The Person of Jesus series
Jesus – overflowing with joy
John 2:1-11
CHCC: March 7, 2010
You Tube Wedding video (2 minutes)
INTRODUCTION:
Through the years, I’ve officiated, or been involved, in hundreds of weddings … and I’ve pretty much seen the good, bad, and ugly.
* I remember one wedding where the three year old son of the bride was so taken with his new daddy-to-be, that he literally wrapped himself around the groom’s legs and wouldn’t let go. That meant that for the unity candle ceremony, the groom had to drag the boy to the kneeling rail and then back to his place for the final kiss.
* At another wedding, the bride’s veil caught fire in the unity candle and just about burned her hair off her head
* I remember a best man who put whipped cream into a carburetor of the get-away car and ruined the engine
* And then there was the bride who decided to let her elderly Aunt play the organ for the wedding. Now, this was the Organ in the old Sanctuary. Until that Aunt played it, we didn’t even know it had a caliope setting!
* We also soon discovered that she was a one-note-at-a-time organ player.
* But the biggest problem came during the vows … when her foot slipped down onto one of the organ foot-pedals. During the vows everyone heard a low bellowing sound coming from the organ, while the organist was unaware she was causing the noise with her foot on the pedal
Today we’re going to look at an account of a wedding Jesus attended. John chapter 2 tells us an interesting story … about water, wine, and a wedding.
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. John 2:1-2
Notice that John 2:1 says “on the third day” – the third day since what?
It was 3 days since Jesus left Judah … along with six new disciples … to head north to the little town of Cana in the Hills of Galilee near Nazareth. This is the 5th sermon in a series about the Person of Jesus, and we are still early in Jesus’ ministry.
So far, we have explored the chiastic poem John used to introduce his gospel. We talked about the Angel’s announcement to Mary that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. We read about Jesus baptism by John the Baptist … and his temptation in the wilderness immediately after His baptism.
Now, at this point, Jesus has called his first followers, and they are taking a trip back to the area where Jesus grew up. Perhaps the reason they went back at this time was so they could attend this wedding.
There are so many things we can learn about Jesus from this story. I want to stop right here and talk about one of them. Anyone who sees Jesus as a cosmic killjoy doesn’t know much about Jesus’ personality. When God came to earth to live as a man, he participated fully in the real world --- doing what regular folks do. Jesus didn’t hold back from taking part in life to the fullest. In fact, the Pharisees actually accused Jesus of being a wine bibber and a friend of sinners. (Matt. 11:19)
In this story, we can also see that Jesus was concerned about every-day needs and problems. I think sometimes we figure, “I shouldn’t bother God about my little silly problems … he has bigger things to think about.” But this story shows that Jesus was concerned, even about mundane concerns --- like a banquet that was running low on wine.
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." John 2:2-5
Since the wedding was near their home town, we can guess it may have been a relative’s wedding. The fact that Mary knew about the wine running out implies that she might have been helping to host this event. At any rate, running out of wine at one of the week-long Jewish weddings was a calamity of gargantuan proportions. Wine was the primary drink for such occasions. Remember that they didn’t have refrigeration. They used wine because the fermentation killed harmful bacteria and made wine a safe drink to serve on big occasions.
To run out of this essential beverage might literally stop the wedding in its tracks. Weddings back then were legal contracts that joined one family to another. The Wedding was a celebration --- but it was also an important legal obligation. If one party failed to meet their obligation, the marriage could be canceled … and even if it wasn’t, the offending party would be embarrassed for life.
In scripture, wine is often used as a symbol for JOY. So let me ask you, what do you do when “the wine runs out” in your life? We all face those times when all the JOY drains out of life. Maybe it’s a death or another kind of loss. Maybe we just get tired … or sick … or sick and tired! Next time that happens in your life, remember this story and do what Mary did. Turn to Jesus. Tell Him your trouble and then follow the advice Mary gave to the servants, and do whatever He tells you to do.
Now we get to the most interesting part. Evidently, Mary knew that Jesus --- ever the dependable son --- could be counted to figure something out. Of course, Mary knew … more than anyone … that Jesus was the Messiah … the son of God. Maybe she wanted Jesus to use this occasion to publicly show all their friends and neighbors that he had super-natural power. But Mary also knew Jesus as her little boy who had grown up to be a loving and dependable son. It’s likely that Mary was used to turning to Jesus to solve problems. Maybe Mary was thinking that Jesus and the boys would pool their resources and go out and buy some wine. At any rate, she trusted that Jesus would help out somehow.
Jesus response to her was, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not net come.” This is not as confrontational as it may sound. Jesus had great respect for his mother, but he was no longer living at home, and he was walking to the cadence of his Heavenly Father’s drum beat. Evidently Jesus knew immediately that it would take a miracle to solve this problem. And Jesus had not been instructed by his Father that the time for miracles had come.
By the way, none of the Gospels give any credence to the ideas that Jesus performed miracles during his childhood. The only childhood account is in Luke 2, when Jesus speaks with the religious leaders in the Temple at age 12. This shows us that Jesus was very bright for a 12 year old … and that he had studied and memorized scripture. But it appears that Jesus grew up having a very normal childhood and young adult life … up until the age of 30 when he started his 3 year public ministry.
From what we read next, one thing is obvious. In His constant connection to His Father, Jesus realized that the time had come for Him to perform his first miraculous sign. Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty 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 it to the master of the banquet." They did so. John 2:6-8
In our Sunday Night class recently, Jerome Hall taught about the Dead Sea scrolls. He showed a photo of an actual stone jar found in one of the Qumran Caves. This jar is the kind that would have been used at a Wedding Feast in Cana. They were empty because all the water had been used for ceremonial hand washing and for washing the feet of the wedding guests when they arrived. It would be very unusual to refill them at this point --- but that’s exactly what Jesus told the servants to do.
Then, as if that wasn’t strange enough, Jesus told them to take a dipper of the water to the master of the banquet. And … they did so. Let’s stop here for just a minute. Let me ask you … has Jesus ever asked you to do something that didn’t make sense to you at the time? How many times have you needed to simply step out in faith … and take a risk that might leave you looking foolish?
I’ve found that those kinds of situations happen just about every day. The Holy Spirit often gives us the impulse to do something that means taking a risk. It might mean speaking up when you’d rather stay in the background. It might mean reaching out to someone when it would be easier to just walk on by. It might mean giving some money when your budget is tight --- or saying “yes” to a ministry that you never thought you could do. This is just a natural part of following Jesus. If we’re smart, we’ll learn to follow Mary’s advice and --- do whatever He tells you to do.
Let’s read on and see what happened in this situation: 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, though 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 guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." John 2:9-10
There’s no way to know for sure, but in this miracle, Jesus probably created anywhere from 120 to 180 gallons of the best wine those wedding guests had ever tasted! When I compare this event with the feeding of the 5,000, I figure the miracle involved all 6 of those big clay pots. Jesus certainly had the power to do it.
And if WINE symbolizes JOY --- then we see a picture of the kind of ABUNDANT JOY that only Jesus can bring. It makes me think of what he said in John 10:10 – “I have come that you may have life and that more abundantly.”
The text says, This --- the first of his miraculous signs --- Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. John 2:11
It’s interesting to compare this first miracle of Jesus with the first miracle of Moses.
* If you remember, Moses’ first public miracle was to turn water into blood. This was a miraculous plague on the Egyptians.
* Jesus’ first public miracle was to turn water to wine --- which brought a miraculous blessing to the Wedding Party.
Jesus may not have arrived at the Wedding expecting to perform His first public miracle, but it turned out to be a fitting way to begin His ministry … by bringing abundant and overflowing JOY to the celebration.
Of course, not everyone at the Wedding even knew that a miracle had happened. The Master of the Banquet just wondered why they saved the best wine for last. As far as we know, no one ever told him what happened behind scenes. Chances are no one told the bride and groom about the disaster, either. Why ruin the day for them!
It’s likely that only Mary, the servants and Jesus and the boys knew what had transpired. But it was enough to convince Jesus’ disciples to put their faith in Him.
CONCLUSION:
From this small event in Jesus’ life, we can learn so much about the Person of Jesus.
* We see his active interest in the “little things” of life ---
* His willingness to attend celebrations;
* His willingness to pitch in and solve problems when asked, even if it was not a convenient time or place.
* Finally, we see the ABUNDANCE of JOY Jesus gave … just by showing up.
His presence at this Wedding made all the difference. But then, His presence always makes all the difference! Have you noticed that in your life?
Invite Him to join with you in your daily life. He will accept your invitation. You can depend on Jesus in times of celebration and you can depend on him “when the wine runs out.”
Jesus presence within you can make all the difference between catastrophe and jubilation. Invite him in … and let the party begin!
