you don’t have the keys of understanding. I believe the Bible is a very complex document. So complex we have only scratched the surface of understanding. Man is so foolish to believe just because he don’t understand it, it must be gibberish. I believe God constructed the bible in such a way that it resembles a complex set of locks. They will only open one at a time, and they are preset to only open at particular times in history, But in order to open them you have to have the secret keys. Those keys are Prayer, and Faith. When you begin to use these keys in conjunction with the study of His Word, The book begins to reveal itself to you.
A few years ago Nicolas Cage made a movie called “National Treasure.” It was a movie about a secret message embedded in the declaration of independence. The fictional story was about the “all seeing eye” found on the back of a dollar bill. It was put there by the founding fathers as a means of communicating a secret about a hidden treasure. Throughout the movie the clues unfolded one by one until you knew the secret. I remember when I was watching it, I was thinking how much it reminded me of the mystery of the word of God. If only we could communicate the excitement of this great document to others. The most exciting suspense movie ever made pales in comparison. The difference being of course, the Bible is REAL! Every story Jesus told or lived out during his life happened at a precise time, in a precise manner, for a precise reason. It is all part of a divine structured plan of God. The Wedding at Cana is no different. It was preordained to be his first miracle. It is filled with secrets you are about to have revealed to you.
ON THE THIRD DAY A WEDDING TOOK PLACE AT CANA.
Why on the third day?
Here is where some people get it wrong. They think the writer is telling us that a wedding took place on the third day after Yeshua was baptized. Because the book of John does not describe the 40 days in the wilderness that followed his baptism. This is not what it means. The third day is in reference to the Sabbath. The first day would be Sunday, the second Monday, and so on. Tuesday is always the third day. Tuesday is also the day chosen for weddings. The Jews chose the third day because it was the only day in the 6 days of creation that God saw his work and said it was good ‘twice‘. So it is believed in Jewish tradition that Tuesday, the third day has a special blessing. This is the reason the groom, and bride of Cana chose the third day. Even today Jewish weddings often occur on the third day.
Third day was also known as the “ day of purification”
The third day is the day used in the law of Moses as the day of purification. Throughout the Torah instructions were given to wash for purification after coming in contact with anything unclean. Some believers think this was the third day after Yeshua came out of the wilderness. For 40 days He had been in the company of Satan himself. Can you imagine there in the wilderness Yeshua was surrounded by every demon, and evil spirit that walked the earth. There he stood in the midst of all the evil that exist. So it would be fitting that on the third day “ day of purification” he would be found at a location where there was containers of water for purification.
Here is a good place to stop and say, you can always tell a child of God, because the Sabbath is so important to him, or her. They often feel they have spent the last week living among the evil that exist in the world. And the opportunity to enter into the house of the Lord, and be refreshed is something they long for. Are you hungry to enter the Lords house, or do you feel its an obligation?
Here is where Jesus did something different, he did not use the water to wash with. Instead he will replace the water. You see he could have asked the servants to go draw fresh water from the cisterns. Even today, on the small knoll where Cana was located you can see the cisterns still there in abundance. So it was not for lack of water that he used the water in the purification jugs. It was on purpose. He intentionally changed THAT water into wine. Here at the Cana wedding we see this represented in that Yeshua replaced the water for purification used under the law with wine representing a new covenant. And later he will tell us this wine represents his blood.
So you see it was no coincidence that Jesus showed up on the third day. It was no coincidence that he chose the water in the purification jugs.
Why was his first miracle performed at a wedding?
There are two parts of a Jewish wedding. The betrothal (Kidushin), and the ceremony (Huppah).
During this entire ceremony there will be TWO CUPS OF WINE. One at the beginning of the betrothal, and one at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. At the beginning of the betrothal ( which is the same as an engagement) the groom will enter into a contract with the bride, and her family. This contract is to assure her that he will take care of her. This is one of those hidden truths. The contract between the groom, and the bride parallels Yashus’a contract with us. Just as the groom will supply her needs, so will Christ do the same with us.
He will provide her needs. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
He will prepare a home for her.. John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. It is at this point the bride will drink the FIRST CUP OF WINE to seal the betrothal. At the end of the betrothal (which could last 2, or 3 years,) is the wedding ceremony itself. At that time the bride, and the groom will drink the SHARED CUP.
How fitting is it that Yashua would began his ministry with a wedding where he turns the water of the old covenant into the wine of the new covenant. The bride ( of the new covenant) is now in that period between the betrothal, and the wedding. Yashua has already signed the contract. In fact his love for her (his bride) was so great that he signed it with his blood. It is here at Cana he offers up the FIRST CUP OF WINE to his betrothed. We now wait for that time when the bridegroom (Yashua), and his bride (the church) will drink the SHARED CUP. Jesus said in Matthew 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in my Father’s Kingdom. So often my soul longs for that time when Christ will call his bride up to meet him in the air. For that time when all of the strife, and pain of this earth is over and we will ready ourselves for the greatest formal affair of the ages. We see a glimpse of the tender love Christ feels for his young bride in the 2nd chapter of the Songs of Solomon, in the 10th verse when she (the betrothed)said:
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone.
JESUS MOTHER SAID TO HIM “THEY HAVE NO MORE WINE”
I’ve heard people make various comments as to why Mary turned to Jesus and said what she said at this time. I think it was very obvious. Let’s remember back when she ( a young girl of around 16, or 17 lay in a cave beside her young husband recuperating after just giving birth. She saw a star that had never been seen before. That alone would be enough to scare people to death. But add to that, this star was moving. And shinning down on her, and her son. She saw the wisemen, and shepards come with gifts. It’s very possible she, and Joseph had never meet royalty like the wisemen before. Let me stop here and give you a glimpse of reality. So often we think a certain way because of what we have observed. Such is the case of the wisemen. We picture 3 lonely figures atop camels slowly following the star. That’s myth. In reality, If you lived in the middle east 2000 years ago. And you were wealthy, (and they were), you didn’t travel in bands of 3, or 4 people.If you did, you, and your money would soon be parted. With all probability this was a group of men made up of many servants, bodyguards, camel drivers, etc, etc. It would not be at all out of the ordinary for there caravan to be as large as 50, to 100 people. In fact that would be the norm. It was not unusual for groups of thieves to band together, and lay in wait for small groups of people crossing the wilderness areas. It is probable that a caravan this size coming into the little hamlet of Bethlehem in the middle of the night would be like the Macy’s day parade coming down your street at midnight. I suspect the whole town was coming out to see what the commotion was all about. This young girl’s life turned topsee turvee in one night. And that was just the beginning. The scriptures don’t go into detail but I can only imagine what she witnessed during his childhood. Some time after his 12th birthday, it is believed Joseph passed away. I believe by this time in Jesus, and Mary’s life, that Mary was well aware of who Jesus was, and probably knew a lot of what was to come. I don’t however, think she knew the price he was going to have to pay. I think his love for her caused him to keep that to himself as long as possible. I do think Mary knew he was at the point of embarking on his ministry. I think they probably had had many discussions about it. You know we, as Protestants, sometimes are quick to condemn or Catholic brethren. We think they give Mary to much attention. But sometimes I think we over compensate by not giving her enough. She of course was not deity, but she was a woman God chose from among all other women. I think she had already witnessed something out of the ordinary, and knew the world was about to witness the same. I think what Mary was really saying to Jesus here was “ this looks like a good time to start, ( your ministry ) what do you think?”
Here Yashua makes the statement to his mother “ My time is not come”. Mary was talking about wine. Jesus was talking about his blood.
NEARBY STOOD SIX STONE WATER JARS, THE KIND USED BY THE JEWS FOR CEREMONIAL WASHING.
Nowhere does the torah teach that the water for purficitation was to be kept in stone jars. It certainly would not have been pratical to use stone instead of clay pots, or wood, or skins as Moses, and the Israelites did during the 40 years they traveled the wilderness. I think what was meant by “ the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing” referred to the size, or shape. ( they held 20, to 30 gallons) , possibly adorned with some kind of emblem, or a certain style of jar that would set it apart from a common vessel. But in this story it was necessary for it to be stone. Remember what I said earlier, every story Jesus told, or lived had a purpose. The same is true with these stone jars. Let’s think for a minute about STONE jars. Today we have many ways of sculpting stone they didn’t have in the time of Christ. We have pneumatic tools that can reduce a job that would take weeks into a 2, or 3 day job. For them to make a stone jar in that time they had to take a large stone, and begin to chip away to create the shape they desired.Then after shaping the stone into the shape of a jar, came the hard part. They had to hollow it out. A very time consuming effort. And then after all that time invested they had a stone jar that was 3, or 4 times heaver then the clay ones.
I don’t know, but I think that maybe the person hired to sculpt the jars thought, why in the world would these people want jars this big made out of stone. Remember they held 20, to 30 gallons of liquid. They had to be enormously heavy. And on top of that they wanted 6. Can you imagine the wife saying “why are you having them made out of stone? It will take 3, or 4 people to move them.” I can imagine the husband saying afterward, “What in the world was I thinking.” And why did I have 6 of them made? Sometimes it’s not you doing the thinking, it’s God laying the ground work for what he is about to do.
Sometimes we’re CONFOUNDED because we don’t know why we turned down that particular road in life. Well just maybe it’s God taking us there. Maybe it’s God laying ground work for something to come in our life. Logic is a good thing, and it should be prevalent in our business activities, and our choices concerning our family’s well being. But we can miss out on God’s direction in our life sometimes by allowing logic to rule absolutely.
Logic would have told Jacob in Gen. 28:18 that it would be a waste of good oil to pour it on the stone. But God had shown Jacob something about that stone that logic could not see. Jacob did not understand why God wanted THAT stone set as a cornerstone in the house of the Lord, but Peter knew. He knew he was speaking of Yashua in:
I peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold , I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be CONFOUNDED..
Logic would have told Moses in Exodus 17:6 that striking the stone in the desert with his rod, and expecting water to come out of it would have been an effort in futility. But many years later, Paul knew exactly why.
I Corinthians 10:4 ( Speaking of the children of Israel ) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual ROCK that followed them: and that ROCK was Christ.
You see as Moses smote the rock with his rod, so would our rock ( Jesus ) be smitten on Calvary. And just as water came out of the rock that Moses smote, so did that living water (That precious blood)come pouring forth when Yashua was smitten for our sake on the Cross.
This is the reason the water pots (that held the purification water ) had to be stone. They were a symbol of Christ, (The Rock) and what he did on Calvary. You see only one can supply the WATER that purifies! And he is the ROCK of ages!
Only one can wash away your sin. And that is the one from which living waters flow.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our grief’s, and carried our sorrows: yet we esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
In closing, let me quote a refrain from a song by Fanny Crosby. She was born Francis Jane Crosby March 24, 1820 in Putnam county, New York. Fanny was probably the most prolific hymnist in history. Though blinded by an incompedent doctor as a child, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. About her blindness she said: It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for this dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beauty around me. When Aunt Fanny, (as she had come to be known) passed away in the winter of 1915, they wrote on her tombstone the title to one of her songs.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a fore taste of glory devine.
But there’s another song of Fanny’s less known, but so fitting here.
Give us water from that sacred fountain,
While we journey in a thirsty land;
Strong in thee no earthly foe can harm us,
Thou our rock on which we firmly stand.
