"transfomed" Series

“Transformed!”

John 2:1-11

So, it’s good when you start, to start at the beginning. The miracle we just observed is the famous miracle at the wedding of Cana. The changing of the water to wine. John tells us this was the first time Jesus revealed His glory. So we arrive at the belief that this was the first miracle Jesus performed. He would then go on to perform nearly 40 miracles we have record of. But be reminded of what John tells us in this same gospel: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

But this was the first. This was when His ministry is launched into the public eye and this miracle changed the course of His ministry and nothing would ever be the same again. It’s interesting to me that Jesus chose to perform this, first miracle at a wedding. However, we don’t think He went there with the intention of doing so. In v. 4 we read his reply to Mary, “dear Woman, that’s not our problem. My time has not yet come.” I sense that already there was a tension beginning to build in Jesus’s ministry where some were ready and others were not. The time space between when Jesus was at the temple at the age of 12 has not been almost 20 years and we are reminded that less than a week has now gone by since Jesus appeared in the desert. A week. John had prophesied Jesus was coming and pointed him out and said, “Behold the lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.” Up to this point this is some of the biggest news to ever be spoken/announced. A system was taught in the OT for hundreds of years; man would search for the perfect sacrifice; a lamb perhaps; no blemish. The lamb would then be sacrificed, blood was shed; man was forgiven. Still to this day we live by the verse---without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

Now Jesus has arrived and the course of history changes.

We can’t know how many guests were there but clearly this was a family event for Jesus; not only was his mother, Mary present, so were his brothers. (Verse 12) John gets right to the pointy—there was a problem—they had run out of wine so Mary goes to Jesus. Now, remember, at this point we have no record of any miracle Jesus has performed; this was his first. But two things do come to mind for me… (1) Perhaps Mary had seen something privately---we don’t know but (2) also; there was His birth. Mary gave birth to Jesus knowing she was a virgin. Certainly by this time, Mary was aware that her son, Jesus was the very Son of God, Himself.

His response to Mary is interesting to say the least. Here it is. “Woman, that’s not our problem.” There are certain phrases that don’t seem to easily translate into English and this is one of them. This term “woman” as used in the day of Jesus was like the word Mam. Yes mam and no mam. Thongs are beginning to change. Mary, apparently expecting this need to be taken care of (I picture she sorta winked at Jesus at this point; like you know Jesus do your stuff/thing.” ? Then she says do whatever He tells you. That’s still a great truth to live by … in fact let me elaborate on that.

• Do whatever he tells you. Mary knew Jesus could do whatever was necessary as long as the servants obeyed. Their obedience was all that was necessary. Same today.

• Jesus is more than able to do whatever is needed in your family life.

• Jesus is more than able to do whatever is necessary to heal a relationship; to heal a sickness. Anything.

And the public is about to see that for the first time. Get this. Jesus, the miracle worker can take anything that is broken and fix it. There is a huge truth we need to see here. When Jesus was teaching on the subject of fasting he asks an important question, “Who would patch old clothing with a new cloth?” Now many of us would say, I know who would. My mama! If you ripped a hole in your jeans as a kid she sewed a patch on it. But if you remember, it probably didn’t last very long. Jesus says the new patch will shrink and rip away from the old cloth and leave a bigger hole than was there before. Further he says that’s why you don’t put new wine into old wineskins. They just can’t hold it. Here’s the truth. The old clothing, just like our old life, can’t be fixed. It can’t be mended. It has to be replaced. Jesus doesn’t call us to turn over a new leaf; He calls us to get a new life.