A man and his dog were walking along a beach. After walking a good distance, they met another man walking toward them. The owner of the dog was proud of his dog’s abilities. So when the other man showed interest in his dog he had his pet show off for the stranger. He had him sit, speak, and shake. But he saved his dog’s special ability for the grand finale. He told the stranger, “Watch this!” Then he tossed a piece of driftwood far out in the ocean. He told his dog to fetch. The dog ran on top of the water to fetch the piece of wood! Only his paws were getting wet. After reaching the stick the dog came running back. Again he was on top of the water! He dropped the stick at his master’s feet. The stranger was shaking his head in disbelief. Just to show him that this wasn’t a onetime miracle the man had his dog do it two more times. Still the other man stood there speechless. He just kept shaking his head. Finally, the owner of the dog couldn’t take it anymore. He asked, “Well, aren’t you going to say anything, can you believe my dog can walk on water?” He want on to ask, “Isn’t that amazing? Don’t you think that’s impressive that my dog can walk on water?” At last the man had something to say about his dog. Slowly he responded, “Your dog can’t swim can he?”
Of course it is silly to think that someone could miss seeing something so impressive and focus on something far less impressive. Does something like that ever happen to us? Perhaps when it comes to Jesus’ miracles we are at times like that man. The Bible puts something amazing and supernatural right in front of us and we miss it. Or because we have heard about them many times and read about them many times we discount the miracles as not being all that important. We acknowledge that Jesus did them. But we miss their meaning. In the Gospel Lesson for this Sunday, we heard about the first miracle that Jesus performed. He turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana.
As you listened to those verses did you catch John’s testimony concerning the impact that the miracle had on Jesus’ disciples? John declared, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” The supernatural transformation of water into wine allowed the disciples to see the Savior’s glory. What they saw confirmed the truth about Jesus and they put their faith in him as the Messiah.
Today through the Word of God before us we too will be led to see our Savior’s glory through the miracle he performed. May the Holy Spirit take us back to a wedding in Cana and to the miraculous sign that Jesus gave as a witness to his glory. Our time in the Scriptures will strengthen our faith in Jesus as our Savior as we see a sign of his glory. I invite you to:
“SEE A SIGN OF YOUR SAVIOR’S GLORY!”
I. A sign of his concern for you
II. A sign of his power to help you
III. A sign to confirm your faith in him
Although we don’t even know the names of the bride and groom, the wedding at Cana is probably the most talked about wedding in history. Of course it isn’t the wedding that has made the even so famous. It is the special guest who was invited. John tells us, “On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” This wedding took place three days after Jesus had said, “follow me,” to a man named Philip. (Remember in John 1 we hear about Jesus calling his first disciples.) It was also three days after Jesus had wowed Nathanael into becoming a disciple as well. So with at least five disciples Jesus went to a wedding to which they all had been invited.
I.
We don’t know if it was just a result of poor planning, or if it was caused by the addition of many unexpected guests. But a crisis developed at the wedding. John tells us, “When the wine was gone…” Just a short time into their married life the conditions were perfect for that couple to have their first fight as husband and wife. They were facing a socially unacceptable situation. They had run out of wine at their wedding reception.
Sensitive to the situation Mary tried to help. She informed her son. “When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” At first it seemed as though Jesus didn’t want to get involved with the situation. “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” Although Jesus was respectful of his mother he made it clear that his life was now being guided by his mission as the Messiah. But Mary obviously still hoped that Jesus would help. John goes on to tell us, “His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Although running out of wine at their wedding might have seemed like a big deal at the time in a few years they would probably laugh about it. I think you would agree that if this was the worst thing that happened to that couple in their marriage, they would probably consider themselves especially blessed. And yet Jesus quickly responded to their crisis. Not only did he show an interest in their lives by attending their wedding, Jesus also solved their problem of having run out of wine.
Even before we look at Jesus’ power to change water into wine we can see his glory in his decision to help these newlyweds. Through this miracle we see that Jesus is concerned about individuals and even the little problems they may face in life. In fact, think of how many of Jesus’ miracles were directed to individuals. Each person who came to Jesus and experienced one of his miracles was facing a personal problem or challenge. There was that woman with internal hemorrhaging that reached out and touched Jesus’ clothing. In compassion Jesus addressed her painful, personal, problem. Remember how Jesus brought back to life the daughter of a grieving father and the son of a grieving mother. The Scriptures record how Jesus entered their shattered lives and brought hope and healing. Two sisters witnessed their brother brought back to life by Jesus. A whole chapter of John’s Gospel is dedicated to Jesus’ personal care for each sister in her grief. Although Jesus fed thousands and healed crowds of people most of the miracles recorded in the Scriptures describe his interaction with one an individual at a time. Those miracles show us Jesus’ deep interest in the personal lives of people.
So as we go to Cana’s wedding feast and see Jesus’ concern for a bride and groom caught in an embarrassing situation we are reminded of his concern for each of us. We can be assured that Jesus cares about everything in our lives. From the big things to the little things, from the happy events to the things that make us sad, in our smiles and in our tears nothing goes unnoticed by Jesus. And nothing in our lives is unimportant to him. When you have embarrassed yourself because of something you have said or done it may seem like no one cares. But Jesus does. Do you have a fear that others might consider silly? Jesus doesn’t think it is silly. Perhaps you long for something that most people would consider trivial. Jesus is interested in those things too. He knows the desires of your heart.
Certainly the miracle at Cana reveals Jesus’ glory to us. But even the reason for the miracle points us to his glory. He was concerned about a couple of newlyweds who ran out of wine at their wedding reception. That too shows us Jesus’ glory. He is concerned about people. He is concerned about all the things in your life. May you see that sign of your Savior’s glory. In the miraculous sign of turning water into wine see a sign of his concern for you.
II.
I suppose that the bride and groom at the wedding in Cana would have appreciated any encouraging words that Jesus might have offered. He could have assured them that it really wasn’t that big of a deal to run out of wine. After all these things happen, right? I suppose Jesus could have volunteered himself and his disciples to go to a relative’s house and find some wine to borrow. That too would have been a kind gesture on Jesus’ part. But instead Jesus solved their problem in an instant. John tells us, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” The servants and even the water in the jars responded to the powerful words of Christ. The servants did what Jesus said. And the water did what Jesus willed. It became wine.
Jesus’ revealed his glory in this miracle by revealing his power. Only the almighty Son of God could defy the laws of nature and change one substance into another. This demonstration of his power helped define his glory. In the first chapter of his Gospel John declared this about Jesus’ glory, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
In addition to revealing his power the details of this miracle also added to Jesus’ glory. Yes, turning water into wine was amazing. But Jesus also met the needs of the bride and groom at Cana with more than they needed. John tells us the rest of the story about the water-wine. After Jesus told the servants to fill the water jars and to draw some out and give it to the master of the banquet we are told, “They did so, 9 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 10 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.” Between 120 & 130 gallons of premium wine (in our way of measuring that’s between 575-625 bottles of wine) was way more than they needed for the wedding. But isn’t that just like our Savior, Jesus? He wants to meet our needs above and beyond what we might think is enough. At the wedding at Cana Jesus showed his glory through his concern and his power to help. But he also showed his glory through the extraordinary and extravagant way he helped.
Isn’t it amazing how this miracle done by Jesus centuries ago still applies to our lives today? Jesus still wields the same power that he used to turn water into wine! He is still concerned about the big and small things in our lives. And he promises to use his power to help us. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” And Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” From socially embarrassing moments to life and death situations we are encouraged to turn to our all-powerful Savior for help. He is deeply concerned about each of us and he has unlimited power to help us. In fact he wants to meet all our needs beyond our expectations. Yes, once again, I invite you see a sign of your Savior’s glory. In this miracle see a sign of his power to help you.
III.
Although the miracle at Cana is a sign of our Savior’s glory because it shows us his concern for us and his power to help us there is more to it than that. Ultimately the most important part of the miracle is the effect it had on the disciples. John summarized it by saying, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” By turning those jars of water into jars of wine Jesus proved that he was the Messiah. That sign confirmed for the disciples that they should believe what Jesus had been claiming. With his identity as the Christ confirmed by a miraculous sign, the disciples put their faith in him.
It’s interesting that several years later Jesus had to point his disciples to the miraculous signs he had performed as evidence that they should believe in him. On the night before his suffering and death Jesus gave this passionate plea to his disciples, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:10-11) Again and again the disciples saw signs that were meant to confirm their belief in Jesus. But perhaps after seeing so many miracles they had forgotten what they meant. All of Jesus’ miraculous signs confirmed the truth about himself and his mission.
So what purpose do Jesus’ miracles serve in our lives? We personally haven’t witnessed them. Now I am not saying that we haven’t experienced miracles. Certainly our Savior is still doing miracles in the lives of believers. But we can only read John’s account of Jesus changing water into wine. We weren’t there to witness it. And even though there are a couple dozen of Jesus’ miracles recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke we can’t see any of them with our own eyes. Thankfully the Holy Spirit can use the written record of Jesus’ miraculous signs to confirm our faith in him. Whenever we study a miracle like the one Jesus did at Cana our faith is strengthened. We are brought to believe with greater conviction that we can trust in Jesus. He is the promised Savior who has died for our sins and has been raised from the dead to live and reign for us. May all of Jesus miracles confirm the fact that our faith in Jesus is well founded!
With John giving us his eyewitness account of Jesus’ first miraculous sign may we too see it as a sign of Jesus’ glory. It is a sign of his concern for people in the big things and the small things of life. It is a sign of his almighty power to help us. Nothing is beyond his ability or resources. And Jesus’ miracle is also a sign for us to put our faith in him. Again and again, as we open the Scriptures and witness Jesus’ miracles may they show us his glory. May we see these signs and believe what they say about Jesus. Amen.
