The Wedding John 2:1-11

-Jesus shows us His character and power so that we will believe in Him.

300 Illustrations for Preachers “In Dog We Trust”

The $500 rug in the lobby of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida was supposed to say, “In God We Trust,” but the rug manufacturer mistyped the word “God,” rearranging the letters so that the rug said, “In Dog We Trust.” It took a couple of months for someone to discover the typo, but then the rug was quickly removed and later auctioned off; the proceeds went to a nonprofit that serves abandoned and injured dogs.

Having made my share of typos, I understand how mistakes are made. Misspelling a slogan is one thing, but misplacing one’s trust is another. Yet every day many people place their trust in money instead of God, even though the currency itself declares “In God We Trust.”

I. Jesus Understands the Time vv. 1-4

In our passage this morning, Jesus and His disciples are at a wedding in Cana of Galilee; Jesus is present in a very ordinary circumstance of life

While there, He is confronted with a problem. The wedding has run out of wine

For the family hosting the party, this is embarrassing. Their poverty is exposed and they are unable to provide for their guests

This reality will rob the occasion of its joy and leave the family in shame

This is clearly not the most earth-shattering problem Jesus will ever encounter, but it is a significant issue for the family involved

Mary raises the issue with Jesus and His response is a little shocking:

He does not address her as mother, but as “woman”. It’s a title of respect but not a title of authority

He does not say yes or no, but addresses the timing

Jesus is looking to His heavenly Father not His earthly mother for guidance here

The time has not come for the full demonstration of His identity as the Messiah, this builds over time

However, the time has come to begin to invite people to believe in Him

Jesus is going to do this in an intriguing way that tells us a lot:

About His power- He has the ability to do the kinds of things only God can do

About His character- He has a sincere care for people and their needs

When the time comes for Jesus to show us who He is, He does it in an out of the way place where only a few people will know what has happened and He does it for the sake of a couple who may not even fully understand what has taken place

Jesus knows when and how to act!

Isaiah 55:6–9

[6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

[7] let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts. (ESV)

II. Jesus Shares His Work vv. 5-8

Next, we see Mary spring to action, pointing the servants to Jesus

Jesus could handle the situation any way that He wanted, but let’s see what He does

First, we see that His work is a work of transformation:

He could have just placed wine in the jars by supernatural action, or He could have added some element to the water

Instead, He changes water, by His own power, into wine

Second, we see that He shares the work

Jesus doesn’t need anyone at all to do this

However, He intentionally includes others and works the miracle through them

How will the servants respond?

They are ready and willing to do exactly what He says

Further, they do the work thoroughly, filling the jars to the brim

They are going to be able to have a part in the work and a beautiful thing happens: the greater the obedience, the greater the joy!

You will find a life with Christ that is far greater than anything that you will ever find apart from Him!

Fish are made for the water, and birds for the air, right? Now imagine a fish who decides he’s tired of being restricted to the water. He wants to be free, to experience the joy of life on land. So he manages to flop around and “free” himself onto dry ground—which turns out to be a death sentence. Why? He was only designed for water, not for air. Conversely, imagine a seagull growing jealous of the freedom he witnesses in the ocean below. I’m sick of being confined to the air, he thinks. I want to be truly free. So he plunges in and perishes. Why? He was only designed for air, not for water.

In a similar way, just as the fish was built for water and the bird for air, so you were built for God—and you will not find true life and freedom anywhere else.

-Tim Keller Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work

III. Jesus is Worthy of Belief vv. 9-11

Now, the critical moment comes:

Jesus tells them to test the wine, taking it to the Master of the Feast

This is a test of the water, turned to wine

This is also a test of the servants. Will they accept the risk of taking the wine to be tested?

When the time comes, they receive incredible news

The wine isn’t just wine and it isn’t just acceptable; it is superior to what has come before

Shame is turned into joy!

In a normal wedding, the hosts would serve the best wine first and save an inferior wine for later in the feast

At this one, they have so much good wine, they are able to continue serving good wine through the end of the wedding

There is an overflow of blessings where Jesus is at work

John tells us something important: this was a sign

To show Christ’s glory

To show Christ’s identity

To show Christ’s worth

Jesus is worth believing!

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 742: Trust

Not many people enjoy going to the doctor, but according to Reuters, in 1994, one London accountant took that to an extreme. The sixty-three-year-old man knew he needed bladder surgery but he could not overcome his fear of doctors and hospitals. So he self-reliantly did what had to be done: He tried to perform the surgery on himself. Tragically he got an infection from the self-surgery and later died. The coroner said, “Unfortunately, [his] drastic remedy went wrong. A simple operation would have solved the problem.”

Just as this man didn’t trust doctors or hospitals, many people don’t trust God. In their self-reliance, they destroy themselves.