Water to Wine

Introduction

John 20:30–31 (ESV)

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus is the Christ

Christ/Messiah - “(literally ‘one who has been anointed’) in the NT, titles for Jesus as the Messiah—‘Christ, Messiah’ (but in many contexts, and especially without an article, Χριστός becomes a part of the name of Jesus; see 93.387)." (Louw, Nida)

“Son of God as Jesus — Jesus is conceptualized as God’s son. This signifies an intimate relationship with God and a special status of sonship within ancient cultures. In particular, the status of sonship is one of honor, privilege, and exaltation.” (The Lexham Figurative Language of the New Testament Dataset.)

John is very specific in the purpose for writing this Gospel account and selective in the events he wrote about. He wants to make clear that Jesus is the Christ (Anointed One sent from God to redeem mankind) and He has an intimate relationship with God as His Son.

Eternal Life through belief in Him.

Believe - to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’ (Louw, Nida)

Life - Life in right relationship with God through Jesus.

John is seeking to let people know not only who Jesus is, but that if you trust in Him you will have real life with God.

As we study the Miracles of Jesus in John we will look at:

What we lean about Jesus.

What we learn about belief in Him.

The Event (1-10)

The occasion (2:1–4)

The ceremony (2:1–2): Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding in Cana.

John 2:1–2 (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.

"there was a wedding" Village weddings were major social events. They often involved the entire community and could last several days.” (Utley)

Seems as though there was a wedding for a relative of Jesus’ family and Mary was involved in the organizing of the details. Jesus and his disciples were invited also.

The crisis (2:3-4): The wine supply runs out, and Jesus’ mother comes to him with the problem.

John 2:3–4 (ESV)

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.”

Mary asked. (3)

"the mother of Jesus was there" Apparently Mary was helping with the arrangements for the wedding. This can be seen in her ordering the servants (cf. John 2:5) her concern over the refreshments (cf. John 2:3) These probably were relatives or family friends. (Utley)

Mary became aware of the lack of wine. This would have been seen as an embarrassment for the family of the party. With these people probably being family, Mary is trying to deal with the problem.

Mary’s understanding of Jesus? Messiah? Starting Public Ministry? She asked Jesus to do something.

Jesus answers. (4)

"Woman" In English this sounds harsh, but it was a Hebrew idiom, a title of respect (cf. John 4:21 (Sumerian Woman); 8:10 (Woman caught in adultery); 19:26; 20:15 (Mary a). (Utley)

“what does this have to do with me?"

This is a Hebraic idiom, literally "what to me and to you" (Utley)

The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely). (The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. )

“My hour has not yet come.”

“The words ‘my time (hōra) has not yet come’ include the first of nine references to Jesus’ ‘hour/time’ (4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27 [2×]; 13:1; 16:32; 17:1), a significant theme in this Gospel. The first three references indicate that Jesus’ hour had not yet come; the last six indicate that it had come. The hour towards which everything moves is the hour of Jesus’ glorification, which takes place through his death, resurrection and exaltation. Bearing this in mind, Jesus’ response to his mother appears to have confronted her with the news that he was now acting only according to his Father’s timetable, with his eyes fixed on the hour to come (even though he went on to fulfil her implied request). (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries.)

The orders (2:5–7)

John 2:5–7 (ESV)

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.

From the mother (2:5): Mary instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.

From the Messiah (2:6–7): He tells them to fill six huge jars with water.

“six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification”

Stone Jars that hold 20-30 gallons of water.

Purification - to cleanse from ritual contamination or impurity—‘to cleanse, to purify, purification.’ (Louw, Nida)

These containers of water were used for ceremonial washings of the feet, hands, utensils, etc. (Utley)

The obedience (2:8-10): They follow his instructions, and the water turns into wine!

John 2:8–10 (ESV)

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.”

Servants obeyed. (7-8)

John 2:7–8 (ESV)

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.

They filled the jugs with water.

Jesu instructs them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”

They obey.

Jesus’ Miracle. (9)

John 2:9 (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

Not sure when Jesus turned the water to wine, but by the time the master of the feast drank it, it was wine.

Because Jesus told them to fill up all 6 jars it is implied that Jesus turned all the water to Wine.

Master of the feast response. (10)

John 2:10 (ESV)

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.”

Saw it as the best wine.

Jesus (11a)

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.

Manifest His Glory

Manifest - to cause to become visible—‘to make appear, to make visible, to cause to be seen.’ (Louw, Nida)

Glory - a state of being great and wonderful—‘greatness, glory.’ (Louw, Nida)

John 1:48–51 (ESV)

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 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.”

The Miracles of Jesus was to provide witness to who Jesus was and what he could do. Jesus was God in the world and was able to bring healing and forgiveness.

John 5:30–38 (ESV)

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 31 If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

Bring New Covenant

"six stone water pots" As so often in John, this seems to be a sign with dual purposes. (1) to help the wedding couple. (2) it was ultimately a sign pointing toward Jesus as the fulfillment of Judaism. The reasons behind this last statement may be: (a) the number "6" is symbolic of human effort (b) Jesus' request to fill them up to the brim seems to have symbolic meaning, not just to provide more wine (c) the huge amount of wine, which was far too much for a local wedding feast (d) wine was a symbol of the abundance of the new age (cf. Jer. 31:12; Hos. 2:22; 14:7; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:12-14) (Utley)

“Look at the symbolism: These six stone jars normally held water used for ceremonial cleansing, an important part of Old Covenant life. Now they contained wine, which is often associated with the New Covenant due to the Lord’s Supper. What’s more, the wine these jars now contained was superior to the wine the wedding guests had been drinking before, just as the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). This miracle symbolized nothing less than the Mission of the Messiah; changing the empty way of man’s religion into a living, joyful, relationship with the Lord, as demonstrated by the wedding celebration.” (Jack Kelley, GraceThruFaith.com)

Jesus is the fulfillment of the OC and establishing a NC through his death, resurrection and ascension.

Book of Hebrews: Jesus/NC superior to Moses/OC.

Mark 2:19–22 (ESV)

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Disciples (11b)

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.

Faith in God

Disciples - (derivative of μαθητεύωa ‘to follow, to be a disciple of,’ 36.31) a person who is a disciple or follower of someone—‘disciple, follower.’ (Louw, Nida)

Believes - to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’ (Louw, Nida)

As the disciples learned from and saw what Jesus was doing the believed in Him more.

As we read these testimonies of Jesus, we gain an understanding on who He is and what he came to accomplish. Believing in the Gospel is to put our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and right relationship with God.

Takeaways

Miracle 1: shows He came to take us from the stone cold and empty way of man’s religion into a living and joyful relationship with Him. (Jack Kelley)

John 20:30–31 (ESV)

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.