4. John 2
1On the third day there was a
wedding at Cana in Galilee, and
the mother of Jesus was
there. 2 Jesus also was invited to
the wedding with his disciples.
5. 3 When the wine ran out, the
mother of Jesus said to him, “They
have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to
her, “Woman, what does this have
to do with me? My hour has not yet
come.” 5 His mother said to the
servants, “Do whatever he tells
you.”
6. …they have no wine.
“To fail in providing adequately
for the guests would involve
social disgrace. In the closely
knit communities of Jesus' day
such an error would never be
Merrill
Tenney
forgotten, and would haunt the
newly married couple all their lives.”
7. …they have no wine.
“To run out of wine would
almost have been the
equivalent of admitting that
neither the guests nor the
bride and groom were
happy.”
James
Boice
9. “My hour has not yet come.”
8You go up to the feast. I am
not going up to this feast, for my
time has not yet fully
come.”9After saying this, he
remained in Galilee. (John 7)
14. 6 Now there were six stone water
jars there for the Jewish rites of
purification, each holding twenty
or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to
the servants, “Fill the jars with
water.” And they filled them up
to the brim.
15. 8 And he said to them, “Now
draw some out and take it to the
master of the feast.” So they
took it.
16. There were six stone water jars there
for the Jewish rites of purification…
• Purification by water in the law of
Moses.
17. Exodus 30
17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 “You
shall also make a basin of bronze,
with its stand of bronze, for
washing. You shall put it between
the tent of meeting and the altar,
and you shall put water in it,
18. 19 with which Aaron and his
sons shall wash their hands and
their feet. 20 When they go into the
tent of meeting, or when they come
near the altar to minister, to burn a
food offering to the LORD, they shall
wash with water, so that they may
not die.
19. 21 They shall wash their hands and
their feet, so that they may not die.
It shall be a statute forever to them,
even to him and to his offspring
throughout their generations.”
Exodus 30
20. There were six stone water jars there
for the Jewish rites of purification…
• Purification by water in the law of
Moses was a command for the
priests.
• The Pharisees had extended the
reach of this law to all Jews.
21. Jesus exercises His authority
over the Pharisees and religious
authorities.
•He empties the “holy water” and
fills the jars with fresh water.
22. Jesus exercises His authority over
the servants.
•They sense His authority and yield
to His leadership.
23. Jesus demands full obedience
“Partial obedience is
disobedience. “Slow
obedience is NO obedience.”
“Fill the jars with water.” And they filled
them up to the brim.
24. Jesus demands risky obedience
“The blessings of God
always follow obedience
and risk.”
“Now draw some out and take it to the
master of the feast.” So they took it.
Dennis
Gingerich
26. 9 When the master of the feast
tasted the water now become
wine, and did not know where it
came from (though the servants
who had drawn the water knew),
the master of the feast called the
bridegroom.
27. 10 and said to him, “Everyone
serves the good wine first, and
when people have drunk freely,
then the poor wine. But you
have kept the good wine until
now.”
28. When the master of the feast
tasted the water now become wine…
•Historically, evangelicals and
especially fundamentalists have
been uncomfortable with the idea
that Jesus made wine.
29. 1On the third day there was a
wedding at Cana in Galilee…
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus
did at Cana in Galilee, and
manifested his glory. And his
disciples believed in him.
30. Draw near to someone and
show them compassion,
even if it requires flexibility
and even risk.
Show Compassion
31. Ask God for help identifying
an area of partial or slow
obedience in your life and
surrender it to Jesus.
Respect Jesus’ Authority
32. Reflect on Jesus’ miraculous
touches in your own life and
spend time “beholding His
glory.”
Behold Jesus’ Glory
First Point
Jesus first miracle demonstrated His compassion.
John 2
1On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
…they have no wine.
“To fail in providing adequately for the guests would involve social disgrace. In the closely knit communities of Jesus' day such an error would never be forgotten, and would haunt the newly married couple all their lives.”
“Additionally, wine was a rabbinical symbol of joy. James Montgomery Boice comments that
“To run out of wine would almost have been the equivalent of admitting that neither the guests nor the bride and groom were happy.”
Jesus response to Mary seems jarring to us when he says “Woman…” Is Jesus being disrespectful to His mother? It is critical that we see that culture matters greatly. Let me give our teens and preteens a warning. Don’t try this at home with your Mom. Don’t go into the kitchen tomorrow morning and say, “Woman, where are my eggs?” Especially if there is a frying pan nearby… don’t do it. In our culture, we would not dream of addressing our mom or our wife as “Woman.” It’s culturally taboo. However, this was not the case in Jesus first century Israeli culture. “Woman” was a polite address. Now, it was not the typical address for a son and his mother, but it wasn’t impolite. There is an important purpose in Jesus’ choice of address to Mary. His calling her “woman” emphasizes that he is a grown man… has been for many years. So, as he considers her request, he will not be in any way under her authority. But having authority does not mean that we cannot consider and even yield to others.
“My hour has not yet come.”
8You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.”9After saying this, he remained in Galilee. (John 7)
Feast of Booths. Jesus says He isn’t going, but then later he goes. He teaches and the crowds are amazed at His teaching… but the Pharisees and chief priests send officers to arrest Jesus.
Compassion cannot be demonstrated from a distance.
Compassion often demands flexibility.
Compassion comes with risk.
Second Point
Jesus first miracle demonstrated His authority.
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
There were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification…
Purification by water in the law of Moses.
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it,
19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die.
Exodus 30
21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
There were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification…
Purification by water in the law of Moses was a command for the priests.
The Pharisees had extended the reach of this law to all Jews.
Jesus exercises His authority over the Pharisees and religious authorities.
He empties the “holy water” and fills the jars with fresh water.
Jesus exercises His authority over the servants.
They sense His authority and yield to His leadership.
Jesus demands full obedience
“Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
“Partial obedience is disobedience. “Slow obedience is NO obedience.”
Jesus demands risky obedience
“Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
“The blessings of God always follow obedience and risk.”
Third Point
Jesus first miracle demonstrated His power and glory.
9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine…
Historically, evangelicals and especially fundamentalists have been uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus made wine.
I’ve heard arguments that Jesus made grape juice. Prior to modern day refrigeration methods, grape juice wasn’t viable. It either ferments or rots… it does not stay grape juice without cold temperatures or modern chemical addittives.
I’ve heard the argument that the alcoholic content of wine in Jesus’ day was negligible. The truth is that it was less than today. We do everything to excess. But it was not negligible. If you drank enough, you got drunk.
Behind these arguments is a familiar uncomfortability with the real Jesus. The Jesus who laughed. The Jesus who danced at weddings. The Jesus who was comfortable, even in Matthew’s party filled with sinners. The Pharisees were uncomfortable with His freedom from their extrabibilical laws. The Sadducees were uncomfortable with his independence from their Temple rituals. And today, moralists and judgmentalists want to create for us a different Jesus… tamer, more sedate, more serious. They are not content with a sober Jesus… they want an abstainer.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Abstinence is a good choice for many, and a must for some. But let’s be careful that we don’t reinvent Jesus into a tea totaler who never cracked a smile. We dare not lose the real Jesus because real people can relate to Him. They can embrace a gospel that retains joy. They can abide by a law built upon grace and freedom. And they can love and obey a Lord who loves and laughs and is even the life of the party, but totally innocent and pure. Such a Jesus gives us hope… this Jesus who turns water into really good wine.
Before we look at verse 11, let me jump back to verse 1 which begins with the chronological marker… on the third day. According to the Jewish calendar, the third day of the week is Tuesday, not Wednesday. But I don’t believe that this is the full significance of the timing of this wedding. I believe that the wedding was set for the day it was set… a Tuesday. It was after the Sabbath… it worked for the couple. But I think that God so often builds powerful imagery into the events. On the third day, Jesus performed His first miracle. He turned water into wine. It authenticated his claims. This sign manifested His glory. It strengthened the belief of the disciples who still at times struggled with confusion and doubt, as we do. But it is also a prophetic looking forward to another sign that Jesus would later give… the sign of Jonah, that just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish, so Jesus would be three days in the grave, but on the third day He would rise from the dead. O the third day he would fully manifest His glory.
Show Compassion
Draw near to someone and show them compassion, even if it requires flexibility and even risk.
Respect Jesus’ Authority
Ask God for help identifying an area of partial or slow obedience in your life and surrender it to Jesus.
Respect Jesus’ Authority
Ask God for help identifying an area of partial or slow obedience in your life and surrender it to Jesus.