Beginning the Second “P” “The Public Ministry of Jesus”
Picture # 1: The Results Of Believing; and What Happens To The Person Who Believes That Jesus Christ Is The Christ!
Text: John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
Review: What is the purpose of John’s writing his Gospel?
John 20:31 That one might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing, one might have eternal life.
The world situation of Jesus’ day:
The Jew/Gentile problem/Jamnia:
The Jews in Jesus’ day were looking for the kingdom in behalf of themselves, and they thought that God would restore their religion and establish an earthly kingdom.
The Jews looked for the Messiah to be a military leader who would establish an earthly reign of peace and power.
At the Wedding Feast at Cana, we see that Jesus is the Messiah and He has come into His power.
It should be noted that Cana is in Galilee and is a place of living for the Gentiles; so it’s very significant that the first miracle is in a place filled with people other than Jewish people.
That’s a statement to us that the kingdom of God is not conformed to one people or one nation, but is filled with all peoples.
The symbolism in this miracle is an example of the spiritual marriage of the believer to Christ; where the believer is the bride of Christ, and Christ is the bridegroom (Romans 7:4).
“So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God” (Romans 7:4).
This is a miracle in which Jesus turns approximately 180 gallons of water into the finest wine.
That’s 720 quart bottles of wine, or 11,520 eight-ounce glasses of wine.
That’s a lot of wine, and remember that the wedding is almost half over.
This abundance of wine is symbolic of God’s love and grace.
There is always enough of God’s love, mercy and grace for everyone, and there is always some of God’s love, mercy and grace left over.
One little girl told her Sunday School teacher that this was her favorite story in the Bible.
Her teacher said, “Yes, that’s a wonderful miracle, isn’t it!”
Then she asked the little girl what that miracle tells us.
The little girl said, “When you’re out of wine, all you have to do is get down on your knees and pray!”
I spent about 4 hours looking at articles and commentaries researching the meaning of this miracle, and I guess I could have saved myself a lot of time by asking this little girl for an interpretation.
For this little girl, the answer was simple.
When you’re in need, all you have to do is get down on your knees and pray; for she knew that Jesus would provide.
A Jewish wedding in the time of Jesus was a lot different from our weddings today.
In the time of Jesus, a wedding was an event in which the whole town participated.
The wedding ceremony would take place late in the evening after a time of great feasting.
The father of the bride would take his daughter on his arm, and with the entire wedding party following behind them, they would parade through the streets of their home town so everyone could come out and congratulate the bride.
The wedding party would take the longest route through the village, so as many people as possible could wish them well.
Then, the wedding party would arrive at the home of the groom, and the actual wedding would take place in the archway of the front door of the groom’s house.
It was no short ceremony, and festivities lasted for days; for it was a time of great celebration.
The groom’s family was expected to provide all the refreshments for this week of festivities, and to run out of food or drink for the wedding guests was a social nightmare.
Think of all the things that can go wrong at a wedding today.
At the many weddings I have officiated, here are some of the things I have seen go wrong:
1. The groom didn’t have his shirt, and had to go and get it 20 minutes before the actual wedding, and his shirt was about 20 miles from the church.
2. The bride and the groom cry during the actual service.
3. The new in-laws are arguing with one another before the wedding and during the wedding reception.
4. The photographer is inconsiderate and takes flash pictures during the actual ceremony.
5. Family members stand up on the pews and take pictures when they have been asked not to take flash photography during the ceremony.
6. A ring bearer rolled a plastic eyeball on the floor in front of the bride and groom.
But to run out of food or wine at a wedding was worse than any of these incidents that have happened to me and was a terrible humiliation for the family of both the bride and the groom.
To run out of wine would have certainly been the talk and gossip of the town for years to come.
Our story in John Chapter 2 goes something like this:
There was a wedding that took place in the town of Cana of Galilee.
Jesus’ mother was there, along with Jesus, and 4 of his newly enlisted disciples: Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathaniel.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, heard that the wine was running out.
Trying to avoid a social disaster for the wedding couple and their families, Mary goes to Jesus and tells Him the situation.
Jesus has a brief conversation with His mother, telling her that His time has not yet come; which is a prophecy by Jesus that His time for the Cross has not yet come.
Mary, not understanding what Jesus is talking about, but having faith that Jesus will take care of the situation, tells the servants to “do whatever Jesus tells them to do” (verse 5).
Note that Jesus responds not to Mary, but to His Father’s perfect will, and Jesus tells the servants to fill 6 stone water jars (the # 6 is the number of man) with water, and then to draw some of the water out and bring it to the master of the banquet (verse 8; Revelation 13:16-18; “man’s number is 666”).
By then, the water had been turned into fine wine.
John tells us that this miracle is a sign.
What is a sign?
A road sign is not the destination itself, but instead it points us toward the destination.
Signs are placed where they are placed in order to give us information, or point us in the right direction.
The miracles of Christ point us toward, and reveal to us the glory of God.
This miracle caused the disciples to believe in Jesus.
This miracle was a sign pointing the believer to Jesus.
So, Jesus used the potential social disaster of this wedding as a sign to show the disciples who He was, the Son of God.
What is the first “P” in the Gospel of John: The Purpose for writing the Gospel?
“That all who believe in Him might have eternal life” (John 20:31).
This miracle is an image of transformation, and this is the essence of the miracle.
The water is transformed into the finest of wine.
We, who are sinners, are transformed into instruments of God’s love and grace.
The 6 stone jars, which hold water to be used for ceremonial washing, are transformed from ritual washing jars into pure drinking vessels.
Folks, the greatest picture of the salvation experience of the Christian that’s found in the Bible is found here in John 2:9-11.
God transforms us to become transformers ourselves, and we cannot read the Gospel and come to know Christ as our Lord and Savior without being transformed.
It simply is impossible to come to know Jesus and not be changed into a new being as a result of our encounter with the Divine.
That’s what being “Born Again” is all about!
The miracle of the wedding at Cana invites us to catch a glimpse of the identity and the character of God, and be transformed.
It’s a miracle of the abundance of God’s love and grace.
But it’s also a story of transformation and new possibilities.
The wine Jesus produced was the finest of wines.
That also is a sign to us, that the best is yet to come.
Jesus didn’t produce some ordinary wine, but the best of wine.
He doesn’t just put a Band-Aid on our needs, but He transforms our life.
Have you ever been to the ocean and looked out over the ocean?
There is more beauty than our eyes can absorb.
Have you ever seen a field of wildflowers?
There are enough wildflowers to fill your living room.
God always gives us more than you will ever need, and the very best from God always comes at the end.
For the Christian, the very best of God will come when we’re eternally with Him.
For us, salvation is the best.
And Heaven will be the best.
Rev. Jimmy Davis
Bayview Baptist Church
5300 Two Notch Road
Columbia, SC 29204
Telephone: 803-754-8690
Email: BayviewBaptist@aol.com
