John 2:1-11: The Messiah's Vintage

Intro

Why was Jesus’ first miracle turning water into wine?

You may have wondered that before.

Jesus did all kinds of miraculous things.

He cast out demons. Healed the sick. Raised the dead.

Walked on water. Calmed the storm.

And yet, Jesus’ first miracle recorded in the Bible was, if we could say it, mundane in comparison.

Water into wine at a wedding in Cana.

Why was this Jesus’ first miracle?

Was it just a display of divine power? An awesome work of Christ’s sovereignty over creation?

Or…was it theologically significant?

Something that shows us who Christ is and what He’s accomplished as the Messiah?

John 2:11 gives us the answer.

John 2:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Turning water into wine was the first of Jesus’ signs.

Sign is a very important word in the Gospel of John.

The miracles John chooses are very intentional.

The very last verse even says that if every one of them were written down, the world itself would not be able to contain all the books (John 21:25).

So John chooses these signs, these miracles for a purpose.

And John even tells us what that is.

John 20:31 These signs were written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

These signs are written down to make us see that Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of God, and to compel us to believe in His Name.

That means these miracles, as signs, that point to something greater than themselves.

They aren’t just displays of power. They are theology in action.

And as signs they have to be spiritually discerned.

The only way to see the signs for what they are is with the eyes of faith, and we have to look at these signs and ask ourselves what is spiritually being shown about who Christ is and what He’s done?

How does this sign theologically point to Christ and inspire faith in His Name?

To truly see the signs in John’s gospel, we need to see them in light of their spiritual significance.

Hermeneutical Method

But, saying that, we need to have some clear guardrails and rules for interpreting the Bible.

Otherwise, you might just start seeing in the Bible whatever it is your mind can imagine.

You read the Bible...Well that’s sounds good…That sounds spiritual...let’s just go with that.

No, that’s bad Bible interpretation.

Our goal is not to see what we think we can see. Our goal is to see what John, or any author of the Bible, actually wanted us to see.

Well how do we do that?

And we need this today because some of the truths we are going to look at from this passage are not explicitly obvious on the front of it.

They are not overtly obvious because they are spiritually discerned.

But, and here’s the question, how do we keep ourselves from seeing what’s not really there?

From just making it up as we go along?

Two rules.

First, we don’t start by asking what do we think it means?

We start by asking what was the author wanting to say?

For this we need both the Historical background and the Literary Context of the passage.

Who was writing it? Who were they writing it to? What were they writing about?

What culture, or customs, or historical background do we need to know to understand this passage?

And we look at the passage itself?

What words does the Author use? How does this passage fit within the overall context and purpose of the book?

Are there details the author gives that help shape our meaning?

Sometimes details are just details.

Like last week when John said that he and Andrew started following Jesus at 4pm. There’s no deeper meaning there.

It was 4 o’clock. That’s all John wanted us to see.

But sometimes details matter.

Why does the author highlight the specific things he does? Why does he choose to put this in over that? Are there details he’s using to build something?

Those are the questions we should be asking.

And how you determine whether something is just a detail or it is theologically significant is determined by the literary context, historical context, overall purpose of the book like we’ve talked about...

But most of all, its determined shaped by Scripture itself.

And that’s rule number 2.

What was the author wanting to say…and How does this passage and our theological conclusions fit with the whole testimony of Scripture and our overall understanding of systematic theology.

In other words, our doctrine.

Scripture interprets Scripture. It is the highest authority.

The Bible ultimately determines its own meaning.

This is where cross references and Old Testament background comes in to give us a greater understanding of the passage we are looking at.

How does the Bible as a whole shed light on the passage we are looking at here?

Those are the two guardrails for good biblical hermeneutics.

The two guardrails that keep us from falling into the ditch when interpreting a passage theologically.

Biblical Theology

And that takes us to one of the main questions I always ask every time I read the Bible.

Whether I’m reading the Old Testament or I’m reading the New Testament, I’m always looking for shadow and fulfillment, an idea that comes from the book of Hebrews and Colossians 2. where things like sacrifices, the priesthood, and feast days were shadows in the Old Covenant that ultimately pointed to Christ.

This is what theologians call call Biblical Theology.

Now that doesn’t just mean theology that is biblical.

That means reading the Bible as a cohesive whole. As one story about God and His salvation of man in and through Jesus Christ.

And how I do that is shadow and fulfillment.

How does this Old Testament passage point to Christ?

Or how does the Old Testament background, the shadow, enlighten and help us understand its New Testament fulfillment in Jesus Christ?

The basic idea is how does this Old Testament passage or the Old Testament background of a New Testament Passage give us a bigger picture of Christ?

What does it tell us about Him?

For example, in David and Goliath, we are told that Goliath wears a coat of mail, or literally in Hebrew, scale armor.

Remember Genesis 3:15: God said to the serpent He shall bruise your head and you will bruise His heel.

So Goliath is a snake and that makes David a snake-crusher.

Well Jesus is the true true snake-crusher that kills the greater Goliath who makes us his slaves, Satan himself, and delivers God’s people.

Or take Jonah. Jonah was a real prophet that really lived, and was really swallowed by a whale.

But in the overall story of Scripture, shadow and fulfillment, he is so much more than that. He is the Anti-Jesus.

God sent him to Nineveh, the enemies of God’s people to be a missionary, but Jonah refused to go and ran away.

Jesus the greater Jonah, didn’t run away, and He didn’t just go to Nineveh. He took on human flesh.

And He didn’t just go into the belly of a fish. He went into the belly of the grave and rose again 3 days later.

And when Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, Jonah was angry with God that He would save His enemies...

But Jesus, the greater Jonah, hung on the cross mocked and ridiculed by His enemies but instead of getting angry and reviling in return, He said Father forgive them, they know not what they do.

Shadow and fulfillment. Small pictures that give us a bigger picture of Jesus Christ.

They are all over because the Bible is one story. There are even several in John.

Jesus is the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses.

He is the true bread - the True Manna - from heaven.

And He is the true Temple.

But biblical theology doesn’t mean you can just imagine what’s not actually there.

Shadow and fulfillment, Biblical Theology, only works when the guardrails are put up.

What was the author trying to say? Trying to communicate? What was the author wanting us to see?

And how does that fit with the rest of Scripture?

Those two guardrails keep us from spiritualizing or allegorizing the text and from seeing what’s not actually there.

Manifested Glory

And that is how we need to interpret Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana if we are going to see the spiritual significance of that sign and not just make it up as we go along.

And specifically we are told this sign manifested Jesus’ glory, which is John1:14 the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The glory of God’s goodness towards sinners.

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:5-7).

So when we come to this passage, we should ask ourselves how does this passage, Jesus turning water into wine show us, or manifest, God’s goodness and salvation towards sinners in Jesus Christ?

So with that introduction out of the way, here’s the Big Idea.

What does Jesus turning water into wine show us about who He is and God’s goodness towards sinners?

Jesus is the promised Messiah who makes all things new, cleanses us from sin, and showers us with all the blessings of salvation.

That’s what Jesus’ first miracle is all about.

Jesus starts His public ministry with a picture of salvation that he will accomplish through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection.

And here’s how this is going to work.

We are going to go through the whole story.

We are going to work through the historical events as they took place, highlighting some of the important details that we are going to come back to later.

And then, afterwards, work our way back through the passage to see the theological significance of it all.

To see the sign and how it manifests Jesus’ glory.

So here we go...

Story

John 2:1-5 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

The third day is actually the 7th day in John’s gospel.

Its the third day from the last day he previously mentioned, and you’ll see why that’s significant here in a little bit.

and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

Mary, the mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also there.

You’ll notice that Mary is there in her own respect.

The way this is written tells us that Mary was probably a principle player in putting on this wedding.

That the wedding was probably for some of their close family relatives or friends, and Mary was there making sure everything came together.

That’s why she’s aware before anybody else that they ran out of wine and why the servants at the wedding listen to her when she tells them to listen to Jesus.

Well at the wedding, the wine runs out and she comes to Jesus looking for help.

Now this was a huge problem for a couple reasons.

One: weddings, in those days, were thrown by the groom.

Today it is usually the Father of the Bride that pays for the wedding, but back then, it was the husband; the man getting married.

In a culture that was heavily built on honor and shame, this would have brought immense shame to the groom and his new wife.

But on top of that, this could have even left the groom and his family liable to a lawsuit from the family of the bride for failing to meet their end and provide what was legally agreed upon for the wedding.

Again, this was a shame honor culture and you could not have your name connected to in any way, anything that was dishonorable.

So quite the crisis and cultural faux pas.

Well Jesus says to His mother, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Now when Jesus says woman, that’s not like in our English, a sign of disrespect.

Its more like Jesus saying Ma’am, but what is unique is this is probably the only instance of a son using this word to address his mother.

And when He says what does this have to do with me? Its like he was saying What do you and I have in common with this? What makes this my concern? My hour has not yet come.

Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus’ hour was the hour of his death on the cross (John 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 27, 13:1, 17:1).

John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Jesus’ response is probably Jesus saying, I’m here to do mission.

I’m here to save sinners and make atonement for sin. I’m here to do the Father’s will.

John 8:28 I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

He knew He was going to turn the water into wine. So He probably said this to make it clear to Mary and to all of us, this was part of His divine mission. Not just the will of His mother.

The water into wine was the will of the Father calling Jesus into His divine work and public ministry.

That’s why He calls her woman. She’s no longer mom. Everything. Even His closest family ties were second order compared to carrying out the will of the Father.

This must have been hard for Mary. She gave him birth.

Nursed him. Taught Him to count on His fingers and toes. Watched Him take His first steps.

And now it was time to let Him go.

So Mary told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

John 2:6-10 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification,

That will be important later...

each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

And that’s when John tells us this was the first of his sings, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in Him.

And that’s it. That was Jesus’ first miracle. So how did it manifest His glory?

How did it show the glory and goodness of God in Christ?

And what made the disciples believe in Him?

We are going to have three points. Four theological conclusions this sign points to about Jesus.

Number 1: He is the Messiah who gives true cleansing from sin.

Number 2: He is the Messiah who gives True Blessing, Joy, and Communion with God.

Number 3: He is the Messiah who Makes all things new.

Let’s start with point number 1...

Theological Conclusions

I. Jesus is the Messiah who Gives True Cleansing from Sin

This is probably the most obvious one so its a good place to start.

John 2:6-9 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine.

Remember, this is a sign designed to show us that Jesus is the Christ.

And you should ask yourself, why does John take pains to tell us they are stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification? That is ceremonial cleansing.

The idea under the Old Covenant was that you could be clean or unclean, and this washing with “clean” water would make you clean or keep you clean.

We see this in Mark 7:3-5 The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

The Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of being “unclean.”

But what did Jesus say later?

Matthew 23:25-26 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Jesus’ point was outside cleansing doesn’t matter. Inside is what counts.

The Jews had all kinds of cleanliness laws all geared towards outward purification, but what they really needed was purification of the heart.

We also see this with the water of John’s baptism. Its not a coincidence that Jesus turns water into wine instead of just making more wine like he does with the loaves and the fish.

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4).

And he baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:31-33).

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Messiah by showing people they were unclean. They needed to be washed.

They needed grace and mercy to cover all their sins, the very grace and mercy Jesus would wash them in through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus using these specific water jars that were for ceremonial cleansing was not a random coincidence.

It was to highlight how Jesus’ own death, His “hour,” would be the true purification and cleansing from sin that would replace, or maybe better, fulfill, all the purification laws and sacrifices of the Old Covenant.

And that His blood, the wine, would be the new water that would wash us white as snow.

A little bit later in John 6, Jesus said My blood is true drink, and unless you drink the blood of [the Son of Man] you have no life in you (John 6:55, 53).

Here’s the idea. Jesus’ blood is the only thing that can truly cleanse us from all of our sins.

All the sacrifices of the Old Covenant couldn’t cut it. All the ceremonial cleansing wasn’t enough.

We even see that when John says there were six stone jars. Six.

In the Bible 7 is the number of completion or perfection.

The six jars show us that the Old Covenant fell short of providing true cleansing from sin. It wasn’t enough.

No amount of keeping the Law could save anyone. We needed Jesus.

So as the Messiah, Jesus takes the water of Judaism and the Old Covenant that couldn’t truly cleanse anyone from their sin and he completely transforms it into the wine of Christianity.

The water of the Law is fulfilled in Christ and transforms into the wine of His blood and the gospel of eternal life.

Jesus in every way fulfills the Law.

John 1:16-17 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. That is grace instead of grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives us the fullness of grace. Overflowing grace. Abundant grace. All the grace that was required by the condemnation of the Law.

That’s why you cannot put new wine into old wine skins (Luke 5:37-38). The wine is symbolic for the promises and blessings of the New Covenant, and those blessings and promises - forgiveness, new hearts, communion with God - only come through faith in Jesus Christ.

That’s why those same jars are filled to the brim. And we are even told they each hold twenty or thirty gallons. You’re talking a huge amount of New Covenant wine and forgiveness.

Why?

Because all the cleansing we would ever need is completely fulfilled in Jesus’ Work.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:31).

Jesus turning water into wine using the six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification shows us that He is the Messiah who gives us true, ultimate, once and for all cleansing from sin.

We are forgiven in Him.

Number 2...

II. Jesus is the Messiah who Gives True Blessing, Joy, and Communion with God

Sticking with the wine in the story, wine is loaded with Old Testament imagery and meaning.

In the Old Testament wine is often used symbolically to describe salvation, joy, blessing, and communion with God.

God talks about a great banquet with sweet wine that He will pour out on out on His people in the Messianic Age.

In other words, wine is a picture of all the salvation blessings that would come with the Messiah.

The Messiah would come to set up this great salvation banquet for the people of God.

Look at Isaiah 25:6.

Isaiah 25:6-9 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. [WHAT IS THAT COVERING? DEATH]

He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

The way the prophets talked about it, overflowing wine and a great banquet feast, became synonymous with the hope for the Messiah and the salvation He would bring.

The Kingdom He would bring with all the blessings and promises of God that would be a feast for all nations and save us from the covering of death.

And then all of this takes on even greater significance when you remember Jesus compared the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom He established in His life, death, and resurrection that we now live in and enjoy and will one day come to ultimate fulfillment at His return…He compared the Kingdom to a great wedding feast, like the wedding feast we have here.

Jesus’ first miracle was not a coincidence.

It shows us that Jesus is the Messiah who brings all the blessings of the Messianic wine.

Who swallows up death and saves us from the wrath of God.

Who invites all the nations to salvation with a feast of rich feast of well-aged wine, all the blessings of God.

And reconciles us back to God and brings us into communion with Him…a communion so intimate we share a meal together.

Jesus gives this first miracle to say, the feast of eternal life, the feast of blessing, joy, grace, and communion with God had begun.

It was breaking in with Him.

His miracle was a sign that pointed to the greater spiritual reality that He was the Messiah everyone had been hoping for.

And the life, blessing, and salvation He brings is filled to the brim. Its overflowing.

And its the good wine. The choice wine. The best wine. Everyone serves the good wine first...but you have kept the good wine until now!

As Jesus said, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Pharoah

And understanding this allows us to see the true impact of what Mary said to the servants: Do whatever he tells you.

This is almost exactly what Pharoah says to the Egyptians when he set Joseph over the land of Egypt during a great famine.

What he says to you, do (Gen. 41:55).

So what is John trying to say? What is he trying to tell us with this detail?

They’ve run of of wine! There’s a famine in the land.

Jesus is the only one who can bring salvation and save us from spiritual famine and death.

Bridegroom

And His salvation is sure because He is the True Bridegroom who never runs out of wine.

If you remember, the groom was the one responsible to supply all the needs of the feast, and if he didn’t he could face shame and even legal consequences or guilt.

Well, just one chapter later in John 3, John the Baptist specifically identifies Jesus the Bridegroom (John 3:29).

And where this bridegroom failed to provide all the wine, Jesus, the True Bridegroom, answers this lack with 6 20 or 30 gallon jars all filled to the brim.

His wine never runs out. He gives us the fullness of salvation - the fullness of life, joy, blessing and peace - and saves us from the shame of our sin and our condemnation and guilt before the Law.

In every way He is the greater Bridegroom who gives us true cleansing from sin and the fullness of salvation.

Grace upon grace.

That’s what makes it the good wine. The true wine. Remember, My blood is true drink (John 6:55).

Jesus is the Messiah who gives us true cleansing from sin

And He is the Messiah who gives us the fullness of grace, blessing, joy, and communion with God…the fullness of salvation.

Number 3...

III. Jesus is the Messiah who Makes All Things New

John 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee...

John is specific about identifying his days in the first 2 chapters of His gospel, but at then end of chapter 2, he gets more generic saying they went down to Capernaum and stayed there for a few days.

Why?

Well day 1 of John’s gospel is when the Jews sent a group of men to question John the Baptist where he said, “I am not the Christ (John 1:19).

Day 2 is John 1:29 where John the Baptist sees Jesus and says Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Day 3 is verse 35 where Andrew and John start following Jesus.

Day 4 is verse 43 where Jesus calls Philip who then goes and gets Nathanael.

Now in 2:1 John says on the third day. That’s not the third day from the first day. THat’s the third day from the day last mentioned so we are at day 7.

In other words, John frames the first week of Jesus’ ministry as a New Creation week. As the start of a New Creation.

He hinted at that all the way back in verse 1. In the beginning was the Word. And the light shines in the darkness.

If turning water into wine was a sign that Jesus was the Messiah, a sign that pointed to who He was and what He came to do, then the sign happening on the seventh day shows us that Jesus came to usher in a New Creation.

John’s point is that Jesus is the Messiah who makes all things new.

Who came to answer our sin cursed world and save us and all creation from our plight and brokenness of sin.

That’s why Jesus came casting out demons.

Healing the Sick.

Making the lame whole and the blind see.

Raising the dead.

All of those miracles weren’t just displays of power, they were a picture of the salvation Jesus came to bring.

Jesus came to answer everything broken by the Fall. To reverse the curse and make all things new.

And the wedding of Cana happening on the seventh day, after a week of New Creation, shows us what His hour, His death and resurrection would accomplish.

The New Creation, God’s answer to sin, death, and the curse was here. It was breaking in with Him.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Sabbath

But that’s not the only thing the seventh day tells us. What else reminds us of the seventh day?

The Sabbath.

The day God rested from His work and declared it holy.

Remember what the wine represents.

True cleansing.

The fullness of salvation.

All the grace we have in and through Jesus Christ.

The wedding at Cana shows us that Jesus, through His salvation, gives us true Sabbath rest.

This goes back to the stone jars. Our works, our keeping of the Law, can never make us clean.

In Christ we rest from our works, of trying to use our works to save us, by resting in His.

He fulfilled the Law on our behalf.

He obeyed it perfectly. Every jot and tittle where we disobeyed.

And he even paid the penalty for our breaking. He died and bore the wrath of God on our behalf.

Christ is our righteousness and in Him we have rest.

Hebrews 4 connects the rest of God’s people in the Promise Land, the rest from their enemies and all the blessings that came with the Land flowing with milk and honey, with the Sabbath day rest of the people of God.

The Promise Land gives us a picture of what Sabbath rest truly means.

And Hebrews 4:3 says We who have believed enter that rest...

Verse 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” (Hebrews 4:4).

And Verse 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his (Hebrews 4:9).

Jesus is our Sabbath rest. And we who believe enter that rest.

And if you read the Passage the Author of Hebrews’ main point is that God has appointed a certain day, Today, to ender that rest.

Today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (Hebrews 4:15).

Come to Christ. He is the only one that can save you from your sins and make all things new.

Who can give you rest for your weary soul.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus is the Messiah who makes all things new and gives us God’s true Sabbath rest of eternal life.

And He gives it to all who believe.

Conclusion

John 2:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

This wasn’t just the first of Jesus’ signs, it was the sign that all other signs should be interpreted through.

It manifested His glory. Turning water into wine showed the goodness of God in salvation to everyone who believes.

This was a true, real life, physical miracle that was loaded with spiritual significance.

But the only way to see it is with the eyes of faith.

The servants knew who made the wine, but John tells us the disciples are the only ones that believed in Him.

They didn’t just see a great miracle. They saw what it pointed to. This was the Messiah.

Jesus’ hour had not yet come, but Jesus’ first sign showed what His hour would be like.

This fits with John’s purpose statement and the overall flow of the first two chapters of John’s gospel.

John 20:31 These signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 1:1-18 gives us the theological background for who Christ is.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

John 1:19-34 confirms who Christ is with the testimony of someone who has the God given authority to prepare the way - John the Baptist.

Then Jesus calls the first disciples to show us what it looks like to believe.

Believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God means following Him.

And here, Jesus’ first miracle shows us what it looks like to have life in His name.

Shows us the salvation He brings.

It is full cleansing and purification from sin.

The fullness of salvation. All the life, blessing, and joy that comes with communion and reconciliation with God.

And its a new creation where all things are made new, sin and death are overcome, and we have Sabbath rest from all our works in the work of Christ.

Jesus is the promised Messiah who makes all things new, cleanses us from sin, and showers us with all the blessings of salvation.

From His fullness we have received grace upon grace, and the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine shows us exactly what that means.

Let’s Pray

Scripture Reading

Galatians 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.