Miracles of Jesus: Water into Wine

Intro

PRAY

Opening Illustration

egg, Caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly

Context Building

Jesus after calling his disciples to follow him is now seen at a Jewish wedding.

Read John 2:1-4

John 2:1–4 ESV

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.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

John—That You May Believe Chapter 7: The Transforming Power

The wedding celebration was considered to be the most grand event in life, especially among the poor. Typically the Hebrew wedding ceremony took place late in the evening following a feast. After the ceremony, the bride and groom were taken to their home in a torchlight parade complete with a canopy held over their heads. They were always taken along the most circuitous route possible so everyone would have the opportunity to wish them well. Instead of a honeymoon, they had open house for a week. They were considered to be king and queen and actually wore crowns and dressed in bridal robes, and their word was considered to be law. In lives that often contained much poverty and difficulty, this was considered the supreme occasion.

Mary’s concern about the wine being gone might be lost on us. However, it is a huge deal for the newly married couple.

In the Jewish wedding feast, wine was an essential part of the celebration. Wine served as a symbol of exhilaration and celebration.

In fact, the bride and groom could be sued for not having wine available to a guest!

Essentially the wedding of this couple’s dreams was unraveling and was about to go from a dream to a nightmare.

When Marry sees the need she turns to Jesus. She says, “They have no wine.”

On the surface, this statement has purpose. However, in the context of Jewish culture the statement carries far greater weight. We have already seen that this could lead to a lawsuit. But there is also a scriptural significance that we need to see.

See John saw that much like this wedding without wine is a disaster, life without Christ is a disaster!

Essentially, life without Christ is life without wine. In the Old Testament, wine is repeatedly used as a symbol of joy.

Psalm 104:15 ESV

15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

Wine gladdens the heart of man. It is helps the heart be joyful.

Isaiah 55:1 tells us,

Isaiah 55:1 ESV

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Then there is also, this passage in Judges about wine, Judges 9:13

Judges 9:13 ESV

13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’

Scripture paints a beautiful picture of how wine is a symbol of joy.

The rabbis had a saying that went like this: “Without Wine, there is no joy.”

Without that in mind, Mary’s comment holds a deeper and even greater meeting. In other words, Mary said, “They have no joy.”

In a season where joy should be filling everyone’s cup. Joy had ran out.

Just like this moment. There comes a time in life apart from Christ where joy and exhilaration of life are gone. You might enjoy your life apart from Christ for a season but eventually, you will find it is a joyless adventure and your fatigue and depression rule the day.

Now for just a moment, let’s put ourselves into the situation. If we were approached with this same issue, our first response would be. What do you want me to do about it? It is late and nothing is open at this hour. We can’t do anything to fix it.

Yet, Jesus does something about it which brings us to our first takeaway from today’s passage.

1. Jesus can transform natural order.

Explanation:

John 2:6–10 ESV

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. 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.”

In verse 6 we see that in this six stone water jars Jesus has the men fill each twenty to thirty gallons each. In other words Jesus asked them to draw up a total of 120 to 180 gallons of water!

The stone water jars John tells us are used for rites of purification. These stones are significant for ceremonial washing.

Jesus’ choice of using the stone jars is not happen stance or convenience. It is intentional. He is about to declare with his sign that the old religious rituals were dead, because the Messiah had arrived and the new age is beginning.

Think to the Lord’s supper. In that moment, with his disciples. Jesus took the bread and broke it saying that this is his body. Then he took the wine and declared it was his blood.

Even if in this moment, the wine is not declared to be symbolic of it. It does reflect the reality that Jesus had arrived and that his miracle pointed to his purpose here.

What is amazing in this situation is that after having the servants fill the water jars, he instructs them to draw out water and take it to the master of the feast.

Jesus has not touched the jars. He has only instructed servants to do so.

The miracle that these servants are witnessing along with Jesus’ first disciples is happening without Jesus lifting a finger. He is at work through his instructions.

Then something unnatural happens. Look at verse 9 and 10.

John 2:9–10 ESV

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.”

Jesus has transformed water into wine. In an act of defying natural order, which he created by the way, Jesus turned water into wine.

Yet, notice how the master of the feast responds. We see that he tells everyone about it.

He notes that the wine is far better than anything previously served before.

He tells us that the best wine was served first, then the poor wine. Yet, they had kept the good wine hidden until now.

Jesus’ wine, is the superior wine. Ultimately in life, Jesus is the superior source of joy. His joy never ceases.

Jesus’ miracle shows us that he is the God over the natural order. We do not have to question Jesus’ authority over creation because this miracle testifies to his authority over it.

Jesus’ turning water into wine also shows us that Jesus takes natural joys of life and makes them that much better when they are centered on him.

Jesus prevented embarrassment for the bride and groom. He provided an abundance of wine, and it was far better than anything before.

For just a moment, lets say I asked you to change a water bottle filled with water into something else. With the rules, you cannot touch it or the bottle. Would you be able to do it? Of course not, none of us can do something so extraordinary. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did!

Which leaves us with one of two choices, the first is to say that is absurd and impossible and not believe that Jesus really did such a feat. The second is to realize and embrace the uniqueness and power of Jesus. He did something extraordinary because he is God in the flesh. He has authority to defy natural order because he is the author of it. He can transform the impossible situation into the possible. He has the power and ability to do so.

Transition: Not only can Jesus transform natural order.

2. Jesus can transform people’s lives.

John 2:11 ESV

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

Sure, the miracle of turning water into wine served as a unique experience for all the people who knew what was going on. However, it served a far greater purpose. Through this sign, we see three very important words in verse 11 that explains the significance of the moment.

The miracle serves as a sign.

John is writing to tell us that this is one of the “signs” Jesus did. Don’t miss this, a sign is a miracle with a message.

D.A. Carson explains the significance of the word signs used by John.

The Gospel according to John 1. The First Sign: Jesus Changes Water to Wine (2:1–11)

John prefers the simple word ‘signs’: Jesus’ miracles are never simply naked displays of power, still less neat conjuring tricks to impress the masses, but signs, significant displays of power that point beyond themselves to the deeper realities that could be perceived with the eyes of faith

In other words, the miracle of Jesus’ turning water into wine is not simply here to demonstrate Jesus power but to point us to a much deeper and significant meaning. As we have seen already, wine was an important part of the jewish culture and it was something that represented joy.

When we place our faith in Jesus, his joy fills our souls and we experience the ultimate joy. Jesus’ source of joy is overwhelming and is bountiful. Just like his turning 120-180 gallons of water into wine was an abundance of wine. The joy he brings to believers is in abundance and for the benefit of sharing with other people!

The miracle reveals his glory.

In this moment, Jesus’ disciples witnessed the power of Jesus to provide in a supernatural way. It is an amazing feat that none of us are capable of doing ourselves. It pointed to the reality that Jesus was not just a man doing parlor tricks. He was the son of God and he was their to save the world.

Also, the miracle demonstrates that Jesus is worthy of our worship. The action of turning something into something else, Water into wine, serves as a reminder that Jesus transforms the dead into the living through his blood. While the miracle is amazing in and of itself, it is nothing compared to the work of Jesus through his death and resurrection!

The miracle leads disciples to believe.

The work of Jesus turning water into wine serves as a catalyst to further deepen the belief of his new disciples. The disciples were the ones that saw all the events take place. The only others that witnessed what had happened was the servants of the wedding. So, these new followers of Jesus bear witness to the depths of Jesus authority and power.

Talk about an impression! If you go back to chapter one and see Nathanael’s call to follow we see Jesus tell him that he saw him before Philip called him. Jesus tells him you were under the fig tree. Nathanael recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel. Jesus tells him this in verse 50-51.

John 1:50–51 ESV

50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Just a short time after this comment the disciples are witnessing the work of Jesus to change water into wine. Something that would be impossible.

Yet this miracle is only the first of many powerful moments that these men would witness on the journey to the cross where Jesus would die for the sins of the world.

Yet, this work, the first, serves as an agent to help the disciples to have their belief in Jesus strengthened and deepened.

Consider an old, rusty car that barely runs. With a little love and the right tools, a skilled mechanic brings it back to life, transforming it into a shiny, reliable vehicle. Just as the mechanic sees potential in that forgotten car, Jesus sees our innate worth and ability to be transformed into something extraordinary. That's the miraculous work of His grace!

While Jesus turned water into wine and it served to strengthen the disciples belief, we can rest assured that God is transforming our own lives from broken to whole in him.

Conclusion

The Miracle of Jesus turning water into wine serves as a beautiful picture that Jesus is the ultimate Joy and that we as believers can continue to grow in our joy with each day we pursue the presence of Jesus. He is worth pursuing wiht our entire lives. When we give our life to him, he transforms us into something remarkable. We experience the transforming work of Jesus to change us from dead to alive!

Are you more joyous and alive in Christ today than last year? Are you more faithful to the Lord than when you were first saved? Does your life look more like Jesus than the world today?

Jesus is the ultimate source of love and joy. He is worth our full devotion.

Illustration:

Reflect on the early disciples who left their fishing nets to follow Jesus. They exchanged earthly security for uncharted waters of faith. Years later, as they recounted their adventures over fish and bread, they found immense joy in the risks they took. Giving up everything to say 'yes' to Jesus isn’t about loss—it’s about reaping the unexpected joys He promises on this transformative journey.

When we go all in on Jesus, we never regret our decision we merely get to enjoy the ride!

Invitation:

Lord’s supper 1 Cor 11:23-25

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”