KEEP THE PARTY GOING!
John 2:1-11
S: Celebration of Change
Th: My Life as God’s Light
Pr: JESUS HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE US.
?: What? What changes can He make?
KW: Changes
TS: We will find in John 2:1-11 three changes Jesus has the power to make in us.
The ____ change that Jesus has the power to make in us is from…
I. SADNESS TO GLADNESS (1-3)
II. INEFFECTIVENESS TO USEFULNESS (4-8)
III. HOPELESSNESS TO WHOLENESS (9-11)
RMBC 01/28/01 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Wedding (no deposit, no return)
At a wedding rehearsal, the minister told the father of the bride, "As you give your daughter’s hand to the bridegroom, you should say something nice to him."
The father, a grocery store manager, took the advice. During the wedding ceremony, he placed the bride’s hand on his son-in-law’s arm and said, "No deposit, no return."
Perhaps that wasn’t what that minister had in mine, but this I do know…
Weddings are great opportunities for celebration.
ILL Personal (great memories)
When it comes to wedding ceremonies, I get a front row seat. I get to see and hear things that are hidden from most people. Some of it is a lot of fun and it is always, always a privilege to partake in this sacred transaction.
But I have had some unusual experiences…
One of the first weddings I performed, the bride was an hour late. I expected the groom to be panicking, but he was cool as a cucumber. In fact, I was the one panicking and he kept telling, “She’ll be here.” She did come.
Another time, I performed a wedding for a Jewish groom and a Filipino bride. The ceremony had traditions from both sides. At the end, I gave the Aaronic blessing, “The Lord bless you and keep you…” in Hebrew. Afterwards, the groom’s side of the family kept speaking to me in Hebrew during the reception because I had done it so well, they mistakenly thought I spoke it fluently.
In another wedding, I was standing by the candelabra as the couple prayed. The candles were the spring-loaded type that push the candle up as it burns, but one had come loose, and shot up out of the candelabra. I caught it in mid-air, put it back, all in one motion. Only a few people saw it.
At Scott and Anna Mae’s wedding reception, they put a camera at each table, which to say the least was very dangerous. But I don’t think they ever suspected that my wife would go around the room taking pictures of the baldheaded men in the room.
Weddings are great times of celebration and special moments.
TRANSITION:
In our passage today, we find Jesus at a wedding.
And just as we find them now, or as we should find them now, weddings are times to celebrate God’s design.
It is a time of the glorified ideal.
At the same time, it is a nervous event brimming with potential confusion.
You know…
1. Jesus had a way of making events memorable.
Jesus is going to make a difference.
He has already made a difference in the lives of John, James, Peter, Andrew, Philip and Nathanael.
They have already dropped what they were doing and accompanied him back to their homeland of Galilee.
Now they find themselves with Jesus at a wedding in Nathanael’s hometown.
Jewish weddings are grand events with drama and excitement.
For the Israelite, it was most grand event in life where festivities would last for days.
The ceremony would take place in the evening following a feast.
Then the couple would be taken to their new home in a parade, through the most roundabout route possible in the town.
Instead of a honeymoon as is our tradition, they had an open house for a week, where they were treated like a king and queen, and granted any request that they made.
At this wedding, this new couple would eventually learn this lesson because of an impending disaster…
2. When Jesus touches something, it changes.
What Jesus touches—changes.
This means that…
3. JESUS HAS THE POWER TO BRING CHANGE.
But what difference can He make?
Well, that is what we hope to find out this morning, for…
4. We will find in John 2:1-11 three changes Jesus has the power to make.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first change that Jesus has the power to make is from SADNESS TO GLADNESS (1-3).
(1) 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. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
This may seem as an overstatement of the obvious, but I think it is worthy of notice because of its implications.
1. Jesus went to weddings.
And His Presence brings a blessing to the situation.
Marriage is the design of God.
Not only that, it was a time of celebration.
For those of you who prefer quieter settings, don’t go to a Jewish wedding.
Jewish weddings are not sedate events.
They are full of music, noise and dancing.
So, at Jesus’ first truly public event, we find him at a wedding.
But at this wedding, disappointment is looming at the doorstep.
ILL Notebook: Disappointment (it’s a girl)
It reminds me of the family that in the military, they moved often, and so their chil-dren learned to make friends quickly. One snowy day their six-year-old son wanted to go out to play because he saw a potential friend playing outside in the snow. He got into a snowsuit so that only his eyes were visible. Before long though, he was back home with a disgusted look on his face. "What’s wrong?" his mother asked. With all the loathing a six-year-old can muster, he said, "It was a girl."
For a six-year old, that is a disappointment!
Well, at this wedding…
2. A true disaster was in the making.
The wine had run out.
This would be a huge disruption, and the host family would look very bad.
In this culture, they will not have fully discharged the duties of hospitality.
Perhaps it is because they were poor.
Perhaps they have miscalculated.
Whatever the reason, this was such a faux pas in their culture, that the family would be liable for a lawsuit.
ILL Notebook: Lack (Got wine?)
We’ve all seen those billboard commercials sponsored by the American Dairy Association that picture actors and other famous people with a milk mustache. The caption reads, “Got Milk?” Well, you probably didn’t realize it, but in the time of Jesus they had the same billboards, only they were put out by the Israeli Wine Association and had the caption, “Got Wine?”
You see, at the Jewish wedding feast, wine was an essential.
It was a symbol of exhilaration and celebration.
So much so that…
3. No wine meant no joy.
It was a picture of the joy being gone.
There was a saying by the rabbis, “Without wine, there is no joy.”
Even Psalm 104:15 says, “Wine gladdens the heart of man.”
The running out of wine was a bad sign for the marriage.
But what must be remembered is that Jesus is here.
He is going to take the sadness of this situation and produce gladness.
II. The second change that Jesus has the power to make Is from INEFFECTIVENESS TO USEFULNESS (4-8).
(4) “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” (5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (6) 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.” They did so…
Priorities are hard things for people to determine, aren’t they?
ILL Notebook: Priority (football)
With the Super Bowl being played today, I thought is was appropriate to share this quote by Bill Shankly:
"Some people think football is a matter of life and death... I can assure them it is much more serious than that."
No doubt, some seem to see football that way, and their priorities are mixed up.
In this passage, we see that…
1. Jesus establishes His priorities.
This is an interesting passage, for whatever Mary expects Jesus to do is left unsaid.
We are left only to guess.
But it does seem that she expected Him to do something that He knew wasn’t to be done.
But His answer is not one of rebuke, although our translations sometimes may make it sound that way.
This is because the original language is a bit awkward.
His answer, though, is one of respect and affection.
And His response does not stop Mary, for she trusts His resourcefulness.
She gives the workers a direct order, “Do what He says.”
This teaches us an important lesson…
2. No matter how odd it may seem, doing what Jesus says always makes sense.
As the Nike commercial says, “Just do it!”
You know, there is a section of Christianity that prays to Mary so that she will intercede to Jesus on our behalf.
But the only time that Mary is recorded as interceding with Jesus, she says, “Do whatever He tells you to do.”
Now that’s good advice, because He turns sadness to gladness.
And He turns ineffectiveness to usefulness.
For now…
3. Jesus performs an unexpected miracle.
By His transforming power, He brings change.
The servants didn’t know what to do.
The master of ceremonies didn’t know what to do.
The groom and the groom’s family, which would have been responsible, didn’t know what to do.
They were all ineffective.
Now notice what Jesus does.
He gives instructions to be followed.
But there is no prayer.
There is no word of command.
There is no hysterical shouting.
There is no pleading with a screwed-up face.
There is no laying on of hands.
There is no binding of Satan.
There is no hocus-pocus or mumbo-jumbo.
Nothing.
He does not event taste the wine to see if it really happened.
There is a beautiful and simple dignity that He brings as He makes the needed changes.
III. The third change that Jesus has the power to make is from HOPELESSNESS TO WHOLENESS (9-11).
ILL Notebook: Hope (drums)
Five boys in a nearby house practicing in their rock band sometimes shattered the calm of Diane Carswell’s peaceful neighborhood. One day, while the family was away, their house was broken into and the family was robbed. Seeing the police outside, a neighbor rushed over and asked Diane eagerly, "Did they get the drums?”
Well, you can hardly blame the neighbor for the hope he had, but I wonder if the people in this story knew what to hope for.
I suppose they were feeling desperate for a solution because there wasn’t one available.
But, you see, when Jesus is involved there is always hope.
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.” (11) 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.
1. Jesus gives abundantly and extravagantly.
In one quiet act, Jesus produces 180 gallons of wine.
And a new technique of serving is discovered.
Usually it was the custom to put out the better wine at the beginning when the palates were still sensitive.
But at this wedding feast, the better wine was coming later.
This shows that what Jesus has produced is no cheap, watered down version.
This is wine of the highest quality.
And…
2. The party is able to continue because, for Jesus, people matter.
I am sure that life would have gone on without the new wine.
The feast may not have been all it should have been, but everyone would have survived it.
Nevertheless, Jesus acts.
For Jesus’ heart went out to the hosts as He felt their embarrassment and cared about their predicament.
To Jesus, people mattered and He keeps the party going!
But not only that…
3. Jesus performs miracles so that people will understand His nature and purpose.
John calls it a sign, because this miracle had a deeper meaning.
He does this throughout the gospel.
He lists seven miracles, and though he could have testified of more, he purposely selects these seven.
John wants us to know that with this miracle that Jesus has transforming power.
He can bring about change because people matter to Him.
For Jesus’ new disciples, a profound change is happening.
They have known enough up to this point to follow Jesus.
But now they know enough to trust Him.
They believe.
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Change (Catherine’s bush)
Years ago in Russia, a czar came upon a lonely sentry standing at attention in a secluded corner of the palace garden. "What are you guarding?" asked the czar. "I don’t know. The captain ordered me to this post," the sentry replied.
The czar called the captain. His answer: "Written regulations specify a guard was to be assigned to that area." The czar ordered a search to find out why. The archives finally revealed the reason. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a rose bush in that corner and ordered a sentry to protect it for that evening. One hundred years later, sentries were still guarding that barren spot.
You know, we are often stuck in the situation we are in because we refuse the change that needs to take place.
But I want to say unequivocally today that each one of us needs the change that Jesus brings.
And my invitation to you will seem strangely familiar if you were here last week.
They come from the mouth of Philip, who said…
1. Come and see!
Come and see what Jesus can do for you.
Don’t underestimate what God is capable of doing today.
For life is empty and without purpose without Jesus in it.
You see, for those of us that once tasted grace cautiously, we now drink freely, for Jesus has poured out in us the richness of His love and forgiveness.
And what He has done in us, He can do for you.
For…
2. Jesus can turn your sadness to gladness.
He turns frowns into smiles.
He turns whimpers of fear into songs of hope.
He turns deserts into gardens and sorrow into joy.
He can replace your sin with grace.
He can change the course of your life from death to abundant and extravagant life.
And…
3. Jesus can turn your ineffectiveness to usefulness.
Note this…
We can fill water jars, but it is Jesus who turns water into wine.
We do the ordinary, commonplace, normal, but it is Jesus who touches it, brings it to life and gives it flavor, fragrance and effect.
And finally…
4. Jesus can turn your hopelessness to wholeness.
No matter how hard you are finding it today, know this…Jesus is concerned with your everyday life.
And He wants you to know a life that gets better as it goes on.
He wants to turn the water of your life into the best wine.
You see, the grace He offers comes in abundance.
And the change He brings…joy.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Let Jesus change your sadness to gladness…if you are unfulfilled today; if your heart is so heavy you can barely stand; if your life seems so characterized with wrongdoing that the relationships of your life are a mess—it is a time to let Jesus take your sadness and make you glad.
Let Jesus change your ineffectiveness to usefulness…if you feel as if you are spinning your wheels; if you feel that you are in a rut and your life is unproductive; if you feel you are running out of gas—it is time to let Jesus take your uselessness and make you useful.
Let Jesus change your hopelessness to wholeness…if you feel you are ready to give up; if life seems to be getting worse rather than better—it is time to let Jesus turn the water of your life into the best wine as He turns your emptiness to wholeness.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
