Water Into Wine

Introduction

Welcome back to Mission Christian Church, we are continuing our study in the book of John this week. Now I wasn’t here last week becuase of a sick family, but I think the calling of the disciples is such a good subject to study. Not only on how the dicisples responded to Jesus and his call, but the questions that Jesus asks them. This week we will be digging into the first sign of Jesus’s ministry. Now the reason I say sign and not miracle is twofold. First, sign is the word that John uses and second, it means something slightly different than miracle.

See a miracle is just a display of power, and often supernatural power. That word is dynamis, which literally translates into power and that is how it is often translated, but the second most English word it is translated into is miracle. This word in and of itself is simply that a mighty deed or supernatural power where is the word that John uses is more than that. This word is se-mee-on. And this word almost always translates directly into signs and occasionally is used as signal, marks, distinguishing mark, or miraculously. Now there is an important distinction here, because a sign is something that indicates that you are who you say you are. It is more than just a supernatural event, it is something that provides proof. And it doesn’t have to be a supernatural thing, this same word was used when Judas betrayed Jesus and gave the guards the ‘signal’ that helped them identify who Jesus was. In the military we have the same thing, we have signs and countersigns that help identify friend from foe. If I give you a sign and you give the incorrect counter sign, I will know that you are an imposter and can’t be trusted or are potentially the enemy.

So as we dig into this first sign, we need to approach it with the understanding that John is trying to use this story to provide proof that Jesus is who he says he is. This is the first sign, according to John, that marks Jesus, or provides the proof that he was who he said he was. It is not simply a display of power, because displays of powers happen outside of Jesus, the disciples showed displays of powers and even evil people in the bible displayed powers that would be considered miracles. This was more than that.

So let’s dig into the first few verses here. Let’s read John 2:1-2

John 2:1–2 NIV

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.

So the first thing that stands out is third day here. Now when we see the third day we might be tempted to tie this third day as a link to the death and resurrection when Jesus died and rose again on the third day. But that would a lose correlation, and the reason I say this is because up until this point, we have already seen three days go by. In chapter one we see three verses that say “The next day”. What is most likely happening is that John is saying “on the third day after Jesus had left for Galillee, which would actually make this day 7 according to the timeline John provides. In John 1:19-28 we see a delegation sent to talk to John the Baptist. The Second day we see John the baptist announcing Jesus as the Lamb of God, the third day Jesus brings two disciples to his residence and it says in John 1:39 that they spent the rest of the day with Jesus and that it was around four. So technically Simon, or Peter, wouldn’t have been called until day four. Then on day five Jesus talks to Nathanael and leaves for Galilee. On the third day after leaving for Galilee we would actually be on day 7. Now at the beginning of John we see John use the creation story when he said in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. This would mean that this miracle or sign is to take place on the seventh day, the Sabbath, the Holy day. We see Jesus perform other miracles on the Sabbath later in this gospel. Now we can’t be certain that this is what John is going for, but it is interesting to note that this is the only time John gives us such a detailed timeline of events. So it is possible this is what John is trying to do, is to tie the creation story that starts with him establishing that Jesus was with God in the beginning and this story serves as the conclusion to that metaphor, but I think that it also points out something unique about John.

I dont know if Cody talked about this but when Jesus called the first group of disciples there was one that didn’t have a name. In John 1:37-40 it says

John 1:37–40 NIV

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.

Now this other disciple remains unnamed, so scholars assess that this unnamed disciple is actually John himself, which would explain why he knows details such at the time of day it was or the timeline of events this early in Jesus ministry, if this is the case, John could be providing such a detailed timeline simply to show that he was there with Jesus from the start and by providing this level of detail it lends to the credibility of his account.

It is very possible that John was continuing his metaphor of creation with this timeline, or it is possible he was doing this detailed account to provide credibility, or maybe he was doing both. There is no real way of knowing for sure, but what is great about this particular miracle is that John is building up to something here so lets get back to our verses.

Now Jesus mother had been invited to this wedding and so Jesus and his disciples got an invitation as well. In John 2:3 it says,

John 2:3 NIV

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

So a little bit of background here and some things that we have to get from context. First, we can assume that Mary at a minimum, knew the family that was getting married. The fact that she is concerning herself with the wine and it being out shows that she had a vested interest in the bride and groom. They were most likely family friends of some sort. Now Jewish weddings are not at all like our weddings today. The celebrations from Jewish weddings back then could go on for multiple days and could go on as long as a week. It was the responsibility of the Groom to pay for everything as well with the wedding and to run out of supplies would be considered very shameful in this culture. So they run out of wine and Mary, wanting her family friends to avoid embarrassment, comes to Jesus and brings the problem before him. Now another interesting thing to point out is that scholars believe that at this point in time, Mary was a widow. Even though the Bible doesn’t mention the death of Joseph, he isn’t talked about after the story of Jesus being at the temple when he was 12. So, if Joseph was in fact gone, then naturally Mary would turn to her oldest son to provide and bring problems like this to him, as was custom in their culture.

But Jesus has a response that we wouldn’t expect, instead of replying like a Son would to a mother, he says this in John 2:4

John 2:4 NIV

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

Jesus uses the term ya-nay which we translate into woman. Now this word isn’t supposed to be used in a mean way,Jesus isn’t saying woman in a way that would be disrespectful, but the term isn’t actually endearing either. There isn’t really a good English word for it and the closest word we be something akin to ma’am, but again it isn’t supposed to be an endearing ma’am, or a disrespectful one, it is more like a formal response. Like if some lady was to hold the door open for me I might say thank you ma’am. But his next phrase is a little bit of a rebuke.

The question that Jesus ask literally translates to what to me and to you. This is translated into different phrases depending on your version, the NIV says why do you involve me. Now this question is asked in other places in the Bible and the expression always distances the two parties and the speakers tone is overlaid with some degree of reproach. It is not supposed to be a rude ton, but it is abrupt and could come off as rude. Interestingly, the same phrase is used by the demons when they see Jesus and they say “What do you want with us Son of God” when they see them approaching. But strictly speaking, the phrase asks what do you and I have in common as far as the matter at hand is concerned. Or in other words, I don’t see how this is my problem. Now this a little but of a rebuke from Jesus to his mother but this wont be the first time we see Jesus distance himself from his earthly family. If Jesus is the Son of God then Mary has to understand that she has to approach him on the same level as everyone else and won’t receive special treatment because she is family. How hard must that be for a mother who raised a son. She knew him when he was little and watched him grow and learn to talk and she fed him, but then to have her own Son treat her just like he would any other woman must be hard, but it is a testament to the faith that Mary had in her son as the messiah.

Then Jesus says something that is a little cryptic, he says my hour has not yet come. Now we looking back at this event that has already happend can understand that Jesus is actually talking about the hour of his glorification, the death on the cross, but can you imagine what Mary would have thought to that response. Maybe she was used to it at this point because she had been with him for so long, but If i asked a family member to do something and they replied “my hour has not yet come” i would look at them like they were crazy. I mean seriously, what hour are you talking about. She must have been used to it because her reaction is nothing like I would have had to someone saying something so weird. I mean, all she did was ask Jesus for help with something mundane, something physical, like getting more wine. But Jesus has a tendency to think on a much higher spiritual level than the rest of us. He is thinking about his death on the cross already, he already knew the path he was on and was thinking about that when he responded, poor Mary just wanted some wine.

But there are three important points to make about his response here. Frist, although Mary did laid out the need for wine in mundane terms, Jesus is remembing the prophets and how they characterized the coming of the messiah where the wine would flow liberally.

Je 31:12 “They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.”

Ho. 14:7 “People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.”

Am. 9:13-14 ““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.”

So we have some talk in the Old Testament about wine, but what else is going on in those prophecies is the prosperity that comes along with the Messianic age. Elsewhere we see Jesus adapt the wedding as a symbol for the messianic age. See Mt. 22:1-14 and Mt. 25:1-13 for examples.

So if Jesus is treating the circumstance that he is currently in as sign of the coming of the Messiah then he is right to say that his hour of glorification has not yet come.

The second point is that though the entire Gospel moves to the hour of glorification, we cant dismiss Jesus ministry before the cross as irrelevant or merely preparation, but these events happened in anticipation of the cross. This is why John says at the end of the story that this is the first sign. This is the first indication that Jesus was who he said he was. And at the end we will see that the disciples are amazed at the display of power, but they failed to grasp it for more than that. It wasn’t untill after the cross that it would click the importance of Jesus turning water into wine. They caught a glimpse of the glory that was still to be revealed. But didn’t understand the scope of what Jesus was doing.

The third point is that since Jesus is Bride and we are his bridegroom, he alone will supply all the “wine” that is needed for the banquet, but as the story unfolds we see that he shows us a taste of his grace by making good on the deficiencies of the unknown bridegroom by supplying the best possible wine. Without him, we will always be lacking, a shadow of the potential that we could be. And instead of allowing to the bridegroom to face the shame and judgement that comes with not being good enough, he swoops in, even we he doesn’t have to, and provides exactly what is needed.

Now we got a little bit ahead of ourselves there, but let us get back into the scripture. Let’s continue with John 2:5-10

John 2:5–10 NIV

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.”

So here Mary responds to Jesus not as a mother would, but as a believer. I imagine a mother would have responded very differently to a Son who rebuked her, but she comes to Jesus with a problem and trust that he will provide and take care, she doesn’t even know what that looks like or how he is going to do it, she simply walks away trusting it will be taking care of. So Jesus turns to the servants and conveniently there are six water jars that are used for ceremonial washing and they held anywhere from 20-30 gallons each. So these are some big ole jars of water. 20 gallons of water alone weighs about 166 lbs, so imagine having to carry a solid stone jar that was capable of holding that much water and then filling it up with water. That would have been VERY heavy. But Jesus tells the servants to fill them to the brim.

So they do that and when they take it to the party everyone is amazed by how good the wine is. So good that the master of the banquet pulls the bridegroom aside and asks him why he saved his best wine for now. He says that everyone brings out the cheap wine after the guest have had to much to drink. Now lets be honest I can’t speak for wine, but I can speak for whiskey, and i can tell the difference between a nice smooth glass of whiskey and a really cheap glass. But after a glass or two you don’t want to drink your expensive whiskey because it starts to taste a whole lot like that bottle of Jim Bean sitting in your cabinet. And this is what the master of the banquet is saying, hey man typically you want to give your expensive and tasty stuff at first because people will appreciate it a lot more than the will after they have had a few drinks, but you went the reverse? Why is that?

And that is because the wine that Jesus is giving is going to shatter the expectation of the guest. They think they already had the good stuff and are at a point to where they can’t appreciate the truly good wine, but Jesus says no, what I bring to the table is far better than anything you could have possibly imagined and I bring it in abundance. Not only is it the best, there is more than enough to satisfy.

Now lets go back a few verses and look at the significance of the jars. These were the jars that the Jews used to wash their hands, often before religious ceremonies. These jars represent the law, and Jesus takes the contents of the jars and replaces the mediocre water from the well with something that is tasty, satisfactory, and perfect. Jesus is foreshadowing his perfection of the law. You see, the Jews had taken then law and turned it into a religion that was subject to human abuse and manipulation. They had twisted it and made this whole complicated religion out of something that was supposed to be so simple. They were checking the boxes, they were washing their hands before the ceremonies, but they were missing out on experiencing the abundance and satisfaction of God because they were so wrapped up in the legalities. They were missing the point of the life and relationship that the law and the covenant with God gave. Now what is important here is that Jesus didn’t break the stone jars, he didn’t say that he was coming to destroy the law, in fact in Matthew 5:17 he said something quite different, he said I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus fulfilling that law. He takes the law, symbolized by these jars and replaces the contents with his abundance and his perfection. He is giving us a taste of what it actually looked like when the law was lived out in a life.

So John is hitting the nail on the head was the first sign through which he revealed his glory. Let’s read the rest of the story in John 2:11-12

John 2:11–12 NIV

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. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

What an introduction into the ministry of Jesus. And the way that he does it is just mind blowing to me. I think that scripture can stand out to people in different ways depending on where they are at in life. Maybe you relate more with the bridegroom in the story who was lacking the ability to do it all himself. He wasn’t able to provide what was needed and was about to face the shame that came along with that, but Jesus stepped in, when he didn’t have to, and provided something that wasn’t just good enough, it was perfect.

Or maybe the symbolism of the Jars resonates with you. We often treat our faith much like the Pharisees did, where we checked all the boxes, and we knew all the answers, but we were missing out on the contents of the jar itself. We are still drinking water when Jesus is offering us the best wine we could ever possibly have.

Or maybe something else stood out to you in this story. However the scripture speaks to you, i invite you to drink from the wine that Jesus gives us. When we live our life according to his will and pursue a relationship with him, we wont need to worry about the shame of our own deficiencies or care if we are checking the box. Jesus invites us to have a relationship with the God of the universe that is abundant and filled to the brim with perfection. If you aren’t sure what that relationship looks like or how to pursue it, i can tell you the best three ways are through prayer, scripture, and fellowship but that is a whole other sermon in itself. Let’s pray.