Party On! The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana of Galilee - John 2
Intro: This morning, if you have your Bibles, turn with me to the gospel of John, chapter 2. Last week we began our study of John’s gospel. We saw his purpose in 20:30-31 - Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John declares for us that his purpose is to show us by the miracles he records for us how very special Jesus is. We saw last week that John starts out in the very first chapter declaring who Jesus is: he is the eternal, divine, creator who gives us life and light, and who became one of us to show us the way to the father. Today, we are going to look in chapter 2 at the first miracle that John records Jesus doing. To help us visualize the text, we are going to watch a short video clip from the “gospel of John” movie. The words you hear will be the words of scripture from the Good News Bible.
**show video clip**
I’ve entitled my sermon this morning, “Party On!” - not a phrase you’d expect to hear coming from the church. But I’d assert to you this morning that that is part of the problem we face in our society. Sure, there are many in the world “partying” in ways that we cannot embrace, but we as Christians are the ones who truly SHOULD be partying. After all, we’re the ones who’ve got a reason for celebration. It’s interesting to note, that as we find Jesus here today, he was at a celebration. In fact, we often see him eating with the IRS men and the prostitutes. He enjoyed himself so much that his detractors called him a “glutton and drunkard” (Matthew 11:19). He wasn’t afraid of celebrations and he wasn’t afraid of the ungodly. I think far too often we are afraid to have fun lest it should appear we aren’t being spiritual! We don’t want to come into contact with “sinners” lest we be enticed with their ways. But the truth is that we will never win the unsaved to Christ unless we find the opportunity to come into their world! The Bible never says “wait for all the world to come to you” - rather it says “go YE into all the world!” So this morning, the first questions I would ask you is “who is it that you know who is unsaved? What are you doing to build some relationships with them? I could probably offer the benediction right now and that would be enough for most of us to chew on for a week. But I’m only beginning. So let’s go on!
The Circumstances surrounding this miracle were quite ordinary. Jesus was not afraid of a good party. We see him here invited to a wedding feast in Cana, a small town a few miles away from his hometown of Nazareth. It was an ordinary wedding amongst common, ordinary people. The bride and groom are not named because nobody John was writing to would have known them anyway. They were a bunch of nobody’s. Jesus’ first miracle did not occur at the wedding of a king’s daughter. It did not occur in Rome or even Jerusalem. It occurred in a little insignificant village named Cana. This town was so insignificant that John had to specify it as Cana of Galilee. This was small town folks getting together to celebrate the joining together of two insignificant people as far as the world would be concerned. Why is that observation important for you and me to know? Because most of us are insignificant people as far as the world is concerned. It tells us a lot about Jesus’ attitude toward us and His priorities. Would the Son of God step into my little world and work a miracle? Yes, indeed! In fact, He delights in reaching way, way down to people who feel their need for Him and lifting them up.
It’s possible that Jesus was related; more probable that it was someone his family would have known well. And Jesus comes to celebrate with them. Jewish tradition for weddings had the bride and groom and all well-wishers take a long procession from the bride’s house to the groom’s house -- sort of like our traditional rides today from the wedding to the reception -- and once they got to the groom’s house the wedding feast began. It is probable that there was some form of ceremony, but nothing is recorded about it. Only about the feast -- often it could go on for days, even up to a week! And the expense was borne by the groom’s family! There is a great time had by all -- but then the wine runs out. This was a situation that was not only embarrassing but was a great insult to hospitality and could have long-term consequences for the groom’s family. So Jesus steps in.
The main point that I want us to come away with today is simple: Life’s problems will overwhelm us without the help of Jesus! It’s so simple. So many times we face these obstacles that seem to overwhelm us. But the answer is always found in turning to Jesus for help! What do we learn from this passage about our problems?
Can we learn that if we host a wedding we had better buy lots of wine to drink? I don’t think so. Is there anything practical we can learn from this story? When you need help get Jesus involved.
I. Jesus meets us in our time of need
Jesus Christ was on the greatest mission in the entire history of mankind. TO SAVE THE WORLD! Yet along the way, he took time to attend a wedding. We may at times, think we should not "take time" out from our important work for social occasions. For Jesus, this was a part of his mission as these occasions involved "people" and people are why Jesus came! Allow balance in your life by bringing Jesus into times of pleasure and joy as well as in your work along the way.
A. Jesus cares about our everyday needs. He cares about all our needs, not just our spiritual needs. He cares about people being unnecessarily embarrassed. He cares about people enjoying themselves. He is the God of joy, and he has come to share it freely. So many times we think Jesus only cares about how long we pray or who we witness to. Rather, he is concerned about the small details of our lives. Here at the wedding he cares that enough to help, even though it is not central to his ministry.
While wine may seem like a trivial need on some levels, it was very important to this couple and to Mary. And here we find that Jesus met the needs of the situation. This provision testifies of His grace. Jesus did not have to perform this miracle, but He did. Jesus did not have to turn the water to wine and save this couple and family the subsequent embarrassment, but He did.
B. Jesus transforms our everyday experiences. Jesus did not come to give us information; he came to give us a transformation. He changes things. He has a way of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. He did not come to bring new ideas; he came to make new people. The water did not just appear to be wine; it was transformed into wine — the best of wine at that. Some people have trouble believing this kind of miracle, but it is only because they do not understand the kind of God we have. Our God is in the transformation business. The world wants us to get a new hairdo or a new wardrobe. Society wants us to get a better job or learn a new skill. People want to lose weight or get a face lift. But Jesus does not want to change your looks, he wants to change your heart. He doesn’t want to give you a new suit; he wants to make you a new person. He does not want to rearrange you; he wants to transform you. He doesn’t want you to just “appear” to have your life in order; he wants to reorder your priorities and make you a totally different person.
Jewish custom was focused on the importance of being ceremonially clean. The water jars were mostly empty because each guest had been given water to wash their feet and hands as they arrived, but this was not so much for cleanliness as it was for ritual purity. The jars of water were there in order to fulfill the Old Testament requirements for ceremonial washing. In John’s way of mixing events with metaphor, the jars represented the Old Testament law and its inability to make a person truly clean. When Jesus came into contact with these jars used in ritual cleansing, he transformed their contents. He filled the jars with his new wine. The deadness of the Old Testament law was made alive with the wine of the new covenant that Jesus came to bring.
C. Jesus extravagantly provides for our everyday requests. There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece. So, at the very least, the jars contained 120 gallons of wine, and as much as 180 gallons. That is a lot of wine. The party was going to last a lot longer! There is no way the guests could have consumed that much wine. Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because he is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; he always gives superabundantly. What the guests had tasted cautiously before, they now drank in abundance. This is the same thing Jesus did when he fed the multitude. He multiplied five loaves and two fish so that 5,000 men and their families were fed. And when everyone had eaten their fill, there were twelve baskets of bread and fish left over. He gave them more than they could possibly eat. But that is the way God gives.
Paul experienced this kind of extravagant grace, for he said, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:13-14). Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). We have an extravagant God who lavishes us with his blessings.
So, in this lesson we see that Jesus meets us in our time of need. But also we learn,
II. We need to invite Jesus to our party - even when’s it’s getting rained on!
Jesus was an invited guest at the wedding. Too often we face problems, but we never seek God’s help. So, I’d offer these four steps this morning for times we have problems.
1. Admit that there is a problem.
The wine has run out, and the party was starting to go flat. They could have ignored the problem, but that wouldn’t change anything. It’s sort of like a group of people sitting in a circle with an elephant in the middle. Casual conversation takes place until one person blurts out, “what about the elephant.”
We can pretend our lives are fine -- “how are you today? Great, praise the Lord! How about you?” -- No one ever says, “My faith is gone, I’m struggling in my marriage, and I’m involved in some pretty evil things right now.”
Let’s be real with each other today. No one here has their life all together! We all have problems! Let’s admit that and then we can go on to the next step.
2. Bring the problem to Jesus.
When Mary realized that there was a problem, she correctly took the problem to Jesus. “The fact that Mary came to Jesus indicates she believed He could resolve the problem.” Mary expected Jesus to help. She comes to him with a problem and expects him to do something about it. We must understand that at this time Mary’s expectations had been greatly awakened. Undoubtedly she had been told the accounts of what happened in Judea; how Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, how the heavens opened and a dove lighted on Jesus’ head, and a voice uttered those remarkable words, "This is my beloved Son.” She remembered the promises when he was born that he would be the Messiah. Undoubtedly she expected him to act. Along with all the other Jews of that day she doubtless expected him, as the Messiah, to claim the throne of David; to somehow drive out the Romans and to fulfill all the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Now that Jesus has taken the initiative and has called his own disciples, she has a right to expect that he is beginning to fulfill his destiny. She looks for him to act.
Yet, notice how Jesus responds: “How does that concern you and me.” It appears that Jesus’ abrupt response seems to be setting the boundaries for his relationship with his mother. For many years, Mary has raised Jesus as her son. But now, Jesus is redefining their relationship. He is establishing distance between them. Why? No longer are family relationships to be the determining factor in Jesus’ life. He is beginning His public ministry. He is starting a journey that will end on Calvary’s cross. The relationship between Jesus and Mary has changed. Jesus seems to be reminding Mary that He is controlled by obedience to the Father and not by human relationships. His hour is coming, but it is an hour determined only by the Father. His destiny is not controlled by human relationships but by His divine appointment with death. Indeed, His hour is coming, but it has not yet arrived.
The miracle happened because Jesus was present. He was there because He was invited to come. Have you invited Him into your house to transform your marriage from water to wine, to work miracles in your kids, miracles in your finances? The key to the miraculous is the presence of Jesus. That’s what we want more than anything else in this house—His presence—not just as a guest, but as Mary had to accept—as Lord.
3. Confidently trust his provision
Notice, even when it appears that Jesus is unconcerned about the need, Mary has faith. She calls the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Jesus responds to her faith.
Notice how Jesus does the miracle. The servants didn’t know what to do. The master of ceremonies didn’t know what to do. The groom and the groom’s family, who would have been responsible, didn’t know what to do. They were all ineffective.
Now notice what Jesus does. He gives instructions to be followed. But there is no prayer. There is no word of command. There is no hysterical shouting. There is no pleading with a screwed-up face. There is no laying on of hands. There is no binding of Satan. There is no hocus-pocus or mumbo-jumbo. Nothing. He does not event taste the wine to see if it really happened.
The miracle is one done without drawing attention to himself. And that is the way most miracles occur. God works to meet a practical, everyday need in a very anonymous way. He responds to our faith.
Faith is fighting your way through a crowd to touch the hem of His garment. Faith is letting your friend down through the roof of a house so he could get next to Jesus. Faith is rolling the stone away from the tomb so a man dead for four days could walk out.
Faith always involves taking a risk and with the risk comes the chance that you might be exposed to criticism. But the rewards always out weigh the risks.
4. Do whatever Jesus tells you to do to fix the problem.
The Bible records that there were 6 stone pots there. Their purpose was to hold water that the Jews could use for purification. They would come to the pots and let water run over their hands. It wasn’t a matter of sanitation but of ceremony. It was required by the Jewish law. It did nothing to clean them physically or to wash them spiritually. It was simply an outward show. An outward show, then or now, has never been able to produce joy. Simply coming to church, saying the prayers or even reading your Bible will not produce joy in you. They will put you in the place where you can find joy and put you around the people who will help to enhance your joy. But if you come to church and never put into practice the things that you hear there, you will become even more miserable than you were to begin with.
The servants heard Jesus speak, and they responded in obedience. They began the process of filling the stone jars with water. Each of these jars held between 20 and 30 gallons of water, and there were 6 jars. That’s 180 gallons of water. It would have taken a lot of time and energy to accomplish this task. Trip after trip to the well to draw water and pour it into the jars.
Duties are ours. Events are God’s. It is Christ’s part to make the water wine. It is our job to be faithful to do what we are told to do—fill the water pots and leave the miracle to God. We don’t need to understand everything in the Bible before we can start obeying it. Just DO what we KNOW. The more we KNOW, and the more we DO … the more JOY we will find.
Jesus used what was available to Him—six common water pots. He didn’t send out for silver containers or gold containers. He used the clay pots that were available. He used ordinary water, not “holy water” imported from Jerusalem. And could I suggest that He will solve our problems using what is right there in the house as well.
Notice He involved other people in the process. Could He have done it without them? I’m sure He could have. But God wants to involve us in what He is doing—for our own sake. We are changed in the process of serving. Notice He chose a bunch of nobody’s to get the job done. We don’t know who those waiters were. But they know. And they will forever live with the joy and satisfaction of being a part of what Jesus is doing.
The miracle involved a lot of hard work. Anybody who has ever carried much water knows how heavy it is. These six large clay pots held between a hundred and two hundred gallons of water. Why didn’t Jesus just transport the water to the pots miraculously? Why did they have to work so hard? Again because Jesus wanted them to be part of the process. The supernatural does not eliminate work.
Concl: Now John says that the miracle was a sign -- “semeion”, the Greek word John uses is a miracle designed to point to something, in this case the deity of Christ. Signs are not merely miracles; they are miracles that have a meaning. They are intended to convey truth that would not otherwise be known. That is the purpose of the miracle, to dramatize the glory of Christ, and how the glory of Christ has the power to transform.
The miracle is significant because it reveals Jesus’ glory. And as a result people put their trust in Jesus. Up to this point, the disciples were following Jesus around based solely on the recommendation of John the Baptist. Now the disciples knew and trusted, they put their faith in Jesus, because Jesus’ glory was revealed to them.
This morning, I encourage you to commit yourself to Jesus, the transforming problem-solver. He will show his glory through your life. Mary’s initial request was fulfilled – not in her timing or in her way – but the result was far more than quenching thirst or saving from embarrassment. The result was faith. The Bible records that Jesus’ disciples that were present there at the wedding put their faith in Him as a result of what they saw.
Two miracles happened on that day. The first was the changing of water into wine so that a celebration could continue for the rest of the week. But the second was much more significant. In the second miracle, the hearts of Jesus’ disciples were changed to believing disciples.
So the miracle created 2 responses: the glory of Christ was revealed and the disciples believed. Remember John’s 2-fold purpose? He wants to tell us who Jesus is (reveal His glory) and to create belief (the response of the disciples). So in recording this miraculous event, John is fulfilling His purpose.
Once a teacher asked her students: "What is your favorite Bible story?" Many of them liked the old classics--David and Goliath, Jonah and the whale, and Jesus walking on water. However, one girl answered: "The wedding at Cana." The teacher was curious about her answer, and asked her why. The girl’s answer pleasantly surprised her teacher: "I like it because I want to have Jesus at my wedding too." The girl’s answer is correct, since it emphasizes that Jesus is not removed from the living of our lives--rather, he is most accessible and wants to be present as we live and celebrate every stage and event of life.
Today, will you commit to trusting in God’s power to transform your life? Will you turn your problems over to him, and let him give you joy?
