Sommelier

Scripture

John 2:1–11 NRSV

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Introduction

Who knows what a sommelier is? A wine steward or an expert in wines or both. My friend Gordon who recently died could have been considered a sommelier, especially for reds. He had quite an extensive wine seller. Who do you think the sommelier is in this story? No/yes it’s Jesus. I mean he created grapes he ought to know something about wine, right?

Today we really begin the Times of the Signs. We have talked about miracles, but in John’s case he calls them signs and he only has seven of them.

2:1-11 Water into Wine

4:46-53 Healing an official’s son

5:2-9 Healing the paralytic

6:1-13 Multiplication of the loaves

6:16-21 Walking on Water

9:1-12 Healing a man blind from birth

11:17-44 The raising of Lazarus

We need to speak for a minute about why John calls them sign instead of miracles. A sign is a visible event intended to convey meaning beyond that which is normally perceived in the outward appearance of the event.

The signs always point to the fact that Jesus posses life giving power, he always offers life. His deeds involve the physical universe and the elements necessary for life: bread, water, wine healing, restoration of life. I need to point out that these always involve creative acts, that is making a new creation. Water becomes wine, the sick become well, one loaf becomes many, water can support walking, etc. in fact many believe that the 7 signs correspond to the 7 days of creation

The signs by themselves do no necessarily led to faith. The pharisees saw the miracles, but they had no faith. However they always reveal.

As an aside a number of scholars believe that there was a source document that John used that contained these signs. it is amazingly called the Book of signs. In some commentaries you will see scholars refer to these 7 miracles as the book of signs.

Here’s what John says about the signs:

John 20:30–31 NRSV

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Ok with that behind us lets turn to todays sign the miracle at the Wedding in Cana.

Background

John’s audience was a mostly Jewish Christian audience probably in Ephesus, but it was undoubtedly a larger city. he probably wrote after the destruction of the Temple because there is evidence in his writing about persecution goin on in the synagogues. Many of the Rabbi’s felt that the acceptance of Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah lead to the destruction of Judah by the Romans. They felt God had allowed this because they had allowed the Christ believing Jews to continue to worship in the temple and in synagogues. it goes without saying that the Jews were being persecuted by other Jews who believed they were heretics.

Thus, the Gospel of John was written by a Jewish Christian for and in a Jewish Christian community that was in conflict with the synagogue authorities of its day (represented in the Gospel as “the Pharisees” or “the Jews”).

John’s audience

John is not an anti semite, but he is railing against his Jewish brothers and sisters that are persecuting the Jesus believing Jews.

Exegesis

These signs are heavy with symbolism. Especially this one. This sign story is told on may levels.

Thus, that is why the stone purification jars are so interesting. These jars were purification jars because they were made out of stone. Clay jars would not work because of mold and that would render them unclean. But stone is not pourous and will not allow mold to form. Six jars is an odd number. Seven is considered perfect. 6 is incomplete. Jesus turns the water in them to wine. Roughly 160 gallons of wine. What would this have meant to one of John’s readers?

Well wine is always associated with the coming messiah, in fact so are banquets.

Isaiah 25:6 NRSV

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

A Jewish reader would have seen these symbols. Jesus is making a new creation. You wouldn’t put new wine into old skins! This obviously is a sign that Jesus is the Messiah. A great abundance of really good wine! The Messiah is here! In the apocryphal jewish writings is a tradition thatI the yields of the vineyards in the Messianic age would have been enormous and spectacular. In fact, John says this occured on the 3rd day, that reader right fully or not would associate that with the resurrection! Water into wine, resurrection, all signs of God’s kingdom, signs of the messianic age. In fact Isaiah goes on to say:

Isaiah 25:7–8 NRSV

And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 25:7

That time has come! Jesus has brought new life, new religion out of the stone cold legalist religion of the Pharisees!

Jesus’ conversation with Mary is not condescending or impatient. Woman is a term of respect. Saying his hour has not come simply means that he follows God’s will not humans’ will. Other people and events don’t set his priorities, God the Father does.T his is a big theme with John. We see that in the passion story. Jesus is in total control, nothing happens to him that he doesn’t want to happen. Evidently, the way Mary responds in telling the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, is an indication of this as well. She doesn’t know exactly what he is going to do if anything. She tells them to be prepared for whatever it is. So should we. We should be ready to do whatever jesus asks of us.

Application

Let’s take a look at the head waiter for a second. Jesus tells the servants to draw some of the water that has turned to wine and take it to the head waiter. He has no idea where the wine has come from. For all he knows the bridegroom has provided it and he has saved the best till last. But the servants know. They witnessed the miracle with the disciples and most likely Mary.

Don’t you know the bride groom was incredulous. Where did such good wine come from? He probably thought one of the guests had brought it. Recent research into Jewish and ANE weddings has revealed that the guests were supposed to bring the wine! For the Jewish people and many in the Mediterranean world wine is a symbol of prosperity and peace. More so for Jews it was a sign of the covenetal blessing of God. So the fact that they had run out would shame the bridegroom, but it would be far more shame for the guests.

We talked last week about the heaven’s being opened and the dove descending. Heaven coming to earth in Jesus. Well we see it here again. And this is good news. We see the manifestation of God in an everyday wedding. That is why the headwaiter missed it. That is why the bridegroom was so surprised. The headwaiter wasn’t ready for this. Who knew?

I have seen all kinds of situations similar to this in the 20 years of wedding I have officiated”

Heacox and sand table

Flowers, etc not showing up

Holley Unity candle

Best man getting mad and walking out 15 minutes before the ceremony

Mark Gleason story

Video

The point is that all these couples are still married, even after all these fails. Everyday kinda fails. We all have them. But into this wedding comes Jesus heaven come to earth. He does decide to intervene to make this situation right. he did not have to do this, they still would have been married and a year later it would have been forgotten by most even in an honor shame culture. The headwaiter had no idea where the wine came from, neither dod the bridegroom, all they knew is that the best wine had been saved for the last.

Here’s what i want you to ponder this week. Are you the headwaiter or are you the disciples? The headwaiter missed it, the disciples did not. John says:

John 2:11 NRSV

Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

They saw God manifested in the everyday, ordinary occurrences of a wedding. This was certainly not the first wedding that had something go wrong and would not be the last. Where do you see God manifested in the ordinary? Are you looking? Jesus reveals his glory in our everyday occurrences, but you have to be looking.

What do you see here and old woman or the young lady. This is a very famous optical illusion. It’s a matter of perception.

The point is the signs are all around us and they are all miraculous. They are miraculous because we have a God that gets involved in the nitty gritty things of everyday life. We may not always get our water turned to wine, but we can rest assured that God is with us every step of the way. The headwaiter missed it the disciples saw it.

Are you a headwaiter or a disciple? It’s all a matter of perception.