"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him" (John 2:11)
Introduction. Jesus came to earth on a definite mission. In order to accomplish His purpose it was necessary that men recognize Him and respond to Him as the Son of God. Jesus refused to utilize the spectacular method of revealing Himself that was suggested by Satan.
"Then the devil taketh him up to into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matt. 4:5-7).
Jesus wanted to use a more effective method than a sensational display of divine power. He decided to use signs to point to the truth of who He was. He taught and explained patiently and quietly the significance of these signs. By the sign of miracles He revealed Himself to be the divine Son of God. These miracles were never selfish. They were always for the benefit of someone in need.
The turning of water into wine was the first of seven great signs that John the apostle selected for use in his gospel in order to try to win converts to Jesus Christ. He was an evangelist and the fourth gospel was written from an evanglistic viewpoint.
Our text reveals that Jesus "manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." In this event they discovered something wonderful about His character, His power, His purpose, and His activity. This revelation encouraged them to have faith in Him. Let us look a little bit more closely at this miracle.
I. In This Miracle Christ Revealed His Concern for Marriage, Home Life and Fellowship.
A. Jesus was invited to a wedding. He should be invited to every wedding as a matter of fact, marriage has a spiritual significance. If Jesus were to invited to every wedding could you imagine just how much the divorce rate would decrease.
B. Jesus increased joy on a festive occasion by this miracle of turning water into wine.
C. Jesus appears to be much at home in the midst of social fellowship around the table.
II. In This Miracle Jesus Revealed His Supernatural Power Over Nature.
A. "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). "All things" (panta)- every detail of creation, from the tiniest atom to the largest planet in the universe. All things "were made" (egeneto) came into being, nothing existed, no substance, no matter, He took nothing but His will and power and spoke all things into existence.
B. The moment He set the earth on its axis and caused it to rotate around the sun for a 24 hour period the earth has never missed a beat. He continues to be in control of His creation. When the water turned into wine for this wedding reception Jesus He was expressing the power He continues to have over nature.
III. In This Miracle Jesus Revealed His Availability and Ability to Make the Last Better Than the First.
A. The water that was turned into wine was far better than the wine which was served first.
B. Life with Christ is always better than the life which was lived before Christ was permitted to enter our heart.
A story is told of a couple approaching their pastor one Sunday morning, they both had great smiles on their faces. They called the pastor’s attention to the fact that this was their birthday, their spiritual birthday. It was their first anniversary as children of God. The wife spoke for both and said, "This year has been better than all of the rest put together." Christ had caused the last to be better than the first.
A man with a large family of small children was led to put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. His wife followed his example and they became devout and faithful members of the church. Approximately one year later this man approached the treasurer of his church with $600 in cash. He expressed a desire to contribute $100 to the church’s building program and he wanted to contribute the other $500 to the foreign mission enterprise. The new Christian told the church treasurer how happy he was in faith and how much joy Christ had brought into his life. He wanted to give expression to that graditude by giving a tithe of his net worth at the time.
He did this without any suggestion from anyone. He was giving a dramatic testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ always makes the last better than the first.
IV. In This Miracle Jesus Revealed His Policy of Enriching Everything That Is Placed At His Disposal.
A. Jesus turned the water into a superior wine.
B. The loaves and fishes of the little boy were placed in the hands of Jesus. He blessed them and the disciples distributed them and five thousand men plus women and children were fed.
C. Saul of Tarsus was a man with a great mind and with a great ambition. Finally he was stopped in his mad career of persecution by a unique experience with the living Christ. He fully and completely yeilded to the lordship of Jesus. Christ enriched, enlarged and improved the heart, mind and soul of this man.
D. Jesus never robs, steals, or impoverishes. He always returns to us something better than what we are able to present to Him.
E. Jesus gives His very best to the lowly and to the needy (Mark 10:45).
Conclusion. This miracle revealed His graciousness, this miracle revealed His sufficiency, this miracle revealed the security of those who trust and obey Him.
The disciples beheld these things and were so convinced that they were moved to put their complete trust in Him. His way of life became their way of life. I wonder does this event impart faith to you? I wonder does this sign encourage you to trust Him more and to obey Him more completely?
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever" (Heb. 13:8). He is concerned about your whole welfare. He has the power of God at His disposal. He is able and disposed to make your future better than the past. He has a permanent policy of enriching and returning that which is placed at His disposal. He can meet the deepest needs of your life both now and in the future (John 14:1-3). The best is yet to come.
