Jesus' First Sign Water to Wine John 2:1-11
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Today we are starting a series called The Seven Signs of Jesus from the Gospel of John.
The question could be raised, why did John choose to write only seven signs that Jesus performed?
There were of course many more signs than just seven.
John finishes his written Gospel of Jesus by stating...
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
It is important to remember that John of course was no stranger to Jewish tradition and symbolism.
He was very intentional about giving seven signs of Jesus because the number seven was used throughout Scripture to represent perfection or completeness.
One see’s even more in John’s writing of Revelation how John expands greatly on symbolism and Jewish traditions.
So John’s goal was to give evidence that Jesus has come and lived the perfect life to bring completion to the prophecies given about the coming Messiah.
John’s goal in his Gospel account of Jesus is to give these seven signs to help reach fellow Jews to understand that Jesus is without a doubt the perfect fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
Each one of these signs is to play an important role to articulate to the reader that Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of the law.
John 20:30–31 (ESV)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these 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.
Each one of these signs helps establish a deeper faith for believers already in Christ and helps non-believers to come to know Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the World.
Each one of these seven signs that John describes signify something greater than just the sign itself as we will study and unpack in this series.
Today we will unpack Jesus' First Sign of turning Water into Wine
1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
The problem
Before any miracle takes place there is always the need for the miracle.
Someone does not get healed of cancer without first having cancer.
God does not supernaturally deliver someone from a situation unless there is first a problem which needs God’s supernatural power.
In order for David to have a victory over the giant Goliath, he needed to face the opposition of the giant.
Before any victory there must first be the battle.
There is various reasons why one faces obstacles but one of them is for God to show up supernaturally to demonstrate His power and glory.
Later in this series we are going to see Jesus perform the sign of healing a man born blind.
The disciples asked Jesus why this man was born blind?
Was it because of his sin or his parents sin?
Jesus responded to His disciples question by stating...
“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3)
God will often use problems we face to demonstrate his power and glory.
No matter what challenge one faces God is able to step into your situation and deliver you.
But I believe that there are things that we must do to position ourselves to allow God to step in supernaturally to deliver us.
Which we will see lessons on this in the story today.
First I want to unpack how big of a problem it would have been for the groom to run out of wine.
The problem of running out of wine would have be extremely devastating.
Imagine having a wedding celebration now and running out of food for the guest?
It would be terribly embarrassing right?
and it would give anyone a deep sense of shame and pain.
The idea of running out of wine in Jesus’ day would have been even more devastating as the culture was highly motivated by honor and shame.
Running out of wine at a wedding feast would open one up to years of shame and ridicule. (Keener 268)
In a culture where hospitality was essential,
the groom would have be greatly disgraced along with his entire family.
Weddings would last up to a weeks time and if the groom was not prepared to supply enough it would send a message that this man is not prepared and probably not ready to support a wife and kids.
Another problem of a groom not being adequately prepared to supply wine for his guest is that he could even be opened to a lawsuit from upset relatives of the bride. (Carson 169)
This is no small problem that the groom and the family is facing.
They truly need someone to step in to deliver them from this awful situation.
Here we get a sense of what kind of woman Mary is when she finds out that the wine has ran out.
Mary finds out about the problem and immediately goes to Jesus.
2. The Request
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
It is important to remember that Mary has pondered all the things spoken about her Son Jesus for 30 years.
From the encounters with angels with her and the shepherds,
the supernatural birth of her Son as He was conceived by the power of the Holy Sprit.
And the dreams her husband Joseph had,
all add up to her pondering on these things for 30 years waiting for her Son to reveal Himself to the world.
Now is the opportunity to show that her Son is indeed the Messiah.
But Jesus’ immediate response is,
“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
One’s immediate thought could be, was Jesus putting his mother in her place by saying “Woman, what does this have to do with me?”
There are a few things to understand with Jesus’ response.
First one must understand that Jesus saying “woman” was not out of disrespect as one may think.
The NLT translates woman here as “dear woman” which I believe is helpful for us today.
Jesus was in no way disrespected his mother.
The context of Jesus stating women here is like one would say Ma’am today. (Keener 268)
With that cleared up one might still think why did Jesus respond to his mother by saying “my hour has not yet come?”
One must realize that in the Gospel of John the hour refers to Jesus’ road to the cross.
Jesus understood that once he begins doing miracles and signs to reveal that he is indeed the Son of God
that He is beginning the road to the cross.
Jesus’ reluctance is understandable because He knows the journey that lies ahead of Him once these events are set into motion. (Osborn 44)
Another aspect to think about as well is that Jesus wanted to be on the time table of His Father rather than the time table of man.
Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing (John 5:19).
With that said how does Mary respond to her Son’s words.
After Jesus says “My hour has not yet come.”
Mary demonstrates great faith in trusting Jesus and leaving this problem in His hands.
3. The Action
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
The age old saying that
“faith without action is dead”
Mary demonstrates a faith of action by telling the servants to “Do whatever he tells you”
She has faith that her Son who is God in the flesh will come through in this time of need.
Sometimes we forget that it is okay to be persistent in our request to God.
Think about the heroes of the faith like Abraham and Moses who were persistent in their request to God.
One must not just stop with the request but rather be willing to act in faith.
Sometimes when we are seeking God to do something in our lives in a time of need we don’t take any action to allow God to move in on the situation.
Its like this
(Story form)
You have probably heard people say I need God to get me a job.
Well are you applying anywhere?
No I’m just expecting God to get me a job.
God is the miracle worker but He interacts with us when we ask in faith and walk in obedience believing that God will indeed step in and work.
Mary’s posture is to let the servants know to be available to whatever Jesus is asking them to do.
Our posture must always be that we are available in every season to God to be used by Him in whatever he is asking in that moment.
Mary positions the servants to be ready for Jesus’ request of them.
4. The Sign
After the servants filled the jars of water Jesus said...
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 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 10 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.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
It was when the servants act in obedience that the first sign takes place.
Imagine the servants bringing water to the master of the feast from jars that were used for washing one’s hands or cleaning dishes.
What could go wrong?
Well the master of the feast could drink it and have the measly servants beaten for giving the master of the feast water from jars that was used for ceremonial washing.
The servants follow each step Jesus has them do which is quite amazing when you think about it because Jesus had not revealed himself yet...
Now this is my thoughts about the servants...
Who told the servants to listen to Jesus?
Mary
Mary knew who Jesus was and had pondered on all that had happened surrounding his supernatural birth.
Again this is my thought about the servants.
I can’t help but think that Mary may have either known one of the servants or had some sort of influence over the servants to have them step out in faith in the way in which they did.
Because here are the servants filling these jars used for ceremonial washing and taking some of this water to the master of the feast.
And when they act in obedience with what Jesus asked them to do, the first sign of water being turned into wine takes place.
Sometimes when the wine runs out we need to check our hearts and see if we are posturing ourselves to be ready for God to step into our situation.
And when posturing ourselves, are we willing to step out in obedience to what God tells us to do to receive that supernatural miracle?
What is the first thing we run to when the wine runs out?
We should understand that when one faces failures and disappointments in life that transformation can and will take place.
But are we posturing ourselves for God to work in our lives?
One must remember that the transformation happened when the servants took Mary’s words seriously when she said “do whatever he tells you.”
Are we doing whatever Jesus tells us today?
Jesus has the same power today to transform our situation and make new wine that is even better than the old. Amen?!
Now there is a lot of significance to Jesus’ first sign that should be looked at.
It is important not to miss that at Jesus’ coming and revealing of his ministry was the beginning of this New Covenant.
Paul writes this idea of the old passing away and now the new has come. (2 Cor 5:17)
In Jesus establishing this new age of His heavily Kingdom as the old ways of purification are replaced by the new wine of the Kingdom of God. (Carson 166)
As the master of the feast describes that the best wine as been kept for the end.
The new wine of this new covenant is much better.
6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
The dawning of this new covenant is greater than the old covenant.
One must not forget that the Old Testament was pointing to the new covenant that Jesus would bring.
According to the Old Testament at the coming of the the final Kingdom there will be an abundance of wine and is often depicted as a wedding feast banquet.
Both the wine and the wedding feast are significant in John’s first sign given of Jesus ministry.
6 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.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
The first sign of Jesus turning water into wine articulates that the messianic age has started and the final messianic age is still to come. (Osborn 45)
It’s the idea of the Kingdom being here now and not yet.
This sign of turning water into wine is a taste of the Kingdom of God entering into a needed situation,
which points us to see the “glory of the Father’s one and only Son” (1:14) revealed in the flesh.
Jesus was revealing Himself to the world which was the beginning of the messianic age.
While the synoptic Gospels use “power” or “miracle” to describe such events of the in breaking of the Kingdom of God.
John uses the word “sign” because these miracles point beyond themselves to a deeper reality in unveiling God’s work in the person of Jesus Christ.
The sign of turning water into wine is of the first events in John that demonstrate the faith the disciples have in seeing God’s work being revealed in His Son and the disciples responding in faith.
This sign points the readers to know that a new covenant has come in the person of Jesus Christ.
The way one used to do things is changing because Christ is making the old things new.
Just like Jesus turning old ceremonial washing jars of water into fresh new wine so at Jesus’ coming to earth in the flesh a new day is dawning in this new and better covenant.
The question is are we utilizing this new and better covenant that John points to in this first sign of Jesus?
Are we posturing our hearts to receive this fresh work of the Spirit to bring transformation in our lives?
Don’t miss John’s point that this sign is pointing to the reality that the God of the Old Testament has acted anew in the workings of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now let us walk out our faith in this new covenant knowing that God is bringing transformation in our lives today.