The First Sign: Water to Wine

Introduction

That was a promo video for the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. It is one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. 40,000 square feet of signs from all across the United States, in every shape and color imaginable.

Signs are important. They tell us important things. This morning, we’re going to look at the first of Jesus’ signs recorded by John in his gospel. So, you can turn to John chapter 2 in your Bibles, which starts on page 603 of the pew Bible.

If you remember John’s purpose in writing this gospel, from chapter 20:

John 20:30–31 CSB

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The Book of John is organized essentially into two halves. We call them the Book of Signs — chapters 1-11 — and the Book of Glory — chapters 12-21. And in the first half of the Book, John records seven signs which are meant to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and to call his readers to believe in him.

The first of these signs takes place at a wedding in a little town called Cana. Let’s read, starting in John 2:1

John 2:1–12 CSB

1 On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding as well. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t have any wine.” 4 “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 “Do whatever he tells you,” his mother told the servants. 6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. 7 “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom 10 and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this, he went down to Capernaum, together with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and they stayed there only a few days.

PRAY

Father, your Word is perfect, renewing the soul; it is a sure testimony that enlightens the eyes and gives wisdom to the unlearned. By your grace, humble us to see that our souls need renewal, our eyes enlightening, and our spirits learning. Renew, enlighten, and teach us by your Holy Spirit that we might understand and believe the testimony of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

What are Signs?

Before we look at this story in earnest, I want to take just a moment to talk about signs — specifically, signs in the Bible.

A sign, of course, is a thing that points to something else and that something else is usually grander than the sign. Signs can be really cool, like the ones in the American Sign Museum, but generally speaking, we are more excited about the thing the sign points to than the sign itself. On a trip out West, nobody stops and marvels at the sign that says: “Grand Canyon 60 miles.” It’s pointing to the grander thing.

No different in the Bible. Generally speaking, signs in the Bible are objects or acts that point to a grander spiritual reality.

In the Old Testament, there were all sorts of signs. Some showed God’s power — in Nehemiah, he refers to God’s plagues against Egypt as signs of his magnificence. There were also signs of God’s promises — think of the rainbow in Genesis, it was given to Noah as a sign of the covenant to never flood the whole earth again.

But mostly in the Old Testament, signs are given by God to confirm that someone is a prophet. Sometimes they were miraculous — Elijah making the woman’s oil never run out during the famine in 1 Kings 17. Sometimes they were mundane — Isaiah walking around barefoot for 3 years to announce God’s coming judgment on Israel in Isaiah 20. These signs served to authenticate the divine messengers so that people would believe the message they brought.

Now we come to the Book of John, and he uses signs as an authenticator of Jesus’ message. What Jesus says about the kingdom arriving with him is true. But, they also point to a grander reality: Jesus is the message. Jesus is the kingdom. These signs are showing that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, and the Son of God himself. And revealing that, the signs call us to believe.

So, bearing that in mind about what the signs are meant to do, let’s look more closely at this first sign recorded by John:

The Wedding

Jesus and his disciples go to a wedding in Cana. Cana was a small town in Galilee, which was in the northern part of the region which buts up against the Sea of Galilee, hence the name. It was the hometown of Nathanael, and very close to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Jesus goes to this wedding and his mother is also there, which indicates that these were probably relatives, even if distant relatives.

Now, weddings in Jesus’ time were a big deal. They were major social events, often with entire villages — hundreds, even thousands of people — invited. And sometimes they lasted up to a week.

But, not only were they major social events, they were also major hospitality events. A family’s reputation in the community could be seriously harmed if something went wrong at a wedding…something like, say, running out of wine, just as a random example. In fact, in Jesus’ day a groom could actually get sued if there wasn’t enough wine for everyone.

And so, there is some dramatic tension here when Jesus’ mother comes to him and says, “They don’t have any wine.” Like, a first century reader of the Book of John would have heard the record scratch and everybody get silent — Oh, no. This is bad. What’s gonna happen now?

So Mary comes to Jesus, her eldest son, and tells him that there isn’t any wine. And to get the full grasp of this sign, we need to look at Jesus’ odd response to his mother in verse 4:

John 2:4 CSB

4 “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.”

Now, if you talk to your mamma like that in the South, you know, at the very least you get The Look. You know The Look. It indicates a greater wrath upon return to the home.

That’s not what;s going on here. Jesus wasn’t being disrespectful to his mom. Gynai, the word for woman, was a common way to refer to a…well, a woman in your presence. So, not disrespectful, but definitely not warm and familiar. It was an odd way for a son to refer to his mother.

And then he says, “What does this concern of yours have to do with me…my hour has not yet come.”

And that’s key, “my hour is not yet come.” Jesus is reminding Mary that he has a mission and all of his focus is meant to be there. And he is also defining their relationship, in a way. Yes, Jesus is Mary’s son, but he is also her Lord. They are on completely different levels. Even though she is his mother, she is also a sinner in need of a Savior. She needed Jesus’ ultimate hour, his crucifixion and resurrection, just as much as anyone else.

And so, while Jesus does do what she has asked, he has now tweaked the focus. I’m going to do this, he says, but it’s not so that our relative will save face in the community. Rather, I will do this so I can show truth and point to a greater spiritual reality.

Now we see the purpose of this sign. It is not just to show his power, although it does. It is not just to show his control his command over the natural world, although it does. The purpose of the sign is to show a greater spiritual reality: A new day had come.

The New Has Come

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul describes the new birth into Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 CSB

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

In changing the water to wine at the wedding in Cana, Jesus is declaring that he was bringing about a radical change in how people relate to God. The old was passing away and a new day had come.

Let’s look at some details that John includes to make this point:

First, I’ve been telling you to pay attention to the progression of days in this part of John’s narrative, you remember that?

Day 1, verses 19-28: The priests and Levites ask John the Baptizer bunch of questions

Day 2, verses 29-34: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away this sin of the world!”

Day 3, verses 35-42: Andrew and another disciple leave the Baptizer and follow Jesus. Andrew gets his brother Simon.

Day 4, verses 43-51: Philip and Nathanael join Jesus

Now, 2:1: On the third day (meaning, three days later) a wedding took place. We’re on Day 7- the Sabbath.

John has already drawn our attention back to Creation once in 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word.” John’s gospel is proclaiming the good news that a new creation is here. And by performing this sign on the 7th day, Jesus is proclaiming that a new Sabbath is here, a day of rest. But, rather than a day of rest from physical labor, Jesus is calling us to a life where mankind rests from their work in trying to earn favor with God by the law and trusts fully in the completed work of God in Jesus. The new has come.

Secondly, the vessels that Jesus uses to perform the sign. The jars that were used for ritual purification. The Jews washed in them so they could be ritually clean and participate in the celebration of the wedding.

When Mary comes to Jesus and says, “There is no more wine,” she is obviously talking about the physical wine at the wedding. But John wants us to see the deeper reality. When Jesus uses the jars of purification to perform the miracle he is saying, “No longer does the water from the ritual make you clean before God. Drinking deeply from the wine that I provide does.”

The Old Covenant was not sufficient to make people right with God. No amount of rule-keeping, no amount of washing, no amount of doing the right thing was sufficient. But the wine of Jesus’ gospel is. Jesus is here and things have changed. The rituals of the old covenant are being replaced with something greater. The shadow that was the law was passing away and the substance has come. External purification was giving way to internal cleansing. It was no longer about ceremonial water, but celebratory wine. The new has come.

When he turns the water into wine, Jesus is declaring that a new age has dawned- the age of the kingdom of God under the authority of the Messiah, who sets people free.

An abundance of good wine was something in the Old Testament that was used to signal the coming of the Messiah and the new day. Listen to what Isaiah says in chapter 25:

Isaiah 25:6–9 CSB

6 On this mountain, the Lord of Armies will prepare for all the peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast with aged wine, prime cuts of choice meat, fine vintage wine. 7 On this mountain he will swallow up the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations. 8 When he has swallowed up death once and for all, the Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

The prophets said that the day the Messiah comes, when all things are made new will come with a feast and abundance of fine, vintage wine.

And here is Jesus at this wedding, making the water that was filled to the brim of the jars into the best wine the master of ceremonies has ever tasted. Jesus brings quality wine in abundance because He is the Chosen One of God.

And so what are we supposed to do with this miracle? What do we do with the fact that Jesus made something like 150 gallons of the finest wine for a party?

And let’s not…to pretend that this was grape juice or unfermented wine or whatever is, frankly, just silly. Jesus turned water into really good wine. This is him fulfilling God’s work in Psalm 104 where He provides wine to make human hearts glad.

So, what do we do with this?

It’s clear what John believes is the right response, in verse 11:

John 2:11 CSB

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

The disciples witnessed the sign, they saw Jesus’ glory, and they believed. And now, whether you have read this narrative before or not, now you are also a witness to it, through the testimony of John. And God expects the same: see the glory of Jesus and believe.

This sign demands that we answer two questions:

Do you see the glory of Jesus through this sign?

Are you tasting his wine?

Can you see Jesus’ glory revealed here? By changing the ritual water into good wine, Jesus is declaring that he is the Messiah, the one who was ushering in the day when all things are made new.

If you are a believer, this sign calls you to see the glory of Jesus your Savior, who has made you a new creation. The fact of the matter is that you were once like the impotent water jars of the Old Covenant, but Jesus made you a new creation. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” Christian, do you see the glory of Jesus in making all things new, especially you?

If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, this sign calls you to embrace the only hope for change in your life. Self-help books will not fix what afflicts you. Sex, money, and power will not satisfy the longing of your heart. You are spiritually dead outside of Christ. And there is no amount of water that can cleanse you. You can no more change your nature than could the water change itself to wine in those old Jewish water pots. You need Christ to change you. In changing water into wine, He was telling you that He can make all things new—even you. Do you see His glory?

The wine Jesus made at Cana, the new from the old, symbolizes all the glories of the New Covenant. This is the wine of the gospel, which is being offered to you. With this sign, Jesus is calling you to reject the water of your self-righteousness that can do nothing and exchange it for the wine of His perfect righteousness. Pour out the bitter water of your sins and drink the fine, abundant wine of forgiveness.

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard a pastor from the pulpit tell you to gorge yourself on wine, but that is exactly what I’m telling you to do because this wine offered by Christ is salvation and it brings abundant joy. Physical wine may lighten your spirit for a moment, but this wine will gladden your heart for eternity, so drink deeply from it.

Don’t turn your nose up and say that you prefer water, drink deeply of the wine of the New Covenant, the forgiveness of sins, the joy in trial, steadfastness in suffering, the power of the resurrected life, the freedom from legalism, the promise of glory. Every promise of God is answered yes in Christ, so stick your head in an become intoxicated with his glory and his beauty. Taste the wine of Jesus.

Another Wedding to Come

Let me close with one more gospel call.

It wasn’t an accident that the first of Jesus’ seven signs was performed at a wedding. Marriage is a picture of the covenant relationship between Christ and us, his Church. He is the groom and we are the bride.

And we long for the eternal wedding feast which awaits us when we are blessed with the celebration of intimate union with Jesus. After Jesus returns to gather us up, Jesus promised that He will once again drink in celebration when he is bodily united with his bride in his kingdom. What a glorious moment that will be! What joy will fill our hearts! But it begins now, through the perfect union we have with him in the Holy Spirit.

But Scripture also warns those who fail to see the glory of Jesus and fail to drink from the cup of the New Covenant that they will drink a different kind of wine at the end of all things:

Revelation 14:10 CSB

10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb,

For all who can hear my voice, there are two cups of wine and you will drink one of them. There is the cup of salvation through Jesus and the cup of divine wrath. Which cup will you drink?

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus displayed God’s infinite glory in making all things new. And John’s call is to be like the disciples that day: see the sign, behold His glory, and believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is the Lamb of God who shed his blood, and if you, by grace, trust in His work, you will one day drink with him as his bride at the glorious marriage supper of the Lamb.

Believe.