September 13, 1997
I. Introduction:
Our study this morning is entitled “From Embarrassment To Excellence.” How many of you had some embarrassing moments that until now you can’t forget? Maybe something that happened during your high school days, or college days, or maybe at your work.
Let me share with you something that happened fifteen years ago. I was in my fourth year high school then. And there was this sophomore young lady that my friends were teasing me to befriend and court. So I checked this young lady and I found out that she was okey. By the way, my wife is here and she doesn’t know anything about this until now. So anyway, the following day was a Wednesday, there would be a Mid-Week Prayer Meeting. And the person responsible for that Mid-Week Prayer Meeting was in a rush trying to find participants for the program. He asked me if I would be willing to do the closing prayer. I told him that I don’t like to participate in the program and would prefer being with my friends doing some naughty things. But he insisted. He said that one of the participants, the one who will do the opening prayer is a young lady that my friends were teasing me with. “Well, well,” I said. “Maybe I can do the closing prayer then.” So I accepted his request just to have the chance to get acquainted with this young lady.
Finally, Wednesday evening came. Time for the Mid-Week Prayer meeting to start. After a short prayer, we were on our way to the pulpit. We sung the opening song and the opening prayer was offered. Then the special song and then the sermon. Finally, we sung the closing song, but when I was about to step forward toward the microphone, the speaker came forward ahead of me and, without hesitation, he offered the closing prayer. While he was praying, I could sense that some of my friends at the back of the room were silently laughing. At the same time I was thinking about what other parts in the program that I can do to at least show the people that I did something during the meeting and not just escort this young lady. The speaker finished his prayer, and all I can do is to get out of the building feeling embarrassed. After I got out of the building, my friends, for sure, teased me as hard as they can.
But that embarrassing incident did not stop me from pursuing that young lady. And five years later, we got married. Just last month, we celebrated our tenth year wedding anniversary through God’s blessing.
II. BODY
This morning we will see another story that turned into embarrassment for those who were involved. This story is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 2 and starting from verse 1 to verse 11. Here we see a wedding in progress. The place was Cana, Galilee. Jesus’ mother was invited as well as Jesus himself and his disciples. But while the wedding reception was progressing, while the guests were enjoying the food and the fellowship, it was found that the wine had ran out. Upon learning this situation, Mary walked toward Jesus and his disciples and announced that the wine had ran out. There are several possible reasons that would explain her concern for the lack of wine.
First, the fact that Mary and Jesus and his disciples were invited suggests that this wedding was a wedding of a close friend if not a close relative of Mary and Jesus. If this is the case, Mary’s role in the wedding was that of a matron of honor, and she may have helped with catering the feast. And therefore when the wine ran out, she took it as a matter of personal responsibility. This was an embarrassment not only for the bride and the groom but for her. And the way Jesus answered his mother suggests that Mary wanted Jesus to do something about the situation.
Second, it was a common practice at this time for guests to bring or supply wine for the wedding. Wine supply during the wedding was, therefore, dependent upon the generosity of the guests. Mary’s remark to Jesus in verse 3 may have been by way of rebuke to Him and His disciples for not bringing their fair share. Such situation would put Jesus and his mother in a delicate situation in which Mary was trying to extricate them by encouraging Jesus to use His special power. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that Mary wanted Jesus to do something about the situation.
Jesus in return replied, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? “My time has not yet come.” Jesus’ response seems disrespectful, especially when he calls his mother “woman.” This was not necessarily disrespectful. In the writings of Josephus, a Jewish historian, a much loved wife was called “woman” by her husband. So although Jesus is not disrespectful to his mother, he doesn’t agree with her saying, “My time has not yet come.” We know that Jesus had a timetable for everything that he did. Everything that he did was according to the will and plans of His heavenly Father, not His earthly mother.
Important point: There is time for everything
If Jesus, all powerful and all knowing, had a timetable to follow, how much more we as weak and limited human beings. Most of the time we get into trouble because we don’t follow the right timetable for our situation. When we go to the store and find something unusual, even if we can’t afford it at that particular time, we buy it using our credit cards. We can’t wait. Some young people can’t wait to get married; so they married before they are matured enough to be able to cope with the responsibilities of a marriage life. The result is—the relationship end up in divorce.
Others can’t wait to get out of school. So they get out of school without earning a career.
The response of Jesus to his mother tells us that there is a time for everything. Instead of arguing with her Son, Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus would ask them to do. Here we see a demonstration of Mary’s faith. She knew that somehow Jesus would give in to her request. One quotation says, “There are a thousand ways of pleasing God, but none without faith.” This is exactly what Mary did.
Important Point: God’s NO to our requests in not the final answer.
Sometimes we hear God saying no to our request/s. We feel discourage when our requests and petitions are not answered right away. Mary’s instruction to the servants reminds us that God’s negative answer to our requests is not the final answer. Somehow, God in his wisdom will provide us with what we need. We must be persistent. Samuel Johnson once said, “ Great works are performed, not by strength but by perseverance.” But most of all, we must keep our faith on Him.
Finally, Mary’s faith was recognized. Jesus changes his mind and ordered the servants to fill six stone water jars, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons, with water. The servants in return filled the jars with water up to the brim. Again, Jesus commanded the servants to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.
Important Point: Christ is the answer to human inadequacy
Although he refused first to the request of his mother, here we see Jesus changing his plan in order to accommodate his mother’s request and satisfy human inadequacy, here represented by the shortage of wine. Christ is the answer to human inadequacy, insufficiency, and failure. There are some of us here this morning who might be experiencing inadequacy in life. That inadequacy may be about financial matter, Christ is the answer. Perhaps that inadequacy is about you marital or family relationship, Christ is the answer. If that inadequacy concerns your physical strength, Christ is the answer. Maybe you feel inadequate in what you do right now, Christ is the answer. Maybe that inadequacy is about your relationship to God, Christ is the answer. Whatever inadequacies and insufficiencies we may have, Christ has the power to satisfy and fulfill our needs. He is even willing to change his plan so that he could meet our needs.
The same Jesus who performed this miracle, turning water into wine, is the same Jesus that we serve and worship this morning. Jesus could perform the same miracle in our lives. He could turn our embarrassment to excellence. He can turn our failures into fame. He can turn our sorrows into joys. He can turn our weakness into strength. He has the power to recreate us. One quotation goes like this “Nature forms us; sin deforms us, school informs us; but only Christ transforms us.”
When the master of the banquet tasted the water that turned into wine, he called the bridegroom aside 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.” Here we something going against the custom of the time. At that time it was customary for the groom and the bride or the caterer to serve first the best of whatever they have, in particular the wine. And when the guests are already filled and drunk, the host will serve the cheap one. But here we see a different pattern. All throughout the wedding, until at this point, only the best wine was served. The secret—Jesus was there.
Important Point: When we have Christ we will never ran out of good wine to serve others.
When we have Jesus we will never ran out of that bright and contagious smiles in our dealings with our fellow men. When we have Jesus, we will never ran out of good examples to show others who have not yet accepted Him. When we have Jesus, we will never ran out of good deeds and compassion for others. When we have Jesus, we will never ran out of love, forgiveness, self-denial, and respect for others. We will always serve the best and only the best in spite of whatever the situation may be.
But now we come to the final point of this story. So far we have gathered from this story four important lessons.
1. We have learned that Christ has his master plan and timetable to follow.
2. We have learned that God’s NO to our requests and petitions is NOT the final answer.
3. We also learned that Jesus is willing to change his plan in order to meet human needs. Christ is the answer to human inadequacy and insufficiency.
4. We have learned that when we have Christ, we will never ran out of all the best that we could offer to our fellow human beings.
Our final point is something that John really wanted his Jewish readers to realize. This is, in fact, one of the major themes in the Gospel of John. John wanted the Jewish people to recognize that Jesus is the replacement of old Jewish rituals and institutions.
Old things have passed away, and the new has come.
A. In verses 19-22, “Jesus Clears the Temple,” Jesus replaces the temple with His body. He said to them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
B. In the Nicodemus story, Jesus replaces the miracle of physical birth with a spiritual birth from above (3:3-6).
C. And at the story of the woman at the well, Jesus replaces Jacob with Himself (4:12), He replaces physical water with spiritual water (vss. 7-10), and worship at Jerusalem with spiritual worship (vss. 21-24)
Here in the wedding story, Jesus is doing the same thing. Notice in verse 6 of chapter 2, “Nearby stood six stone jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.” Then Jesus commanded the servants to fill the jars with water. In effect, Jesus replaces the waters of Judaism with the wine of His blood. Christ is saying to this people, “Your obsession for purification can’t be solved by ceremonial water cleansing. You need the wine of my blood to clean up your mess and filthiness.”
The replacement of water with wine represented the fact that Jesus offered “something better” than Judaism. He was a replacement for the washings, the temple, the feasts, and the regulations of the Jewish system. All that the Jewish worshiper sought for in washings, temple, feast could be found in abundance in Jesus. Jesus became the replacement of everything.
In the cross on Calvary, Jesus became our replacement. He was our Substitute. The nakedness that Adam and Eve felt after sinning against God was replaced by Jesus’ nakedness. The thorns and thistles that came out as a result of sin, Jesus wore it upon His head. The sweat and suffering that was intended for all humanity was replaced by Christ when He shed His blood and suffered death. Our embarrassment became His embarrassment. Our disgrace became His disgrace. Our death became His death.
The question is—Is there anything in our life that needs Christ’s replacement? Is our attitude toward others need to be replaced by the attitude of Christ? Is our way of speaking need to be replaced by Christ’s way of speaking? Is our priority in life need to be replaced by Christ’s priority? Is our faith need to be replaced by Christ faith?
Christ is the Substitute of all substitutes for real life. But in order for Him to replace our “water” into the “wine of His blood” we must invite Him to be part of our celebration. He must be part of our fellowship. He must be part of plans and ambitions. He must be part of our life.
In closing, I want to share with you this poem written by Myra Brooks Welch entitled:
The Touch of The Master’s Hand
It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth the while,
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bid for this old violin?
Who will start the bidding for me?
A dollar, a dollar, who’ll make it two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
“Three dollars once, three dollars twice,
Going for three,” but no;
From the back of the room a gray haired man
Came up and took up the bow.
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening all the strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angels sing.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand, and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going, and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them said,
“We do not quite understand,
What changed its worth?”
A reply came, “The touch of the master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game, and he shuffles along;
He’s going once, and he’s going twice,
He’s going and almost gone.
But the Master comes, and the thoughtless crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of the soul, and the change that it brought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
This morning Christ wants Him to be our replacement and substitute. He wants to touch our sin-marred lives and change its value. Are you willing to be replaced and be touch by Him? If this is your desire, I want to invite you to stand as we offer our lives to Him.
