Credit:
o Some parts are from Troy Burst.
o Some thoughts from John McArthur’s sermon on this text
o Some of the opening illustrations and some of the body is from Jeff Strite.
“The First Miracle”
John 2:1-11
Do you know about miracle of Jesus turning water to wine?
- Jesus was at a wedding party and
- there was a crisis, they were quickly running out of wine
- the party would be ruined, and the GROOM would be ridiculed
Jesus is around 30 years old here:
- and up until now the world has observed Jesus as
- the Son of Mary and Joseph or the carpenter from Nazareth
- on this day Jesus will show Himself to be GOD
Mary, the mother of Jesus:
- brought the situation to JESUS in faith
- and Jesus impressed with her faith
- Jesus was the hero of the story by turning regular water into quality wine.
WE will read the text from John chapter 2 in a minute
The Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn had a problem:
o motorists weren't coming to a complete stop at stop signs.
o So, the Mayor came up with a creative solution.
o He added a second, smaller octagonal sign
o to the town's 50 or so stop signs that read:
“STOP - And smell the roses”
"STOP - No really, you gotta stop"
"STOP - Or I’m Telling Your Mom,"
"STOP - In the naaaame of love."
And – it worked!!!
o People stopped at the stop signs.
o The additional signs were so imaginative and humorous people
o laughed and obeyed the Stop sign.
Everybody laughed…
o except the Illinois Department of Transportation
o which deemed the signs violations of the Federal Traffic code, and
o threatened to withhold funds if the signs weren't removed.
Sadly, the Mayor had to comply.
The Mayor’s believed that if:
o he could just get
o the motorists to pay attention,
o then he could get his message across.
The message… STOP!
o It was an important message…
o he was using special signs to get it across.
Signs have always been used to get messages across to people:
o Whether square, rectangular, triangular, or octagonal…
o there is a message tied to the sign.
o Sometimes the sign’s message is very important and even critical
In our text this morning we’re told:
“This (changing water into wine) was the first of his SIGNS, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
- John 2:11
The miracles in John’s gospel were:
o intended to teach us something.
o They were like SIGNPOSTS showing us God’s message.
o that WAS the purpose of miracles.
And later in the book Gospel of John we’re told
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
- John 20:30-31
In other word, the miracles that Jesus did:
o were intended to say to people:
o PAY ATTENTION!
o This is the Son of God… this is the one you need to listen to!
1. The PARTY
“The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
John 2:1-3
Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding:
o The wedding is held in tiny place named Cana of Galilee
o Perhaps only a few dozen people lived there
o Cana was not far from Nazareth, where up 500 live
Marriage in those days was complicated:
- the engagement was a legally binding contract
- the engagement lasted 1 year, and
- the marriage was not consummated until the actual wedding ceremony
During the 1-year engagement:
o the Groom was expected to plan, save and pay
o for the wedding party
o provide a place to live where he could bring his bride
So, Jesus finds Himself at a wedding in Cana:
- While at the party that followed the wedding,
- we suppose there was dancing, drinking and food
- Then the wine began to run out.
Cana was a small place and:
- like all small places
- everyone knew everyone
- a lot of them were related to each other
Running out of wine would have been considered:
o a significant social disgrace at that time.
o Even a poor groom was expected to provide
o plenty of wine for his wedding party.
This setting provided the occasion for Jesus’ first miracle.
“When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
- John 2:3 (NLT)
It might be that Mary:
o was helping to serve at the wedding,
o she was likely a friend or extended family to the wedding couple
o her appeal to Jesus was for the host of the party.
She wanted to spare the Grooms family from:
- the shame of a ruined wedding party
o this would be a colossal embarrassment
o that would likely follow them the rest of their lives.
Remember everything is noticed and remembered in a small town
Some believe that Mary was asking:
o Jesus to go out and get more wine,
o It is more likely that she expected
o Jesus to do something miraculous.
Mary the mother of Jesus:
Knew Jesus like no other
Having lived with Him his whole life
Mary was more than aware of that Jesus was God
- having been a virgin and a mother
- having seen and heard from the angels
- having watched Him interact with the Rabbi’s in the templ
Mary would have had a front row seat to Jesus’ life:
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and man”
- Luke 2:52 (ESV)
So when Mary recognizes a problem:
- she simply comes to Jesus
- lays out the problem
- and tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says
What a fine example for us to follow:
- we must learn to bring our problems to Jesus
- and allow Him to work out the problem
- He is God, and we are not.
Mary did not worry or complain:
- she did not insist Jesus do things her way
- she put aside her anxiety and
- trust God to work out the matter
While the miracle we study today:
- is the first public miracle of Jesus
- it is the first time Jesus lets others
- see His Power and Glory
2. The PREDICAMENT
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” 5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
- John 2:4-5
Mary has approached:
o Jesus with the PREDICAMENT and
o Jesus responds to her.
Jesus addressed his mother as:
o “woman” or “dear woman,”
o He was not rebuking her, as it may seem.
o rather, his words demonstrated respect.
In the rest of that sentence:
o Jesus basically rejects her plan
o He does not want to get involved
o “Your concern and mine are not the same.”
When he said, “My time has not yet come,”:
o Jesus was likely indicating that the proper time
o had not yet come for his first miracle,
o though it was coming.
Keep in mind that Jesus was highly aware:
- that the CROSS was coming
- and certain things needed to take place
- at precise times and in correct order
The point was that he would not be hurried, not even by his mother
Let us take a minute and talk about time:
- God has the entire universe to manage
- and specific order in which things will take place
- God sets things in motion and orders the events of the world
I know several people here are suffering:
- you have needs and God seems late to provide
- why doesn’t God fix this problem,
- why is God waiting…did He forget me?
So, when things don’t happen:
- on a timeline that makes sense to us
- we need to acknowledge we don’t have all the information
- we need to double our faith and remember
God is rarely early, but He is never late!
We want things when we want them but we are limited:
- we don’t have the intelligence, wisdom or ability…
“to make all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
- Romans 8:28
We need to learn to trust God’s timing:
- He is doing more than we can see
- and whenever God shows up
- He is on time, so trust God’s time
Back to the text: the party is out of wine
- Mary does not want to see the party end
- Jesus responds that “it is not time”
- for Him to start His public ministry
Jesus’ Initial Response is:
o “My hour has not yet come,”
o It seems like Jesus is saying “Hard NO”
Mary didn’t give up:
o She instructed the servants to “Do whatever He tells you,”
o demonstrating her trust in Jesus and His ability
o to address the situation.
So in a way there seems to be a conflict:
- because we know Jesus does the miracle
- He does turn the water to wine and by doing so
- possibly accelerates the pace He must take to the cross
- EVEN though initially he indicated “NO”
What I think happened is that:
- Mary’s faith is on display by assuming that
- Jesus can and will do something about it,
- Jesus rewards her faith by providing for her request
We do know something moved Jesus:
- to change His plans
- to accommodate Mary’s need
- and I believe it was Mary’s faith that made the difference
3. The PROVISION
Jesus’ mother leaves Jesus standing there:
o with servants hanging on His every word and
o waiting for the slightest action.
o She has instructed them to Do what He tells you to do!
Now think about this:
what if the servants hadn’t done what Jesus told them to do…
would the water still have turned to wine? Possibly not.
Consider this then:
There are churches who don’t do what Jesus says to do.
There are preachers who don’t do what Jesus says to do.
There are Elders, and Sunday School teachers, and
regular folks at church who don’t do what Jesus says to do.
But If you’re a Christian, this is non-negotiable:
If Jesus tells you to do something… that’s what you do.
Especially if you want Him to do mighty things in your life,
your family, your job and your church.
“Standing nearby were six stone water jars (30 gallons each), used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”
John 2:6-10
Verse 7 shows us that the servants filled the jars with water.
Verse 8 shows that the servants drew out the liquid and took it to the tables
Verse 9 tells us the cups drawn from the jars was wine and not water
Jesus had turned water into wine:
There is no other explanation possible.
The vine was not needed.
A vineyard and winepress was not needed.
With the same power that JESUS said:
"let there be light" Genesis 1:3 and
"peace be still" Mark 4:39
Jesus, the Son of God, intervened and:
o through divine power changed
o what was water to wine.
o It is amazing! It is a miracle!
4. The PURPOSE
“This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
- John 2:11
John Chapter 1 was full of testimony concerning the deity of Jesus:
- The Apostle John declared that Jesus was the WORD
- that Jesus was at creation
- that Jesus was both fully man and fully God
Then John the testified that
- Jesus was the Savior and Messiah, Christ the anointed one
- that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy
- John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 (ESV)
The tail end of John chapter 1:
- Jesus calling his first disciples
- Peter, John, Philip and Nathaniel
- they had been disciples of John the Baptist
now they would follow Jesus!
Today we will look at John chapter 2:
- and we will see Jesus perform
- his first public miracle
- and the beginning of His public ministry
Jesus is revealing both His deity and His humanity:
- He is more than a poor carpenter
- from an obscure town in Israel
- He is God in the flesh and in front of them doing God things!
If you want to know what God looks like:
- look at Jesus
- look at His love and His miracles
- that is displayed on the cruel CROSS
John the Apostle and John the Baptist:
- have testified that Jesus is God
- but now Jesus testifies to His own DEITY
- by the miracles He can perform
Jesus performed:
the miracles and
something happened,
what happened?
“And his disciples believed in him.”
- John 2:11
Let’s wrap this up
Life seems to bring trouble to everyone:
- we need to turn to Jesus
- not to things that numb our pain or distract us
- not to false God or discouragement
When Mary had a problem:
- She went straight to Jesus
- that is a pattern we need to follow
- like the songs says “No one ever cared for me like Jesus”
The danger is that we can:
- get used to leaning on ourselves
- or leaning on friends or a thick bank account
- God wants us to lean on Him, and He will never fail you
Our attitude needs to be that of Mary:
- who had a heart of faith
- and confidence that Jesus would take care of the problem
- she turns it over to Jesus….and then trusted Him to Provide
In the face of troubles of many kinds we:
- can choose faith or we can choose fear
- we can choose worship or worry
- the challenge is to choose confidence in God
I like what the Psalmist sang:
- when face with disaster and oppression
- when he looked into the face of disaster and possibly death
- He smiled because he had confidence in GOD
“So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!”
Psalm 46:2-3 (NLT)
The Disciples say the miracle and believed…what about you, do you believe?
The entire purpose of John’s Gospel:
- is so that you might believe
- and in believing
- have life in His name
God is still in the miracle business:
- He is still transforming lost souls into Saints
- He is taking the spiritually dead and bringing them life
- He is taking the broken and making them beautiful
God is waiting on US
God is waiting on us to
o TURN FULLY TO HIM
o Not love the one who hung on the old rugged cross
o Not for His sin, but for MY SIN… and YOURS TOO
God is waiting for YOU:
o To believe that Jesus is who he says he is
? Lord, Savior and God
o To repent of our sin
o To confess Jesus as Lord
o To be baptized and united with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection
There is one person who God cannot save:
- it is the person who will not come to HIM
- who says I love my SIN and do not want a savior
- the one who rejects the SON cannot be saved…
God is waiting patiently for us…
Now is the time to come to Jesus:
- There will be a day when it is too late.
- When Jesus returns, and the Judgement is upon us, it will be too late.
- Right now you have the opportunity to turn to Jesus…
- He’s waiting
Will you come?
Credit:
o Some parts are from Troy Burst.
o Some thoughts from John McArthur’s sermon on this text
o Some of the opening illustrations and some of the body is from Jeff Strite.
