November 10th, 2024
From The Series: John-
So That You May Believe
Part 09 “The Wedding”
The Gospel of John 2:1-11
Mountain View
Evangelical Missionary Church
INTRODUCTION
This morning I would like to
start with a confession. As you may know, I was blessed to officiate my first
wedding yesterday. What a joy that was. Yesterday’s wedding was the third
Christian Wedding that Marilyn and I have been fortunate enough to be invited
to in the past 20 months. Can I just make a suggestion? If you can attend a
Christian wedding, even if it’s just for the ceremony, make sure you attend.
Next to a baptism, there are very few things that will encourage you more as a
Christian, more than attending a Christ-honoring, Christ-centered, Christian
wedding. Marilyn and I were blessed to have attended just such an event
yesterday.
Back to my confession. When I was
asked to perform at Joel and Amber’s wedding, my first impulse was to book a
guest speaker for this Sunday. But, through the Providence of God, we have come
to the account of the Wedding in Cana. I used this passage in the wedding ceremony
yesterday, and you will get a more complete version for this morning’s message.
Please, open your Bibles, or turn
on your devices to the Gospel of John and we will be looking at the first 11
verses of chapter 2.
If you did not bring your Bible
this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in
front of you. John chapter 2 will be found on page 861 of the pew bible. If you
do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from
Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy
access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…
READ JOHN 2:1-11
“1
On 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. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to
him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, x why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My
hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for
ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled
them to the brim.
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. He did not realize where it had come from, though
the servants who had drawn the water knew. 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.”
11 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.”
PRAY
In John 2:1-11, we see Jesus perform
His first miracle at a wedding in Cana. This is the first miracle, or as John
refers to them, the first “sign” of Jesus’ power. John records a total of seven
“signs” or miracles in his gospel. John is the only one to record this
particular sign of Jesus’ power. This is more than just a recording of the
power of Jesus, a power He has over the natural elements of this world, it is
also a sign of the Glory of Jesus.
It is a sign of His Glory in that
we get a glimpse of the ability that Jesus has in creating and
sustaining the entire Universe. It is a demonstration of His divine authority.
We will also see that turning water into wine is a metaphor for the
transformative power that Jesus demonstrates in our lives. Don’t misunderstand
me here, I am not saying that this passage is a metaphor. I believe that these
events actually happened and that Jesus did indeed demonstrate His divine power
by literally changing six large stone pots from water to wine just as the
account states.
What I am saying is, that when we
look at the changing of water into wine, we can also see an example of the
changes that Jesus makes in us, when we submit our lives to Him. But, more on
that in a minute.
As we read this passage, and for
Christians it is a very familiar passage, I said that it is the first time
Jesus reveals His supernatural abilities in the Gospel of John. John is the
only gospel writer to record this event. This account takes place as a sort of
precursor of the ministry work that Jesus is about to embark upon. This takes
place before the start of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. We will see in
the coming weeks, that Jesus doesn’t really begin to proclaim who He is and
what His intent is until after John the Baptist is thrown in prison by Herod.
But, I’m jumping ahead here.
We will see the following points
from this passage:
1.
Marriage is important to Jesus.
2.
Jesus can transform you.
3.
Transformation happens after obedience.
Repeat points.
We see the passage begins with, “1 On the third day…” On the third day of
what, you may be asking. This is John’s way of connecting this passage with the
end of the previous chapter and the account of when John was sharing the events
that had taken place like the baptism of Jesus Christ and the calling by Jesus
of His first disciples. These events all took place in another town in the
region of Galilee, a town known as “Bethany beyond the Jordan”. This was a town
about 55 km distant from where the wedding was taking place. Jesus and the few
followers He had at that time, walked for three days to attend this
special occasion. We learned last week this is the equivalent of walking from
the town of Didsbury, north to the town of Innisfail. Can I see a show of hands
of how many people walked here this morning?
“1
On the third day…” is a way for the gospel writer to let us know how
long it took to travel to Cana. A three-day walk indicates that this was a
significant event for Jesus. Ask yourself, how important would something have
to be for me to walk to Innisfail just to attend? Would you walk that far to
buy groceries? To attend a market? To go to a quilting retreat, or an art show
and sale?
What I’m trying to illustrate
here is the cultural significance of events like weddings in the time of Jesus.
People would travel great distances to attend a celebration like this. That is
why the family would often throw a multi-day celebration in honour of the
effort that the guests extended to attend these festivities.
Just as they are today, weddings
were an opportunity to reconnect with old friends or relatives who lived some
distance from you. Marilyn and I had a chance to connect with several people
yesterday who we know from our days at Redemption Church in Olds. The union of
Joel and Amber acted as a connection point for us and that group of individuals
to connect over.
If you have ever attended a
wedding, you know what I am talking about. Some of you go to see the Bride and
Groom, and if you are lucky and they are good at social events like these, you
will get to spend a few precious one-on-one moments with them. But, they have a
whole room of people with whom, they have to do the same thing, so you spend
the majority of your time visiting friends and family who you haven’t seen for
some time. Maybe you haven’t seen them since the last big family gathering.
So we can see from this account
of this wedding in the Bible that weddings were important enough to Jesus for
Him to walk three days and join the celebrations with His Mother and the
friends or family who were getting married. What I find interesting is the
Bible doesn’t mention who the Bride and Groom were. I think this is intentional.
I think the Bride and Groom remain unnamed so that we may see ourselves in this
account, attending a wedding. I think the Holy Spirit is sophisticated enough
of an author, that He would use just such a literary technique as this to put
us right into the middle of this story.
With an unnamed Bride and Groom,
you are able to conjure up any memory of any wedding that you have ever
attended and see yourself in the midst of these festivities. But to be
completely immersed in this account there is one culturally significant detail
that I need to make you aware of. Weddings were a multi-day event of eating drinking
and visiting with friends and family.
I’m not saying that they were
multi-day power-drinking events. But wine was a significant part of the ancient
near-east diet. This was something that I had to get my head around when I
first became a Christian. Growing up in an alcoholic home, I had my issues with
alcohol and its abuse when I was of drinking age. I was never taught the
“proper use” of alcohol.
Now, if you are a tea-totaller,
good on you and I respect that. Trust me, there is nothing wrong with that
approach to life. You are not missing out on anything significant by abstaining
from alcohol. I have family members and friends who are recovering alcohol
addicts and I respect their struggles and their journey of healing enough that
I would never knowingly do anything to jeopardize their recovery.
In the time of Jesus, wine would
often be watered down or mixed with milk to dilute the effects of the alcohol.
The point I’m trying to make here is that wine was an important part, a vital
part even, you might say to the success of these types of celebration. Running
out of wine would hurt the social standing of the host family. In other words,
guests would look down their noses at the family if they ran out of wine.
I mentioned that the Bride and
Groom were not named, but we can deduce that they may have been close friends,
or family members even of Jesus and/or His mother Mary. We draw this conclusion
from the fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus must have been one of the first to
be aware of the circumstances as she calls on her son to deal with the
unfolding situation.
This was a tragic and potentially
embarrassing situation taking place. The host family had run out of wine for
the celebration and in the ancient near-east, hospitality is everything. The
requirements of a host in this culture were extremely important to their social
standing in the community. One of the worst things that you could be accused of
was being a bad host.
So, here we are at a wedding, it
doesn’t tell us whether this is day one or day seven of the event, that’s not
important, what is critical is that we are out of wine! Mary knows about it,
and she comes to Jesus to solve the problem. I know a lot of Evangelical
preachers are hesitant to talk too much about Mary because of how the Catholic
church has elevated her to such a high position in their teachings. But that
doesn’t mean we should ignore her either.
Here she is in the midst of this
situation and she knows that Jesus can solve this, or at the very least handle
it in such a way to help. Notice, who Mary brings with her. Mary has some
servants in tow. Not the hosts, not the master of the banquet, she has servants
with her to do the bidding of Jesus.
Now Jesus has some interesting
words for His mother, 4 “Woman, x why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My
hour has not yet come.” Now, I have heard some guys make a lot out of
this statement. Some have spoken about it was a mother’s request, and she used
“Mother’s Logic” or “Mother’s Persuasion” to get Jesus to do what she wanted,
and that may be true to a certain extent, but we must be careful about reading
too much into the tone in this situation.
Jesus is letting Mary know, but I
think more importantly, John is letting us, the reader know, that Jesus
was not quite ready to launch His public ministry yet. I think this was Jesus’
way of letting His mother know and the servants with her, not to reveal what
was about to happen.
Look at verse 5 to see what
Mary’s response was, “5 His mother said to
the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” I mean, I have to admit, that
is kind of a “Mom” response isn’t it? Mary comes over, and she says to Jesus, “We
have a problem, we are out of wine” and Jesus says, “Why come to me, I’m not
ready to reveal myself yet”. Then Mom just walks away without an argument.
Instead, she turns to the servants and tells them, “Do
whatever he tells you.”
I see this as a signal of Mary’s
faith in Jesus’ ability to solve the problem. I think this is a lesson that we
can benefit from. Do we have the faith to bring our troubles to Jesus? Do we
believe enough in what the Bible has to say to us about our troubles, that we
turn first to Jesus in prayer, when we run up against an obstacle or
trial? I’m not saying that we just dump our problems at the feet of Jesus and
walk away. We will see that there is a second part to the equation. I am not
saying we just “let go and let God” as I have heard others say. This is not a
“Jesus Take The Wheel” situation. By the way, it’s not a good idea for
Christians to get their theology from Country songs.
I want to first concentrate on
the faith aspect of this equation. Do you have the required faith to take your
problems to Jesus in prayer, with the mindset that he will provide an answer?
Notice I said provide an answer, not “fix the problem”!
We should have the faith of Mary
when we encounter difficult situations. We should demonstrate the same level of
Faith in the unchanging character of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. We should
turn first to Jesus, in prayer, with our troubles and then be patient
and open to receive instructions from the Holy Spirit.
Here is where the resolution part
comes to solving the problem that you are facing. Notice in the passage that
the solution arrives after there is obedience to Jesus. Nearby there were six
stone water jars that held water used for ceremonial washing. Notice this is
not drinking water, but water used for ceremonial washing.
“7 Jesus said to the
servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.” It is the water used for ceremonial
washing that is transformed into wine. Think of the symbology here: Jesus
transforms water into wine. Jesus replaces ceremonial washing with His
cleansing blood through the work that He is about to embark upon.
When we accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord, we
are permanently washed clean through the blood of our Saviour. We are washed,
once for all time. Not because of any washing or scrubbing that we have done,
but all because of the work that Jesus completed on the Cross on our behalf.
Ceremonial washing and ceremonial sacrifices
were not sufficient to repair the broken relationship between the Creator and
His created beings. Only the work of the uncreated One, the sustainer of the
Universe could be a suitable sacrifice to pay the penalty for all those chosen
by God. A sacrifice so perfect, so complete, done in such a way so that no one
could boast. All we can do is humbly submit and accept the gift that we call
Grace. A gift so wonderful and so complete, that we cannot add anything to it.
This passage reminds us that
Jesus has the power to transform our lives. If Jesus can transform water into
wine, why would you not see that He desires something much more valuable to Him
than a stone jar filled with 30 gallons of fine wine. Jesus desires to
transform you, into one of His children. You can be transformed into a child of
God, an adopted son or daughter of the king of kings, lord of lords. Jesus'
transformative work is bringing joy where there is sorrow and abundant life
where there is emptiness. It encourages us to trust in His ability to change
our circumstances and infuse our lives with His joy and purpose.
This passage teaches that Jesus
is not only capable of performing miracles but actively desires to transform
our lives, illustrating that His presence brings about significant change and
joy. Think about what a tragedy would have happened in the lives of these hosts,
if they had not had more wine. Jesus kept the joy of the celebration going by
avoiding the embarrassment for the host family. This miracle showcases Jesus as
the Messiah who brings new life and joy. A joy that is offered through the new
covenant—the transformation from the law to grace, is symbolized through wine.
The big idea is that encountering
Jesus can lead to a profound transformation in our lives, turning our ordinary
situations into extraordinary experiences filled with His grace and joy. That’s
a big claim, “extraordinary experiences filled with His grace and joy”. How can
I be confident enough to make such a claim? Let’s turn back to the passage for
evidence.
Look at verses 8 to 10, “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. He
did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the
water knew. 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.”
A bit more background to help you grasp the
context of what is going on here. Weddings were big deals. A feast or banquet
was a big component of these weddings. To make sure that the event went off in
the best way possible, the host family would often hire a master of the
banquet. Think “1st-century event planner” here. The master of the banquet
would ensure that all the scheduled events would happen, they would check the
food, and they would check the wine for taste and suitability to be served to
the guests. This way, the host family could concentrate on visiting and being
hosts to their guests.
Jesus instructs the very same guys who just
filled these stone jars with water, to draw some and go and find the master of
the banquet and get his approval before serving to the guests. Now it was
common practice in those days to serve your best wine first, when everyone was
alert and bright. Then, as the evening wore on, you could serve the cheaper
wine, the more recent vintage, if you will, when people’s pallets had been
dulled by food and drink and the cheap stuff would be less noticeable.
But not Jesus. Jesus brings the good stuff.
Look what the master of the banquet says after being presented with the wine
for tasting, “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.” You have saved the best till now. Friends
that is what the transformative work of Jesus Christ will result in for your
life: you will have saved the best till now. Even for those of us who have been
faithfully walking with Jesus for a while, He is still saving the best for
last, when we will be by His side in paradise. That truly will be the “best of
time”. I pray that you allow this transformational work in your life which
will result in Jesus making your new life together with Him, “the best” going
forward.
When you face difficulties in the
coming days, as we all will, turn first to Jesus in prayer together, with your
problems. Be sure to remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your
lives. Do not allow the whisperings of the Tempter, to take your eyes off your
Lord and Saviour. Have you allowed Jesus to transform your life?
Notice that the change happened
after the servants were obedient to the instructions given to them.
Transformation happens after obedience. We pray, we obey, we are transformed.
Our circumstances may not transform, but our ability to deal with the
circumstances will be transformed when we trust in Jesus.
Obedience is the second part of
the equation that I mentioned earlier. Obedience to the leading of the Holy
Spirit in our lives. Our cooperation and faith in Jesus’ guidance lead to
divine intervention and change.
Think about a common piece of
pottery. Sometimes, it gets cracked and broken, but rather than tossing it, a
skilled potter can reshape it into something even better. In our lives, Jesus
acts as that potter, always ready to reshape our brokenness into something
beautiful and functional. His transformative power ensures that every flaw and
crack can become part of a masterpiece that glorifies God. The Book of Romans
tells us that He is the potter, we are the clay.
By allowing God to work in your
life, you could experience the same surprise and joy that the master of the
banquet had at the sampling of the wine which Jesus had made.
Two more quick points I wish to
touch on this morning. Look at verse 11 for the real reason for this miracle.
It wasn’t just to avoid embarrassment for the host family. It also, “11 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.” This miracle, this sign as John
refers to them were vehicles through which Jesus was able to reveal His glory.
Through the revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ, His disciples believed in
Him. Believing in Jesus was the main purpose behind the signs.
Throughout the Bible, the concept
of marriage and weddings is given high value by our Creator. From the Book of
Genesis, where a woman was created for man because “It is not good for the man
to be alone.” Later in the same book we receive this command, “That is why a
man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one
flesh.”
Covenants are an agreement
between two people or two groups that involves promises on the part of each to
the other. Today at weddings, we exchange vows as a way of publicly declaring
our intentions and promises to the other party in our covenant of marriage.
We can see from this passage in
the Bible that a feast and great celebration were an important aspect of the
wedding. As a matter of fact, wedding feasts are mentioned at least two more
times in the New Testament. We don’t have time to examine both, so I will touch
on the wedding feast that Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Matthew.
In the parable of the wedding
feast in Matthew 22, Jesus tells us about a king throwing a wedding feast for
his son. Many were invited but made excuses and rejected the invitation. This
story resonates deeply when we think of the wedding feast of the Lamb. It
serves as a stern reminder to not neglect our invitation to His kingdom. In our
daily lives, are we embracing the call to the feast, or are we too preoccupied
with worldly distractions?
Picture a grand banquet table…
set with the finest decorations… and food…, representing the wedding feast of
the Lamb. As guests arrive, they see empty chairs with name cards awaiting
loved ones—those who had received the invitation but chose to stay away. This
imagery illustrates our own lives; we too are invited to partake in this
ultimate celebration. Yet, we must ask ourselves: Are we ready to accept the
invitation and join the feast, or will we find ourselves absent from the joy?
Friends, do not leave your chair
empty at the banquet table of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
CONCLUSION
What does change through
obedience look like? If you’re facing conflicts with your spouse or children,
you might feel stuck in a cycle of disputes. Practicing obedience to God’s
command to forgive can change that dynamic. Adopt a weekly check-in
conversation where each person can express grievances openly. Make it a
commitment to pray for each other’s hearts and for God to lead your family in
reconciliation. Prioritize seeking forgiveness, even if it feels hard,
embodying Christ's love in both the asking and granting of forgiveness.
Let me close with this verse as a doxology:
2 Chronicles 7:14
“14 If my people, who are
called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.”
Go in peace, you are dismissed.
Pastor Paul’s Points:
1) Marriage is important to Jesus.
2) Jesus can transform you.
3) Transformation happens after obedience.
Questions to meditate on this week:
A. How has Jesus transformed you?
B. What transformation in your life does Jesus desire, that you are interfering with?
C. Is your seat at the banquet table secured?
