Sermon Tone Analysis
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*The Gospel of John IV: The Wine that Glorified God *
*John 2:1-12*
*/June 1, 2008/*
*Prep: *
· Read: Hughes’ commentary; DJG: Wine
· Bible: John 2:13ff and main commentaries, Romans 14:1ff
opening: The church’s uneasy RELATIONSHIP with alcohol
I have been *looking* *forward* to this sermon.
As I’ve said, *most* *Christians* drink, but most *churches* *pretend* they don’t.
· That’s because they are avoiding the *hornet’s* *nest*.
· *Fools* *rush* in where angels fear to tread.
I believe that our church has a *calling* to be both an *open*, *honest*, and *authentic* *community* and to *engage* our *culture*.
For both *good* and *evil*, alcohol is a significant *part* of our *culture*, and we must be able to *effectively* *engage* it, regardless of *whether* or *not* you *drink*.
· Not “*Beer* will send you to *hell*” nor “get *drunk* for *Jesus*!”
The *reason* we are addressing this is we’re in *John* 2:1-12, where Jesus turns *water* into *wine*.
It is a *cool* *story*, but this idea of Jesus making *150* *gallons* of wine is very *troubling* to many.
· *Deacon*: “He shouldn’t have.”
· Many preachers and teachers are so *uncomfortable* with this that they create *interesting* *ways* *around* the plain meaning.
That’s no surprise: Alcohol can be a hugely *divisive* issue in churches.
On one hand, it has been such a *destructive* *force* in many lives, on the other the Bible is *generally* *positive* about alcohol, while it soundly *condemns* *drunkenness*.
*To the glory of God!*
The *goal* of this sermon is to teach us how to *glorify* *God* whether we *drink* or *refrain* from drinking.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.* */1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV /
For believers, our goal is that *everything* we do, *individually* and *corporately* will show the *world* just how *good*, *loving*, and *cool* God is.
· God must be *welcome* into *every* *part* of our lives.
· My hope is to *offend* and *challenge* each of you.
The challenge is that I cannot possibly *fairly* *cover* this entire subject, with all its various aspects, in *one* *sermon*.
I have decided to break it into *two*:
1.
“The *Wedding* at *Cana*” and what the Bible has to say about *alcohol* and the *believer*.
2.
How God calls *believers* to interact on *debatable* *issues*, and the “*strong*” and “*weak*” are called to live in *unity*.
Prayer
Speak to us at where *we* are at.
I doubt that any of us are *spot* *on* alcohol.
*Convict* each of us (*myself* included) of where we are lacking in *love*, in *grace*, or in *self*-*control*.
· Teach us *how* to glorify you in *everything* we do: by what we eat or don’t eat, or what we drink or don’t drink.
The wedding
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.
Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
· Wedding festivals were *huge* *events*, the only party in town, and would last a *week*.
· Jesus *honors* *marriage* by performing his first miracle at a wedding – the *Gnostics* thought of it as a necessary evil.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
She probably knew from experience that Jesus got *things* *done*.
4”Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied.
“My time has not yet come.”
It wasn’t time to *reveal* *himself* to the world through miracles.
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Like a good mother, she *ignores* him, like the college student insisting he can do his own laundry.
But this is a beautiful *act* of *faith*, one of the *earlier* *demonstrations* of such.
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
The Jews were literally *legalistic* about *washing* their hands before they ate (I wish I could get my girls to do that).
It’s kind of *funny* Jesus uses these *objects* created for *legalism* and fills them with *wine*!
He got rid of the *religious* *stuff* in order to have a *party*.
· That’s like using the *baptistery* for the *spiked* *punch*.
But this is not a *trivial* *detail*.
Jesus intentionally *supplants* the *religious* *ritual* to demonstrate that something *better* has *arrived*.
More on that *later*.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
· That’s a lot of wine – *750* *bottles* worth!
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
This is a *miracle* of the *highest* *order*.
Some miracles are divine ordering of events, this is setting the *laws* of *physics* *aside*.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Remember that Jesus said it was *not* *his* *time*?
Notice that he manages to do it in a way that does *not* *draw* *public* *attention* to himself, but still *blesses* this *couple*.
· Running out of wine would have been a huge social *faux* *pas*.
· They may have *sold* the *leftovers*.
Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 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.”
This statement is kind of *funny*.
Once the guests are halfway to drunk, you can fill the empty *French* *bottles* with *boxed* *wine* and pour *gin* and *tonics* without any gin.
This part is also very *troublesome* to many commentators.
Not only does Jesus make 150 gallons of *really* *good* *wine*, but he serves it to people who have had *too* *much* to *drink*.
Q What are we supposed to do with that?
I don’t know.
There is *nothing* I can say at this point that *won’t* get me *into* *trouble*, so *you* *figure* it out and tell me.
11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.
He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
12 ¶ After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples.
There they stayed for a few days.
*John 2:1-12 NIV*
*John’s symbolism*
This story has *rich* *meaning* on *two* *levels*.
1.
The *events* *themselves*: Jesus *demonstrates* his power, and in the *following* passage, Jesus demonstrates his *authority*.
· This wine glorified God.
2.
Rich *symbolism*: Jesus is the *vine*, the *wine* is his *blood*.
The *water* could only wash the *exterior*, but his *blood* is able to *truly* *wash* us and *cleanse* us of *sin*.
· This miracle seems to *foreshadow* Jesus *death*.
Water could only *wash* something *away*, but the *wine* could *bring* *joy*, and in Christ we find not only *cleansing*, but the *fullness* of *joy*.
Ä In fact, even as the Bible *condemns* *drunkenness*, it frequently uses *wine* is a symbol of God’s *rich* *blessing*.
Q Why wine?
It was something of a *luxury* that required *peace* and a *bountiful* harvest.
If you were *disobedient*, no *wine*, but if you were in *obedience*, God blessed you with lots of *wine*:
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.*
*/Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV /
Ä But this symbol of *blessing* doesn’t *translate* *well*, because *alcohol* has been such a *curse*.
*The devil’s drink*
· Appx.
*14 million* Americans (1 in 13 adults) *abuse* alcohol.
· Alcohol is the *third* leading *cause* of preventable *death*
· Drunk drivers are responsible for *50*% of *highway* *fatalities*
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