John 2:1-11. Jesus changes water into wine:
Key verse: v11 He thus revealed His Glory
Here we have the 1st of the miraculous miracles of Jesus, the changing of water into wine, at a wedding in Cana. It was the third day from his time with Nathanial. His family had been invited to a wedding a celebration of two lives under God becoming one. This miracle seems to have been done quietly in the midst of a wedding celebration even with some reticence maybe (4). Yet in obedience to his mother, Jesus performs the 1st of His miracles. Unlike other miracles this one ( feeding of 5,000) was done discreetly only his mother, the servants and his disciples were aware fully that Jesus was behind the miracle.
I can imagine if it was not recorded down for us, it would have gone by unnoticed. For many on that wedding day it went unnoticed, with all the celebrations, especially as the best wine came out at the end , the guests were already inebriated (10), the majority were not concerned where the wine had come from ( like the Master of ceremonies (10) “but can you give me a top up” .
But for others who say drink more modestly the questions begin to be asked, “Who is this that changes water into wine?” This miracle was their first glimpse of His Divine Glory of the person and the work of Jesus of Nazareth. (11) He thus revealed His Glory! (His Divine identity) as a result the disciples put their faith in Him v11.
• Have You seen His Glory (Jhn1:14,2:11) have you experienced his glory in your life? Have you received the gift of faith to believe in Him like these early disciples?
Application: Isn’t that so true today with the miracle of salvation that Jesus brings forth in the hearts & lives of individuals today, changing them from guilty sinners ( the party is over, wine is gone) to glorious saints ( the new wine, has come) is often done discreetly, goes unnoticed by the majority around You, who are enjoying themselves, inebriated by the world. Yet others notice Him too and like his mother Mary aware of a problem and so ask of him for help (3) others are prepared to carry out his commands and serve him like the servants (7-8) others like the Master of ceremonies are left with questions ( the best wine is normally first?) and others like these disciples see His Glory & put their faith in Him (11).
• Visit the wedding at Cana together, and unearth more of His Divine Glory!
1. How we reveal His Glory in Christian character and Christian marriage
Lets mingle with the crowd, absorb the atmosphere, it’s a time of Joy & celebration, which Jesus embraces (He’s not a religious kill joy) he doesn’t stay away he’s invited and the wine is flowing, there’s music & dancing, food in abundance, laughter and good conversation. Notice Jesus isn’t turning over the tables, he’s present, enjoying himself, involved in the celebration, probably reclined at one of the tables with his friends the food and drink with good conversation.
• Important Note: (Wine in Judaism was associated with Joy and God’s blessedness Psalm 104:15, Prv 3:10, Matt 26:29.) not drunkenness.
a) As Christians we can and should be enjoying ourselves in the Lord ( Christianity is not a cause for dry sombre faces and separation from everything in the world, it’s not a cause for self imposed legalistic frameworks of what you can and cannot do, it all about grace which we have received, the truth which has set us free and the Joy we have found in the Lord. (One of the fruits of the Spirit is Joy) This Joy should be reflected outward in our Character, it’s not manufactured its naturally there through the Holy Spirit whom we are sealed with (Eph 1:13). Our lives should be filled with blessed Joy in all its fullness (LIFE!)) because of all that He has done for us, as a result are lives are to resound to the praise to the praise of His Glory Eph 1:12 .
b) Secondly our Christian marriages are to be those which displays the glory of God, for marriage is not ordained by any man, establishment or government (deciding what can and cannot be called marriage) or the Church (Catholic) but by God Himself. Jesus recognises and celebrates this marriage of two becoming one in flesh, a mystical union before God, for He said, (Matt 19:6 therefore let what God has joined together let no man separate) Marriage is to be honoured by all (Heb 13:4 Marriage is honourable estate among all).
c) Thirdly Jesus Christ was he at the centre of your wedding? More importantly is Jesus Christ still at the centre of your marriage? The presence of Christ and the blessing of Christ at your wedding and in your marriage is essential one, without Christ it will always full short and fail to prosper and also if he is later ignored in our marriages (In the Nitty Gritty of life together) we will also fall short and fail to prosper, keep Christ in the centre of your marriages. (Pray together – share together – serve together - stay together).
Eph 5:31-33. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the Church. In this we reveal something of the divine Glory of Christ in our marriages.
Spiritual application: Marriage is a picture: Our marriages are to reflect the profound mystery of Christ’s love for his Church, so when others look upon our marriages, they will see the sacrifice of Christ in the man towards his wife, they will see the submission of Christ to His Father as the wife submits to her husband and they will see the mutual Sacrificial love and submission one towards the other and Gods glory will be revealed.
2. Mary’s request is filled with expectation of his Divine Glory to be revealed. v3-5
As we mingle and listen to the conversations that are taking place, we see that Mary the mother of Jesus comes to her son with a request which is filled with anticipation that her son Jesus can solve the problem in a mighty way. v3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
This isn’t just a general statement, ‘they have no more wine’ it’s loaded with anticipation that Jesus can solve the problem of no more wine, for afterwards even after Jesus’ gentle rebuke (4), telling her what has it to do with him and that his hour had not come ( His Hour in John - His atoning death crucifixion 7:30,8:20,12:2327. 13:1 17:1) Yet despite it all she persists. 5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Mary’s background
In the Past:
Mary was a women filled with expectation of the divine glory of Jesus, from a very young age as a teenage girl it was the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced the wonderful news of the child she would conceive as a virgin and the miraculous means of that birth and who this child Jesus would be (luke 1:32-35 must read)
In the Present:
Mary is now a women in her middle 40’s who bore that child before her Jesus and seen him grow up as a young boy and man and as yet has performed no spectacular miracles, but the miracle of living a truly obedient sinless life before his Father and mother which is a Divine miracle in itself .
Mary is a mother who perseveres in believing , she’s bubbling with expectation ( the pressure – it explodes) His mothers request is the one that commences his mighty acts of power, amongst us. His Divine ministry is about to commence, he changes the water into wine.
• Jesus’ responds with a mighty act of his power: V6 – v9 read
•
He answers the request of his mother, the expectancy is palpable, Mary has expected for years, she had persevered in believing over 40 years and at that wedding was the 1st of his miraculous signs. Her son the Mighty God, answered her request and provided for the needs of others thus revealing His glory. And confirming the faith in his mother in regard to his Divine identity.
Application : If we know Jesus this morning we too are to be his people who are filled with expectation of what Jesus can do amongst us, ( No matter how long it’s been) He is our Lord, He is our King, He is our brother and He is our friend. We too can approach Him with our requests, like Mary that He might reveal His divine Glory in this place and in our lives, that he might show His mighty power amongst us and provide us with the New wine that we the people need...... He can show the mighty act of his power in this place, revealing his divine Glory!
• But we too must persevere in believing faith driven prayer, its the prayer which brings glory to Jesus and not to self, often our prayers are tinted with selfish motives, we must ask aright. (Mrk 11:24) Therefore I tell you whatever you ask in prayer believe that you have received it , and it will be yours.
• Bringing our requests to the Lord and then wait upon the Lord to show his mighty power. Psalm 5:3. In the morning, O’, You hear my voice: in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
• Our requests must be filled with godly motives (James 4:3) When you ask you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives and in line with his will (1Jhn 5:14) that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us: And God will provide for all our needs (Phil 4:19) God will meet all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus
3. The miracle itself reveals the divine Glory of Jesus 7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. 11This, 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.
a) The objects: Six Jars; water and the wine
The water and the ceremonial jars used for ceremonial washing according to Jewish rituals and law this water and Jars represents the old order of the Jewish law & custom v6-7 V6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a]
These servants who normal used thee jars for such things were to use them to draw the water from the same well , full of water yet this time as it entered the jars it would become wine for the banquet and this wine is symbolic to the new order under Jesus full of grace & truth the messianic banquet to come.
This miracle revels Jesus as the one who will supersede the old order with the new.
• The jars of clay: 2Cor. 3:11-18 surpassing glory of new covenant in us. The light of Christ in Jars of clay 2Cor 4: 7. .
b) The Quantity of the new wine.
Each pot held 20 -30 gallons x 6 pots = 120 – 180 gallons of wine . But notice also these jars will filled also to the brim, they were now overflowing .
This represents the sheer lavishness, the abundant provision of the new wine available in the messianic age to come, that the sheer volume of it being shared out, pouring over the top of the brim. It’s shows us a complete fulfilment of all the ceremonial purification rites as seen in the OT being fulfilled. It points to Jesus as the one who has a lavish provision of salvation to a large quantity of people in the gospel age. Rev 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.
a) The Quality of the new wine v10
The masters report of ceremonies 9b He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and 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."
Basically the Master of ceremonies is astonished as he shares with the bridegroom to his finding that the best wine has saved to last, he reports this news to the bridegroom, that you normally bring out the bad wine after people are inebriated 10and 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."
The master of ceremonies is simply not in the loop only Jesus , his mother, the disciples and the servants who know the source of this miraculous sign and it wasn’t the well but Jesus. The new wine of Jesus will leave people astonished and bewildered until it is tasted for themselves. ( taste & see that the Lord is good)
John is pointing to us here that the wine that Jesus provides is far superior than anyone else can provide everything else that we have ever tasted before Him is simply inferior. He offers us life in its abundance, he offers us our thirst to be quenched, he offers us to taste and see that the Lord is good indeed.
When we enter into the messianic age anything else is simply inferior. And so it is with the Old covenant of works to the new covenant of grace.
b) The Qualification given to the new wine v11 was a revelation of His Divine glory !
And his disciple put their faith in Him.
That’s the only grounds of faith in Him, who loved us and gave His life for us, live by faith in Him. Well I believe God has been speaking to our hearts today, I hope you’ve enjoyed the wedding celebration and the revelation of His Divine Glory. Lets now all live out our lives & marriages in the light of it,. In expectation & persevering believing we will see His Glory amongst us more and more and in full knowledge of the richness of what we possess & can share and may we all be to the praise of His Glory!
