On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11)
This text describes the first sign recorded in the Gospel of John, in the effort to convince the reader that Jesus is the Anointed Son of God, and that the reader may find life in Him. Later in Christ’s ministry, and even after His ascension, it was not unusual for his immediate disciples and even the Apostle Paul to perform signs and wonders to point people to new life in Christ.
But in looking at the details of this text, I wish to suggest to you that if Christ had delegated this task to one of the 12, the outcome would have been much different. Today I am suggesting that if the disciples were accountable for managing this task, the water would have not been turned to wine because the disciples would have been happy to have the water jars filled.
My offering this suggestion is not based on a new translation, an archeological discovery or extra-biblical text. Rather, I make this suggestion based purely on a general observation of human behavior. Specifically, this suggestion is based on the fact that people, human beings, carbon-based life forms become satisfied whenever we reach maximum capacity and reach a state of fullness.
If you will reflect for a moment, you will note that for many, if not most of us, achieving a state of fullness is the ultimate end; much of our lives are focused on achieving fullness. At the risk of echoing George Carlin, please consider the following patterns of human behavior:
1. When we seek employment, we typically want a full-time job with full benefits.
2. When applying to a college, want a full scholarship with the ability to carry a full load.
3. At home, we want a full cupboard, and a full refrigerator. At mealtime, we like to eat until we are full. And when preparing to do the laundry or dishes we want a full load.
4. At a personal level, most people want a full head of hair and a full set of teeth and their vision and hearing to be full.
5. I’ve learned from my daughters that young ladies are anxious for their figures to become full. And I remember from my adolescence that young men are anxious for their facial hair to become full.
6. Young wives dream of the day when their wombs become full and in doing so, to carry the child full-term.
7. In church, the music director wants the choir loft to be full and for the choir members to sing full-throated. Bible Study teachers want the classes to be full. Pastors want the pews to be full. Deacons want the offering plates to be full and want the people full of hope joy, faith and love.
8. Regarding transportation, you want the gas tank, windshield fluid and tires to be full. If you are in the car pool lane, you need the vehicle occupancy to be full. When buying a car, you want fully-loaded options.
9. In sports, divers want to master the full-gainer, wrestlers want to master the full-Nelson and baseball managers want their bases to be full
In general we want lives that are delightful, successful, cheerful, wonderful and very fulfilling. Hence, it is on the basis of this human dynamic that I suggest that the disciples would have been satisfied to just see the water jars filled.
But in our search for a sense of fulfillment, we often miss the need for transformation. Jesus told a parable in Luke chapter 12, about a farmer whose only concern was maximizing capacity. He wanted to build bigger barns, kick back and let his soul be at rest. But in the parable, God did not affirm this man as a member of the agricultural intelligentsia; in fact, God called the farmer a fool. Why? Because: Sadly, he could not see beyond the fullness of his barns to realize that his life needed transformation; Sadly, he allowed fullness to become the reason for which he lived instead of the means by which he lived; Sadly, he spent so much time filling his barns that he never changed his life; Sadly, he was so focused on the quantity of his life that he never considered the quality of his life. In effect, in this parable, God called the farmer a fool because the man got more, but he never got better.
Capacity is not a synonym for quality. Physicians will tell you that everything that gets bigger is not always better; tumors grow and boils swell.
You may ask – What is wrong with having a full, abundant, optimized, maxed-out life? There is nothing wrong with having a full life, but there is a danger that we could be full of the wrong thing. We could be full of doubt, resentment, anger, envy, jealousy, deceit, pride, lust, greed, selfishness, arrogance, impatience, unkindness, etc., etc., etc. (In fact, if you are not sure what you are full of, then just take a moment and ask the person next to you what they think you are full of). There is nothing wrong with having a full life, except if our lives are full of the wrong things.
As we examine the details of this text, we see that filling the water jars was only the first step. What made this moment miraculous is that it was followed by transformation. In turning the water into wine we see that:
• The mundane became influential
• The common became special
• The ordinary became extraordinary
• The cheap became valuable
If we look at what is not stated in the text, we see that the source of the water is not stated. The water could have come from a well or most likely from one of the Galilean springs. In any case, by turning a subterranean substance into a high quality wine, Jesus took in effect took something that was low-down and made it top-shelf.
If we think about it for a moment, this miracle is consistent with the life-changing message and ministry of Christ:
• When David says in Psalm 51:10 ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me’ –this is an affirmation of transformation
• When the prophet says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool – this is an affirmation of transformation
• When Jesus says to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again – this is an affirmation of transformation
• When Paul says in Romans 8:1-4 1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit - this is an affirmation of transformation
• When Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come - this is an affirmation of transformation
This first recorded sign in the Gospel of John suggests that in Jesus Christ, we can find the one who can reconstruct our natures and redirect the trajectories of our journeys. Even the Wise Men, after their encounter with Jesus, did not leave the same way that they came. This text says through verified actions and validated results that Jesus Christ is the change agent of God.
You know, I heard many stories about the Golden Years of UBC, when the church was full – 1000 people every Sunday, with police officers directing traffic. We are working hard to recapture that glory. But in our quest to have a full church, there is a higher calling – that is to have a changed church. For example:
• Having 1000 people with IQs of 200 who have not been changed by Christ means that we are only a church full of smart sinners
• Having 1000 ultra-attractive people who have not been changed by Christ means that are only a church full of good looking sinners
• 1000 billionaires who have not been changed by Christ means that are only a church full of financially secure sinners
In short, we can have full lives – intelligence, attractiveness, financially security, lots of friends, own the latest technologies, know the latest dance steps, have the entire North Face, Under Armor or New Balance performance gear collection, have 1000 FaceBook friends, recycle, host magnificent dinner parties, reduce greenhouse emissions, save the whales, pick up after our dogs, mow our lawns, vote in every election and serve in the military. But our journeys are not complete until we have been changed by Christ.
Let us now reflect upon the meaning of this text, and ask ourselves:
• What kind of life do I have? Do I measure my life by the quantities of my possessions, associations and experiences? What kind of person am I? Am I like the farmer who got more but never got better?
• Where do I see myself in this text? Is my life like the water in the text –something that is from a low-down place, a life full of low-down words, thoughts and deeds, in need of a transforming miracle from God? Do I need God to transport my life from the gutter-most to the uttermost?
In a few moments, we will sing our invitational hymn, and if you need to move beyond fullness to transformation, if you want begin a journey with Christ in Christian Discipleship, if you need to someone about steps toward spiritual formation, or (if you will allow me please to use old-fashioned Baptist language) – if you know that you need to get right with God, then we welcome you to come forward.
It is our prayer that this text has proven itself to be Gospel – good news. Leave here today knowing that as the water jars, your life may be filled to the brim, but the work of God in your life is not complete until you have experienced transformation. The God that we serve accepts us as we are, with the intent of making us as He is. Let’s resolve today to move beyond fullness.
