Many teachers today will use a power point presentation to give a visual picture of what they are trying to communicate. In his gospel, John uses the same technique. His purpose in writing the gospel is to prove that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31). To prove his point, John sets before us in the first twelve chapters of his gospel, several miracles or signs which give evidence that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. This is why John called the miracles of Jesus "signs" instead of "wonders" or "acts of power" as they are referred to in the Synoptic gospels. These miracles were signs which pointed to Jesus as the Son of God.
We are looking at the first of these signs that Jesus did. We are going to see what happened when Jesus went to a wedding.
The Occasion
The first sign took place at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. We don't know whose wedding it was. The text implies that Mary had some authority at the wedding so it could have been a close friend of the family or even a member of the family.
We don't know for sure whose wedding it was.
We do know this. A wedding was one of the most gala and joyous occasions of that day. And Jesus was there.
The first formal step of courtship was betrothal. The bridegroom would give the bride a piece of paper which legally tied the two together. But for a considerable time after that the bride would remain in her father's house. Then, on the wedding night, the bride would be led from her father's house to that of her husband in a procession. As the procession made its way down the street, many of those standing along the way would join in the parade. When the procession arrived at the new home, the bride would be presented to her husband.
A solemn prayer would be uttered. The ceremonial washing of hands would be done.
Then the party would begin. Sometimes these wedding festivals lasted for a whole week as the people ate and drank and laughed. It was the most joyous occasion in the life of the people. And the Bible says Jesus was there.
Jesus was no anemic ascetic, withdrawing from the world. He was no prune-faced, sad-eyed, recluse who was void of any humor. Luke tells us that when the Son of Man came, He came eating and drinking (Luke 7:33-34).
Jesus was a happy Christ. He was a laughing Lord. He drank of the joys of life in all its fullness, and He expects us to as well.
Those who believe in Christ, who have our sins forgiven, our worries about the future dissolved, and who have living within us One who is greater than all the powers of the world, ought to be the happiest people in the world. Jesus and joy go hand in hand.
When Moses came to the Pharaoh the first sign he did was to turn the water into blood, signifying the judgment of God (Ex. 7:20). When Jesus came to the world, the first sign He did was to turn the water into wine, signifying the joy of God's good news.
The Obstacle
However, something happened to cast a dark shadow over this otherwise joyous, gala occasion. Verse 3 says that they ran out of wine.
Wine was an essential part of the wedding feast. A shortage of wine could have been a source of extreme embarrassment to the family of the groom. In the midst of their joy, they discovered a problem.
There is a deeper meaning here for us.
Many times in the midst of our most joyous occasions, an obstacle will arise which casts a dark shadow of gloom over our lives.
The joy of marriage is often shattered by unfaithfulness.
The joy of parenthood can be shattered by a problem child.
The joy of success is sometimes shattered by a failure.
The joy of carefully laid plans can be shattered by an unexpected turn of events.
The joy of friendship is at times shattered by a misunderstanding.
How often it rains on our parades!
Life, even for the Christian, is not all fun and games that produces joy and laughter. Sometimes things happen that shatter us. There are obstacles.
The Omnipotence
Notice, next the omnipotence. That word means power, and the main point of the story is to illustrate the transforming power of Jesus in dealing with the obstacles in our lives. Verse 3 tells us that when Mary discovered the problem she immediately turned to Jesus. Verse 4 gives us the response of Jesus. He said, "Woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." In response to this, Mary turns to the servant and says, "Do whatever Jesus tells you to do."
What does that mean? The term "woman" was not a term of disrespect as it would be today. It could be a term of tenderness. Jesus was not being disrespectful to His mother. He was merely expressing a different approach.
The next phrase literally means "What to you and me?" Jesus and Mary were looking at this problem from two different perspectives. Mary was concerned about the wedding. Jesus was concerned about His destiny and purpose for coming into the world. Jesus wanted her to understand that He had not come simply to perform miracles or to do her bidding but to be man's redeemer. That is the meaning of His response. Once He clarified that point, Jesus then decided to use the situation to initiate His purpose.
In the midst of this dialogue which is difficult to follow, this much is clear:
there was a need .... and Jesus met it. This experience is illustrative of what Jesus Christ is forever doing in the world.
Author Lloyd Douglas put it like this: "He is a very unfortunate reader of this epic who gets himself so distracted by all these stone waterpots ... that he misses the real and only point at issue, which is .... the simple fact that Jesus bears a transforming power, that he turns water into wine, frowns into smiles, whispers of fear into anthems of hope, deserts into gardens, and sin-blistered souls into valorous saints by the catalyzing alchemy of a selfless love." (Quoted in Charles Allen, The Touch of the Master's Hand, Fleming H. Revell, 1956, p. 17)
Jesus has the power to transform. When Jesus comes into a person's life, He transforms that life. He takes that which is flat and dull and tasteless and He makes it sparkling and exciting. The Omnipotent One has the power to meet every need and overcome every obstacle and satisfy every longing of the soul.
The Overabundance
Look at the story more closely and you will see that the exhilarating message of this story is not only that Jesus meets our needs but also that He meets our needs with overabundance.
They needed a little more wine to finish the party and Jesus gave them about 180 gallons, more than they could drink in ten parties. When Jesus meets a need, He meets it abundantly.
Not only that, but He saves the best for last.
The wine that Jesus produced was better than the wine they had to begin with.
Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. When you walk with Jesus, it gets better and better as He over-abundantly meets your needs.
The Obedience
One more important factor grows out of the story and that is the obedience.
Some, hearing this story, might complain, "Why hasn't this happened to me?"
Why don't more people experience this transforming power of Jesus? The answer is that they do not meet the requirement of obedience.
Look at the story.
In verse 5, Mary said, "Do whatever Jesus commands," and they did. In verse 7 Jesus said, "Fill the waterpots," and they did. In verse 8 Jesus said, "Take a cup to the governor of the feast," and they did. This miracles took place only when the people obeyed. It's the same with each miracle in John's gospel. Obedience is always required.
Most of us want to experience the transforming power of Christ in our lives.
We want to see His glory. However, most of the time, we are not willing to be obedient to His commands.
If you were performing a chemistry experiment in which A + B + C = D but you left out C, then you would not end up with D. Why? Was the formula at fault? No. The problem was not with the formula. The fault was with you.
Likewise, in the Christian life, we often pick and choose the commandments of Christ we want to obey and neglect the others. Then, when we do not experience the peace and joy which Jesus promised, we throw up our hands and say, "Christianity doesn't work." The fault is with us., not with the formula.
Repentance + Acceptance + Obedience = Life. That is the formula, and it works.
But we have to be willing to obey. Obedience is necessary for the Omnipotent One to work His transforming miracles in your life.
He is ready. Are you?
