Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
There are certain ideas and events from the Bible that have found their way into language and society in general. And so, for example, you may have heard people talk about ‘forbidden fruit,’ or ‘a David and Goliath situation,’ or ‘a Good Samaritan,’ even though they have not read the Bible themselves. Well, ‘turning water into wine’ is another of the Bible allusions that are used in society in general. It is used when people are describing how they or others have turned something bad into something good.
I heard it once used in reference to a football coach. A certain team had been struggling and they had sacked the coach and brought in a new coach and the results had immediately improved. So the commentator was talking about how the team was now playing and he said that the coach had turned ‘water into wine.’
And I expect that most of us have heard the expression used like that. Yes? Well, today we get to look at the episode in the Bible that it comes from. And may it be, whether we know this episode well or it is new to us, that the Spirit of the Lord uses our consideration of it that we might come to faith in Jesus or have our faith in Him strengthened.
- As we have mentioned previously, John’s Gospel divides into two major sections. Ch’s 2-12 cover His public ministry, and ch’s 13-21 are about His private ministry to the disciples and then His death and resurrection.
- And the section that describes His public ministry looks closely at seven miracle-signs performed by Jesus. If you look back at 1:50, you will remember that Nathanael became convinced that Jesus must be the Son of God because Jesus had described Nathanael’s character and where Nathanael had been sitting even before He met him. And Jesus then said to Nathanael, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You shall see greater things that that.” Well, John will now tell us about seven of those “greater things.” And the account before us today is of the first of these “greater things” or miracle-signs.
- And it ends with His disciples putting their faith in Him. But what we shall see is that their faith was not yet what we shall call saving And this should give each of us pause to examine our own faith in the light of Scripture.
So as we consider this first sign, we want to see how Jesus changing water into wine is a call to faith. And we will do this as we consider the Setting of this First Sign, the Situation that leads to this First Sign, the Significance of this First Sign, and the Summation of this First Sign.
- So we begin with the Setting of this first sign, as we see it in vv1-2.
- John tells us that the wedding took place “on the third day.” And we wont go into all of the details but the best explanation for this time-stamp is in reference to the last event mentioned, which was Philip and Nathanael becoming followers of Jesus. We don’t know exactly where Cana was but the most likely options put it about 1-2 days of walking from Bethsaida, which is where Jesus met P&N. So you have Jesus meeting P&N, you have a day of travelling, and then this wedding “on the third day.”
- So Jesus is an invited guest at a wedding. And there are two comments we can make about this:
- The first is in relation to the significance of weddings and marriage in the Bible. The Bible begins with a marriage. On the sixth day of creation, God made Adam and Eve and joined them together in marriage. And in the OT, you have lots of marriage stories. And Jesus often used marriage in His teaching. And then in Ephesians 5 we have this magnificent passage that reveals to us that the marriage of a man and a woman is supposed to reflect the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. And then the end of the Bible speaks about this as we read about the great wedding Supper of the Lamb – the end goal of world history is the Father presenting His Son with the bride they chose before the world was created. So marriage is one of the great themes of the Bible. And right here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, He attends a wedding. And of course, He doesn’t just attend, He performs His first great miracle-sign at this wedding. So there is a salvation-history significance to Jesus’ attendance at this wedding.
- But you know, brothers and sisters, there is also a very down-to-earth significance to Jesus’ attendance at this wedding. Weddings are places of fun and laughter and celebration and joy. Weddings are social The weddings of this time lasted up to seven days! And let’s be clear on this also, the wine here was alcoholic. Some Bible teachers who have the belief that Christians must not drink alcohol have tried to explain the wine in this passage as just grape juice, but this was alcoholic wine. And as we see in this passage, it was common for the wine to flow and to do what wine does when it flows – cause drunkenness! And Jesus attended! So Jesus was not anti-social. Jesus was not anti-party. Jesus was not tee-total. And we are noting this because some Christians give you the idea that He was all those things. They give you the impression that if you are enjoying yourself, well, there must be sin involved. Do you know the type of people I speak of? Now, the Bible is very clear about avoiding drunkenness and immorality. We are not saying that ‘anything goes,’ do what you like. But let us not portray Christianity as anti-fun. Let us not say, for example, that a church picnic is silliness and that we should just have Bible studies.
- So, the setting of this first sign is a wedding. But let’s move on now to the situation that led to this first sign, as it unfolds in vv3-5. And we learn this as Jesus’ mother tells Him that “they have no more wine.”
- And her telling Him this and from her instructions to the servants in v5, that they “do whatever He tells you,” it is plain that somehow Mary sensed that He could and might do something to help. But what Jesus’ words to Mary in v4 reveal is that she did not understand His mission or her place in that mission. Literally, He replied, “What to me and to you, Woman?”
- The NIV has “dear woman,” but there is no dear in the Greek, just “woman.” And while that might sound a bit disrespectful to our ears, it was an acceptable and respectful form of address in Jesus’ day. Nevertheless, it is a little more ‘distant’ than “mother.”
- And this shows us that Jesus is moving away from the authority of His mother because His life from this point on must be exclusively under the authority of His Father in heaven. It is kind of like how in marriage a man is to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. That does not mean He no longer cares for His parents or seeks their advice, but his focus now is his wife. And in the same way, Jesus’ focus now must be His Father in heaven.
- And in terms of Mary, she must now begin to relate to Jesus by faith rather than as His Mum. Up till now, their relationship has been one of Mother and Son, but now it must become one of Saviour and disciple. That will be Mary’s place in the mission of Jesus.
- But we see this also in the rest of His response, which is, literally, ‘What to me and to you?” The NIV has it as “Why do you involve me?” Another helpful paraphrase is “that’s not our problem.”
- And this response is perfectly natural. I mean, if you are at a party and your host runs out of wine, it’s not your problem, as a guest, but your host’s. Right? And the solution is for him to run down to the local Bottle-O or to Countdown. So at one level, Jesus is saying to His mother that is a problem for the host of the wedding, not them.
- But Jesus also adds, “My time has not yet come.” And with these words He lifts the meaning of His response up a level. You see, Jesus had not come to earth, ultimately, to randomly clean up life’s little problems. Jesus had come to earth, ultimately, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and to rise from the dead. That was His mission. And everything He did had to serve that mission. But Mary does not and can not understand this yet.
- Nevertheless, hopeful that He will help she instructs the servants to do what Jesus tells them. And having gently taught His mother something that she will only fully understand after the cross, Jesus reveals that this moment actually is a part of His mission.
- The NIV has “dear woman,” but there is no dear in the Greek, just “woman.” And while that might sound a bit disrespectful to our ears, it was an acceptable and respectful form of address in Jesus’ day. Nevertheless, it is a little more ‘distant’ than “mother.”
- And we see how this is so, in the third place, as we look at the significance of this first sign, from vv6-10. We are told that there were six stone water jars nearby, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding 20-30 gallons (or 80-120 litres). Whether they were for the Passover feast that was coming up soon or just for the regular, daily washing ceremonies that the Jews would perform, these very large water jars were there. And we know the rest of the story: Jesus instructs the servants to fill them with water and they do. And sometime between them pouring the water in and the master of the banquet tasting it, miraculously, the water has been changed into wine. And to reinforce the miraculous nature of what has happened, we learn, from someone who is qualified to know, that this is “choice wine,” or the “best” wine. This is not what you have probably heard referred to as Chateau Cardboard or Marque Spew, this is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or Central Otago Pinot Noir – top shelf wine. And the master of the banquet is shocked that the host has “saved the best till now.” So, what is the significance of this miracle?
- And the first thing for us to note is that this miracle-sign of Jesus is, in effect, a commentary on the whole Old Testament.
- If you look at v3, it is unfortunate that the NIV includes the word “more” in what Jesus’ mother says to Him. In the Greek it is literally “they have no wine.” And right there, people of God, you have a kind of metaphor for the whole OT. The Jews, the ceremonies of the law? “They have no wine.”
- Let me explain. In OT times and NT times there is only one way of salvation – faith in Jesus Christ. OT saints looked forward to Jesus through the promises and ceremonies; we look back to Jesus and what He did on the cross. But it was so much harder in OT times; they only had shadows and types and symbols and hints. And that is why the OT prophets ‘drooled’ about the New Covenant that was to come. And the New Covenant is ultimately about Jesus! Jesus is the new of the New Covenant. And all of this is symbolized right here as Jesus takes some jars that used to be used for Jewish ceremonies and gives them a new purpose – wine containers! He takes symbols of law and ceremony and detailed ritual and fills them with wine. And do you remember what Jesus said when He introduced the Lord’s Supper to His disciples? He took wine and He said, “This is my blood of the covenant.”
- So in terms of the OT and its ceremonial laws, the summary is: “They have no wine.” It was hard, it was dreary, it was a burden. In Acts 15 we read that some in the Christian church were trying to get the Gentiles to keep the laws of Moses as part of salvation. But the response of the Apostles was; “Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?” The OT ceremonial law was an unbearable yoke/heavy burden. But now Jesus has come. And we are saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus. And He brings life and eternal life in abundance.
- So the change from OT to NT is pictured here as Jesus fills these jars with wine!
- But secondly, in terms of the significance of this miracle-sign, let’s not ignore the fact that it involves wine. The abuse of wine leads to drunkenness and all sorts of problems. The Bible is very clear about that. But in and of itself, wine, in the Bible, is a symbol of abundance and joy. Earlier we sung from Psalm 104. It says there that God makes “wine that gladdens the heart of man.” It is no accident then that the first miracle-sign of Jesus involved this symbol of abundance and joy.
- And even this point is instructive. You may have the idea or the impression that Christianity is all about rules and lists of what you are not allowed to do. So, you know, the people of the world, well they get to do all of the fun things but we Christians just have to read the Bible and pray and avoid anything fun. But that could not be more wrong. The Christian life is the only life that knows true and abundance and joy. And that does not mean that the Christian life is always bliss and free of problems. What it means is that life in Jesus Christ is the only life that has meaning and purpose and an eternal perspective.
- This is what the Book of Ecclesiastes is all about.
- The author of that book experimented with every pleasure imaginable. His conclusion? “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
- But he also said that God has “set eternity in the hearts of men.” You have an eternity shaped hole in your heart. Most people spend all their waking hours trying to fill that hole with relationships and sex and alcohol and food and drugs and sports and fame and career, but those things do not satisfy. They may feel good for a moment, but they do not and can not provide true abundance and joy. What does provide true abundance and joy is eternal life in Jesus Christ. When you understand that you were created by God for eternity, when you know that you can only enjoy eternity if you repent of your sins and believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, and when you experience the safety and freedom that comes from being sure that you will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus, well, then all of the good things of this earth fall into their proper place. And that is the abundant life. It is God in Christ first and then everything else. It is joy in Christ first and then enjoying God’s other good gifts.
- Does that sound like your life? Are you chasing after joy in the things of this world? Or are you enjoying the good things of this world under and within your relationship with Jesus Christ?
- So the significance of this first sign is the change from OT to NT that is found in Jesus and the fact that wine is a biblical symbol of abundance and joy. And that brings us, lastly and briefly, to the summation of the first sign, as we have it in v11. We read, “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.”
- It is interesting that this verse says nothing about the response of Jesus’ mother, or about the response of the servants, some of whom, we are told, knew what had happened, but only about the response of Jesus’ disciples. And this is because it is the disciples who will become the authoritative witnesses of Jesus. It is they who will become His apostles – His sent ones – who have a mission to tell people what they saw and heard in relation to Jesus. And in response to this first sign, which they clearly recognized as revealing something about the power and glory of Jesus, we are told that they “put their faith in Him.”
- And while this sounds wonderful, if you know anything about the OT, you know that this is only what is called miraculous
- The OT is full of incredible miracles – 10 plagues, passing through the Red Sea on dry land, manna bread, water from rocks, healing, the Sun standing still in the sky, 300 men defeating hundreds of thousands, resurrections, and on it goes… But so often, we immediately read next about grumbling or rebellion or idolatry or immorality among God’s people.
- Jesus Himself provided commentary on miraculous faith when He told about Lazarus and the Rich man dying and Lazarus in heaven and the Rich Man in hell. And the Rich Man asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to his five brothers because seeing a man who was raised from the dead would surely convince them about God. But Abraham’s response, if I paraphrase, was, “If they do not listen to the [Bible], they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
- You see, miraculous faith is not enough. It is not enough to be impressed by Jesus’ miracles. This is why we shall have to wait until after Jesus dies and rises from the dead for the moment that the disciples fully and savingly For it is only when they understood that all these other miracles pointed to the cross and had their meaning in the cross and the empty tomb that they came to know Him as the Christ, the Son of God, and received life in His name.
- And it is the same for each of us today. If you are just impressed by Jesus’ miracles, you do not yet have saving faith. And that is the main point of this, the first sign of Jesus: You must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness of your Is that what you believe? May it be so. Amen.