Living Miracles: Water into Wine
Notes
Transcript
Welcome to week 1 of 37! Today we will explore Jesus first mirace peformed in Cana. Turning water into wine. This Miracel holds with it so many different commentaries. You will find commentaries that explore the wine and alcohol topics. You will find commentaries that lead to the fellowship of Jesus with those partying aspect. You will find commentaries that focus on how Jesus talked to his mother. You will find commentaries on Jesus relationship with the groom. There are many different viewpoints of Jesus first miracel. What I want to present today is that all of those aspects work together to do 3 things. They work together to provide profound proof that Jesus is infact the messiah and his purpose is to seek the will of the Father. They work together to cultivate conviction on why we are aksing for miracels and what the purpose of the things we are asking for will serve. They work together to provide a divine destiny where the works of Jesus will bring us to a fellowship held together by the blood of Jesus. So we will approach this from 2 aspects. First what was the original proof, conviction, and destiny. Second how are we to live in the proof, conviction, and destiny? Lets jump in this morning.
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.” 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. 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.
1. Profound Proof
1. Profound Proof
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.”
So we are first introduced in this chapter to on the third day. John is in a writing of chronlogical events. Jesus at this point has called Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and the unnamed disciple who is most certainly John. They are then in Cana which is north of Nazareth by about 5 miles and was the home of Nathanael. While they were there they were invited to a wedding which Jesus mother was also at. This might indicate that this was a wedding of someone that was a family member, family friend, or some aquaintance of Jesus and his family. Remember that is taking place after the spirit has fallen on Jesus and he is now calling his disciples. He is literally in the middle of getting all of his team together and he is invited to this wedding. While he is at this wedding his mother comes up to him and says, hey they are out of wine. Need you to do the Jesus thing. After all the spirit has fallen on you and we know you can do this. At this point Jesus does something very important. Look in verse 4
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
Many people when they read this they immediatley say that Jesus was mean or rude to his mother. The problem though is that the english language does not a comparritive phrase for what really happened here. in this statment Jesus is separating himself and Mary from the Mother-son relationship and moving to the Messiah-child of God relationship. Jesus says basically, ma’am, what does this have to do with me? Jesus in this statement is telling his mother albeit abrubtly we are not on the mother son level anymore. Jesus then continues to tell her that his hour has not yet come. So here is a summary of what Jesus is saying. Lady, this has nothing to do with me I am on a much more important mission and I am focused on what the Father has sent me here for. He is making a declaration to Mary that she cannot simply come to him and ask him for miracles because she wants or needs it for her purpose. The divine proof being presented here is that Jesus is not just a good teacher, a rabbai, a leader. Jesus is here for a specific purpose. Jesus is here to fulfil what the prophets spoke of him.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus in this moment with Mary is reminding her of His divine purpose here on earth and in the miracle He will perform is solidifying that He is the one that the prophets have spoken of. Jesus is going to display his glory to the disciples, the servants, and to his mother. This is so often overlooked that Jesus did not make this known to the party goers, to the bride, or to the groom.
Jesus perfomed this miracle to provide profound proof to his disciples that He was who he said he was and to his mother he was reminding her of his divine purpose, and to those around he was displaying his God given power. Look towards the end of our scipture.
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Have you ever had to prove something to someone? If you are married you have, if you have kids you have.
A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, exposed as he was to comely Irish lasses.
The young engineer wrote back, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you."
In the next mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. "I'm sending this to you," she wrote, "so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls."
The engineer replied, "Thanks for the harmonica. I'm practicing on it every night and thinking of you."
At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin' and huggin' gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!"
The profound proof of this miracle was that Jesus was the Messiah. This was performed in front of His disciples and His mother so that they would understand who He was and what He was here for. So what how does this profound proof apply to us today? How can we live this out in our lives? We can know in our lives that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus performed this miracle to secure the belief from his disciples who he just called. This miracle to us is a call to hold fast to who Jesus says He is. It is a call to us to remember what the purpose of Jesus and the Spirit are. The profound proof for us is that Jesus is the Messiah and that He came to do the will of the Father.
2. Cultivate Conviction
2. Cultivate Conviction
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
We will come back to verse 4 for a little bit as we explore the conviction that Jesus was cultivating in this miracle. At this time Jesus mother comes to him and she asks him for a miracle. There is much speculation as to why Jesus mother requested that he involve himself into this wedding. It is certainly why most scholars align in belief that Jesus knew on a personal level this bride and groom and that they were likely family or close friends. So the purpose of Mary was so that the party could continue and no shame would come to their friends or family. Jesus is cultivating in this 2 areas of conviction. First to Mary, Jesus is saying to her, you must remember why I am here. I will not go on to work miracles for my own purpose, for the purpose of others, even for my mothers purpose. I will only perform miracles for the Fathers purpose. Jesus was making it clear to His mother and to His disciples that whatever he did moving forward would be for the will of the father. How often do we ask for things from Jesus for the will of the Father? Are you a person who approaches Jesus and asks for His will or yours? Do we approach things from a perspective of doing God’s will? You see over and over Jesus pointed to the will of the Father. Not his own desires and wants but the will of the Father
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Are you seeing where He is trying to get Mary and the disciples here? He is taking them to a place where their lives will reflect this laying down of themselves for the will of the Father. Some of you in here today are being called to do something you do not want to do. You are being called to commit to things you don’t want to commit to. It is time that you determine what is the will of the Father and follow through with laying your will down for the will of the Father.
The second conviction we see here is Jesus relenting and doing something for the good of others around Him. While Jesus could have stood on His spiritual purpose He saw both the benefit for His disciples and His friends and family in performing this miracle and did so for them. Look again at how Jesus performed this miracle.
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. 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.
Notice here that Jesus did not stop the party to say, everyone look at what I am about to do. Jesus did this in a way that would not have been noticed by those taking part in the party. Only the dicsiples and the servants saw this being performed. Jesus took the Jars of purification and utilized them for the pleasure of those at the party. Jesus in this symbolic move is telling us that seeking sanctification and purity in our lives will lead to pleasure in our lives. Jesus then sends the servants not to the bride and groom or to either of their parents, but to the master waiter. The head waiter in charge of providing food and drink to everyone and this man is taken aback because he is the one who catered and prepared this party and he was unaware of this wine. He called over the bridegroom and told him how smart he was and how he was a great man for saving the best for last, the bridegroom of course was not quite sure what he was talking about. Many of us and especially the more spiritually mature you get, the less you want to lower yourself to do things to bless those at lower walks in the faith. Jesus is calling us to conviction in this. Jesus is calling us to a place of seeing His example. We can give all the spiritual reasons why we think we are above doing something but at the end of the day if God has given us the ability to bless others and to draw them closer to Him, then we should do whatever it takes to be a part of that. It will seem silly to you at times. How silly do you think this was to Jesus in His mind? It was probalby pretty silly. However Jesus saw the benefit in helping those in a younger walk of faith to grow. Are you willing to do the things that it takes to help others grow? What areas is God convicting you of this morning in His word to be more moldable in His hand for His purpose in the lives of younger believers.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Jesus is leading us to 2 convictions here. First to seek the Fathers will, and second to seek the good of those around us no matter how silly or meaningless the task seems. Living the miracle of water into wine calls us to grow closer to God in service to others. It provides for us the declared destiny.
3. Declared destiny
3. Declared destiny
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.
The outcome of this miracle was that the party continued on, the bride and groom had a wonderful time. Mary was blessed to see others not embarassed for running out of wine. The disciples were fortified in their decision to follow Christ. What is the declared destiny for us? The declared destiny for us is that we have a Jesus who is seeking the best for us and was willing to lay down everything for that. There is a place that Jesus has gone to prepare for us and it is a wonderful place, it is a desireable place. It is a place where purity will flow and sanctification will happen. The declared destiny is that we will be actively used by God to bless those around us no matter how silly it seems and God will bless that situation with miracles that we could never imagine. Can I tell you that I am blessed by what God is doing in our church. It is not happening because we have a great dynamic speaker who draws crowds. It is not becuase we have a smoke machine and a rock band that can be heard from 3 blocks away. It is not because we dim the lights and have emotional services leading everyone to cry and be moved. No it is becuase our people are taking advantage of the declared destiny in this scripture that if you lay down your desires and will for the needs of others God will bless it. We are growing in family because God is being honored in our every day lives. The world does not need another flashy church, and please do not hear me putting them down, I believe that God uses those churches every week to lead people to Christ who I will not get the opportunity to talk to. WhatI I am saying is that we are seeing the declared destiny in this scripture that when on an individual level and not on a corporate level that we lay down our desires and wants and seek the kingdom of God, He will bless in ways that only He can bless things.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
