Jesus: From Water to Wine
Notes
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Series Review
Series Review
Intro: Level 2 v. Level 4. e.g. Potomac in the summer v. New River in the fall;
How many of you like places or situations that are unpredictible? Uncontrollable?
VBS is coming. Rolling River Rampage. A packed building. The mission field is coming to us. Spiritual transformation makes the difference between having a camp for kids and making disciples. Rolling River Rampage. An adventurous ride with Jesus. e.g.
White water rafting: Discipleship was meant to be an adventure: unpredictible, scary, not controllable. It can be hard, make us nervous, but if is was not, Christianity would be mildly entertaining, providing us the occassional comfort: but boring and predictible, something the world does not need.
Hear our Gospel lesson this morning:
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Sermon Introduction
Sermon Introduction
Have you ever asked yourself, “Is this as good as it gets?”
e.g. cats
Is this as good as it gets? Job, marriage, church, life. When you get to the place where your answer is “yes,” you are in a bad place. Your relationship with Christ - is this as good as it gets? Are we coasting, maintaining the status quo, or are we wanting, expecting things to get better.
Debbie has just shared with us the story of Jesus turning water into wine. This story is about Jesus breaking into the world that was living on the status quo and saying, “you are maintaining the status quo, but it gets much better than this.”
same with Jesus both in the Bible and today; people loved Jesus, but eventually left him and killed him;
the point(s) maybe we don’t think we are fickle in our relationships, or create conditions in our relationships, but I think the story of Jesus challenges that notion;
the point(s) maybe we don’t think we are fickle in our relationships, or create conditions in our relationships, but I think the story of Jesus challenges that notion;
Sermon Overview: we miss things in our relationships (with God and with people)
1. maybe we don’t think we are fickle, but I think this story challenges that notion;
we learn things that we like
we will learn things we don’t like that challenge our committment
there are good things that we miss
Jesus brings us things we like and what we don’t like. Like any relationship, we can’t just take the good and suppress and ignore
This story often has gotten stuck on the wrong issue: whether or not it is right for the Christian to consume alcohol:
Abigail, herbs on the curb
challenging SS teacher - “it’s not that kind of wine”
why am I sharing that? - UMC has had increasingly mixed opinions on alcohol (from temperance unions and teetotal, BOD [abstain, pray about it, removed completely)
challenging SS teacher - “it’s not that kind of wine”
varying views even today;
this story isn’t about keg parties at a wedding, it’s about a miracle: but not just a miracle: Jesus is teaching us something. You think about it that’s always true: if you ever experience a miracle from God, the response should not be: “Thanks, that was great!” and then return to life as usual. Instead, the question should be: “What are you teaching me?”
e.g. 2003, 3 franciscan nuns; Minuteman III missle silo in Colorado, painting crosses; prosecutor: defacing government property and interfering with national defense; defense attorney: symbolic action, it was meant to send a message; they were both right: not just vandalism; it was both; the action was real, but the bigger intention was to send a message
Jesus’ miracles were real: people were healed, but they were also symbolic; there was a bigger message intended
this is Jesus’ very first miracles and it is unique; this miracle doesn’t really seem to do any real good; he doesn’t seem to accomplish any redemptive purpose; he’s not giving a blind man sight - he’s not helping the lame walk or freeing someone from demonic posession: he’s
blowing horn: freedom ??
this is Jesus’ very first miracles and it is unique; this miracle doesn’t really seem to do any real good; he doesn’t seem to accomplish any redemptive purpose; he’s not giving a blind man sight - he’s not helping the lame walk or freeing someone from demonic posession: he’s
prolonging a party; is that it?
what is Jesus saying about God?
uniqueness of the miracle: blind but now I can see; was lame but now I can walk; I had leprosy but I was cured; I didn’t purchase enough wine to the party and Jesus bailed me out
life concerns?
uniqueness of the miracle: blind but now I can see; was lame but now I can walk; I had leprosy but I was cured; I didn’t purchase enough wine to the party and Jesus bailed me out
digging deeper to know Jesus better
theological importance?
if we really want to know Jesus and experience Christ to the fullest, we sometimes have to look deeper at his word; the Bible is not inaccessible, only for scholars, it just takes a little examination;
when we examine the story, we deepen our relationship
the wine means something (joy, peace, forgiveness; freedom, washing away of sins)
the jars mean something (status quo, law, tradition)
know what those mean, answer the question, is this as good as it gets
Jesus is Superior / Better than the status quo
Jesus is Superior / Better than the status quo
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
stone jars / ceremonial washing / 20-30 gallons / huge/ as tall as me;
Jesus could have chosen any of the empty wine vats, but he chose the jugs that were used for religious purposes: utensils, hands, feet had to be made clean, a prayer was said after the washing -
stone jars / ceremonial washing / 20-30 gallons / huge/ as tall as me
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments
; is strange to us, but it was the way things had been for thousands of years; it was an important part of their religion for thousands of years:
Jesus is saying, “If you want to be cleansed and forgiven from sin, you need more than a ceremony. This is not as good as it gets - the best is yet to come. Jesus is challenging the status quo, the way things have always been: he is challenging a ceremony only faith
Jesus bringing true cleansing; go beyond the ceremonial
There is more to marriage than the ceremony. Walking the aisle takes a couple of minutes, but building a strong lifelong relationship takes alot more effort
Baptism and Holy Communion - important - takes a few minutes, but walking with Christ, being transformed by Christ, living for Christ is daily.
Joining the church, saying the bapt
stone jars / ceremonial washing / Jesus bringing true cleansing; go beyond the ceremonial
“There is more to God than ceremony.”
(forgiveness, new life that the status quo can’t offer) (e.g. youth pastor accepted Christ - what do yo do? - amazing that he grew up in the church, realized that his faith was not in Christ)
The ceremony is easy, the is your faith a ceremony only faith? volunteering for church activity v. relationship with Jesus that transforms everything you?
your marriage a ceremony only / state of Maryland only marriage? a father on the birth certificate only v. carving out time away from distractions and on raising your sons and daughters;
It’s easy to coast, easy to maintain the status quo, this is as good as it gets, but Jesus wants to make it much better
no coasting (nursing home, last place to live; still reading, praying for me!], no trotting into home place - charging through; learning, giving;
Why wine? Why is that important?
The Message of John 1. The First Sign—Cana (2:1–11)
‘The promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is that a person in Christ becomes a new creature. That included Convict 62345. Old habits and attitudes were replaced as the Spirit of God worked in my life. The vengeance that I had nourished for five years and the rebellious spirit that had been a driving force in my life relaxed their grip when Christ took control. Little by little he replaced my hatred by his love. Sometimes I lay in the prison yard looking at the sky and relishing the joy and peace that I’d found in Christ. The bars and fences were still there, as were the guards with their high-powered rifles. But I had an inner strength I’d never known before—the very presence of Christ.’
Why wine? Why is that important?
Jesus brings Unlimited Joy
Jesus brings Unlimited Joy
and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
In Jewish thought wine is a symbol of joy and celebration: like it is today; but not just a liquid to be served at special events, but a symbol of ongoing joy:
listen to these words: New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
Jesus is saying, you don’t have to be satisfied with religious ceremony: it does get better than that: I bring you unlimited joy
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament The Changing of Water into Wine: The First Sign in Cana (2:1–11)
. In Jewish thought wine is a symbol of joy and celebration: “There is no rejoicing save with wine” (b. Pesaḥ. 109a; on wine in biblical times, see DJG 870–73). The running out of wine at the Cana wedding may be symbolic of the barrenness of Judaism. Prophetic expectation cast the messianic age as a time when wine would flow freely
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Amos
New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
The New International Version Chapter 9
13 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. e
“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
better define joy - not determined by circumstances and moods; we can experience joy in death; loss of job; divorce; uncertainty with job loss, illness; death;
joy is the ability to see God in any circumstances - painful or just ordinary or just plain boring:
Harold Morris. (1986). Twice Pardoned
an ex con who writes about his mistakes that put him behind bars on death row with two life sentences for crimes he didn't commit. He describes prison life as a world of hatred, cruelty, despair. He contemplated suicide; then he encountered Jesus:
The Message of John 1. The First Sign—Cana (2:1–11)
‘The promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is that a person in Christ becomes a new creature. That included Convict 62345. Old habits and attitudes were replaced as the Spirit of God worked in my life. The vengeance that I had nourished for five years and the rebellious spirit that had been a driving force in my life relaxed their grip when Christ took control. Little by little he replaced my hatred by his love. Sometimes I lay in the prison yard looking at the sky and relishing the joy and peace that I’d found in Christ. The bars and fences were still there, as were the guards with their high-powered rifles. But I had an inner strength I’d never known before—the very presence of Christ.’
joy is the ability to see God in any circumstances - painful or just ordinary or just plain boring:
Do we see the normal but not the glory? - this is when you know you have gone beyond status quo Christianity
Do we see the normal but not the glory? - this is when you know you have gone beyond status quo Christianity
Do we see the normal but not the glory?
Do we see the normal but not the glory?
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Many saw the water mysteriously turning into wine. The difference: the disciples saw His glory; Many saw miracles (name) - the difference, they saw his glory
glory: the manifestation of God: overpowering brightness that leaves us trembling, but really means seeing a God who was there all along
Read words on the page, but not hearing God speak to us.
Read words on the page, but not hearing God speak to us.
see beauty in nature, but not the glory
see beauty in nature, but not the glory
Serve the poor, but not see Christ in the poor.
Serve the poor, but not see Christ in the poor.
Martin of Tours, one of my favorite “call stories” comes from the 4th century: half a coat, saw Jesus wearing it; left military service, was baptized and became a miracle worker the rest of his life
When you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.
If we’re just doing a good turn daily, we’re missing out: see Christ in the eyes of the person you’re experiencing
same with your enemy, your rival, see
See our
Attend the service, but not celebrating the Holy Spirit in our midst
Attend the service, but not celebrating the Holy Spirit in our midst
dead religion - either we are here or we’re not; if we can’t encounter the presence of God, let’s go to the beach instead [pentecostal preacher]
Seeing the world go on as usual; establishing our routines (get up, breakfast, work, come home, sleep, repeat) but not seeing the glory of God throughout the week
Seeing the world go on as usual; establishing our routines (get up, breakfast, work, come home, sleep, repeat) but not seeing the glory of God throughout the week
establishing our routines (get up, breakfast, work, come home, sleep, repeat) but not seeing the glory of God throughout the week
going to work, but not just a workplace but your mission field
going to work, but not just a workplace but your mission field
Closing - start with this prayer:
Closing - start with this prayer:
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
Not “help me live a better life.” Help me to be more regular in my attendance, give more, better relationships.
Show me your presence among the ordinary. Help me realize you have been here all the time.
She me your glory? Not just help me to live a good life: that’s been tried and only one person succeeded (and you’re not him)
Attend the service, but do not celebrate Christ in our midsts
Jesus