WATER To WINE—Declaring God's Anointed-I—John 2:1-12
Attention:
On Stage—The Lion King—2nd highest grossing Broadway musical, pulling in $699.1 Million since 1994. Story of a coming of age reluctant King, threatened by his own uncle, who enviously seeks the king’s life so he can have the throne. A great human interest story, but absent of God’s truth.
The Broadway stage is used to preach much worldly 'philosophy'...a point of heralding worldly wisdom—usually of humanism &/or empty religion. .
On the Stage of our lives, Jesus continues to be heralded as God’s anointed.
Jesus turned water to wine in order to initiate/call attention to/set apart His public ministry.
Jesus is heralded as God’s Anointed.
*Where is Jesus heralded as God’s Anointed? or Why turn water into wine?
6 stages for heralding God’s Anointed.
1—God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of...
INSIGNIFICANCE(:1)
Explanation:(:1)Cana of Galilee/Lack of Popularity/Not unknown yet not well-known/Insignificanct in the eyes of the world
:1—“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, & the mother of Jesus was there.”
The third day after some event—possibly the Jewish delegation(1:19-28), but more probably “counted from the last event narrated”—there was “a wedding” which was important in the ministry of Jesus. It was in the town of Cana which was in Galilee. Cana is supposedly about 8 miles north(N, NW or NE) of Nazareth(possibly modern Khirbet Qana[?Kafar Kana?])—(DACarson/NAC/MNTC/BECNT).
John is possibly concerned with recounting these particular days chronologically because he is recalling the events leading up to & including the very first week of Jesus’ introduction to public ministry. After chapter 2 the specific time markers disappear(MNTC/BECNT).
Argumentation:
Deut. 7:6-8—“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, & because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, & redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Micah 5:2—“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Lk. 9:46-48—“Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child & set him by Him, & said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; & whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”
Lk. 14:11—“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Mat. 23:11-12—“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1Cor. 1:20-31—“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, & Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block & to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews & Greeks, Christ the power of God & the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, & God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; & the base things of the world & the things which are despised God has chosen, & the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--& righteousness & sanctification & redemption-- that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
2Cor. 12:9-10—“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
1Cor. 12:12, 14, 19-27—[Concerning spiritual giftedness]“For as the body is one & has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”.....“For in fact the body is not one member but many.”.....“And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; & our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, & members individually.”
1Jn. 3:2-3—“Beloved, now we are children of God; & it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
Illustration:
A Longleaf Pine seed/Produced a mighty tree/Outside my window @ work(Church) I get to look into the canopy of longleaf Pines against the sky/That seed was nothing resembling the beautiful tree that the seed gave rise to/INSIGNIFICANCE
Women who so desire to give birth that they are willing to go to nearly any lengths(medically & spiritually) to attain it/Search for Significance is tied directly to their life’s decisions!/However any godly woman who has not had their own children has found their Significance in Christ!...& have found that He is indeed sufficient!/INSIGNIFICANCE
An Ant
An Acorn
Application:
?Your INSIGNIFICANCE set the stage upon which Jesus is heralded?
?You set the Stage for heralding God’s Anointed?
2—God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of...
PRESSURE(:1-3)
Explanation:(:1-3)Invitation/Solemn/Serious/Commitment/Ceremony/Embarrassment/Respect/Faux pas/Etiquette/Panic/Responsibility
:1—“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, & the mother of Jesus was there.”
That Mary “was there,” assumes her presence at the “wedding” was of importance to the execution/effecting of the wedding itself, as :3-5 bear out. She could have operated in the capacity as the ‘wedding planner’ or ‘caterer.’ It is also surmised that this may have been a family affair for Mary & Jesus.
“Wedding”—gamov—1) A wedding or marriage festival, a wedding banquet, a wedding feast; 2) Marriage, matrimony. Strong—of uncertain affinity; Nuptials.
“Cana”—Kana—Cana = "place of reeds”—1) A village in Galilee about 5 miles(8 km) NW from Nazareth.
“The probable location[of ancient Cana] is Khirbet Qân[?Kafar Kana?] in the plain of Asochis, about eight miles northeast[north] of Nazareth.....Fittingly, Khirbet Qân overlooks a marshy plain featuring plenty of reeds”—BECNT/DAC
:2—“Now both Jesus & His disciples were invited to the wedding.”
Jesus “was invited” possibly as a consequence of his mother being involved. Jesus had at least five disciples who were invited as a consequence of Jesus’ being invited. Either it was known that Jesus had His own disciples & would offend them if they weren’t also invited, or Jesus & His disciples were all friends &/or relatives of the couple getting married.
A typical Jewish wedding would include the bride, groom & their extended families & close friends, but also involved the entire community. Thus Jesus’ specific invitation may signal that Mary & Jesus were family members of the newlyweds. Weddings typically lasted 7 days.
“This group of disciples meant to her[Mary] that Jesus had begun his Messianic work. So she dares propose the miracle to him.”—RWP
“Disciples”(See :11)—mayhthv—1) A learner, pupil, disciple.
“Invited/Called”—kalew—1) To call—1a) To call aloud, utter in a loud voice, 1b) To invite; 2) To call i.e. to name, by name—2a) To give a name to—2a1) To receive the name of, receive as a name, 2a2) To give some name to one, call his name, 2b) To be called i.e. to bear a name or title (among men), 2c) To salute one by name. Kalew denotes to cry out for a purpose. Strong—To "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, direct or otherwise).
:3—“And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
The host ran out of “wine” for the party goers. Wine was important for the celebration of a Jewish wedding. If such a faux pas would have become public knowledge, it would have stigmatized both families for some time.
“Wine” was not forbidden to Jews but was instead a staple drink. Given the climate & lack of refrigeration, any fruit juice tended to ferment. In order to reduce inebriation, “wine” “was commonly diluted with water” from 1/3 to 1/10 its original strength.—MNTC/W. Hendriksen
“Because of its intoxicating character its use was definitely restricted: in connection with the execution of certain functions it was forbidden; excessive indulgence was always definitely condemned.”—Hendrickson
“Mary feels some kind of responsibility & exercises some kind of authority for reasons not known to us.”—RWP. Thereby she is hit by the crisis of “no wine” unlike a normal guest would, & seeks to alleviate the problem.
Jesus’ mother relied on Him for support. Jesus reliably supported His mother. Mary went to Jesus for an immediate solution to the wine shortage/problem. Jesus could somehow provide the wedding feast with more wine. Judging from Jesus’ response(:4) to His mother’s statement more is to be read into her statement than merely running an errand would afford.
!We should always go to Jesus as well, particularly those times when we are unable to see the solution!
“Ran out/Wanted/Gave out/Gone/Being Deficient”—usterew—1) Behind—1a) To come late or too tardily, 1b) To be inferior in power, influence & rank, 1c) To fail, be wanting, 1d) To be in want of, lack; 2) To suffer want, to be devoid of, to lack (be inferior) in excellence, worth. Strong—To be later, i.e. by implication--To be inferior; generally--To fall short(be deficient).
“Wine”2X(See :9)—oinov—1) Wine; 2) metaph.--Fiery wine of God's wrath. Strong—a primary word (or perhaps of Hebrew origin [Nyy yah'-yin]); “Wine”(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
Php. 4:19-20—“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God & Father be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
2Cor. 9:8—“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Ps. 36:5-9—[a Psalm of David]“Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man & beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
Js. 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally & without reproach, & it will be given to him.”
1Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Deut. 4:27-31—“And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, & you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood & stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the LORD your God, & you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart & with all your soul. When you are in distress, & all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God & obey His voice ‘(for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”
2Cor. 1:3-5—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies & God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation[pressure], that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.”
2Cor. 4:7-10—“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
Illustration:
TV Wedding Ceremony(Christian influence but no commitment)—leaves the Christian empty, seeing the powerlessness of a ceremony seeking commitment to one another without invoking God’s power/I realized how alone(comparatively) I am in my faith/PRESSUREs
FBCC’s 1st Wed. B’day meals—Not enough food!/PRESSUREs
Funeral meal for family—Not enough food!...Embarrassment creeps in & ensues!/Why, because we’ve always done it that way before & it worked then!/PRESSUREs
Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter celebrations—Certain etiquette is expected(certain foods/priorities/seating/places, etc.)/We eat certain foods at a certain time with certain people in a certain place...as we always have!/PRESSUREs
?To whom do you turn to in your moments of weakness?
Application:
?Your PRESSUREs set the stage upon which Jesus is heralded?
?You set the Stage for heralding God’s Anointed?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The Broadway stage—a point of heralding worldly wisdom.
Action:
God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of....
1. INSIGNIFICANCE(:1)
2. PRESSURE(:1-3)
Presented 02/01/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
209 Storrs Ave.(Ave. A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
