Scripture Meditation: John 2:1-11
INTRODUCTION
- Do you believe in miracles? I do.
- I've seen too many of them to question their existence
- To me once you accept that God exists- and that He created the Universe- you HAVE to believe in miracles
- I mean if God can't perform a miracle
- He isn't worthy of our praise or worship
- Let's put it this way:
- Why would someone think it was impossible for Jonah to have survived for three days in the belly of a fish?
- Come on people!
- We're talking about GOD!
- He's the One who created Jonah AND the fish in the first place!
- Of course miracles happen
- God the Father caused them to happen in the Old Testament
- And God's only begotten Son- Jesus the Christ- performed them in the New Testament
- Which brings us to the sermon series we're beginning this morning
- I'm calling it Everyday Another Miracle
- During these messages we're going to examine many of the miracles Jesus performed while here on Earth
- We're not only going to think about what happened
- We're going to discover what it means- and how it fits into Jesus' mission and ministry
- This morning we're going to begin with the first of Jesus' miracles-
- Changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee
- Please read John 2:1-2
THE MIRACLE: WHAT HAPPENED
- For people in Bible times weddings were monumentally important things
- According to ancient tradition the ceremony itself would always be held on a Wednesday
- The reception would begin immediately after the ceremony- and it would go on for days
- Two or three if the family was poor
- And up to a week if the family was wealthy
- I've got to admit that what I'm about to say is pure speculation-
- But I think Jesus' mother Mary was related to the bride's family
- I mean- it would explain why she was so concerned about the wine running out
- Here's the thing: Having no wine for your wedding guests
- Would've been more than a social faux pas
- In those days a bride's family could be sued for running out of food and drink before the party ended
- It was all part of a social contract that existed between the bride, her family and the wedding guests.
- Essentially it went something like this:
- Each guest was expected to bring an appropriate (meaning expensive) wedding gift
- In turn- the bride and her family would provide all the food and drink their guests demanded
- Now this is where it gets strange:
- A couple had the right to sue a guest who failed to bring an appropriately expensive gift
- Which meant a guest could sue the bride's family if they didn't get enough to eat and drink in return
- That's why I think Mary was related to the bride's family
- She knew that if the wine were gone
- Her family could have been sued into bankruptcy
- That sounds pretty disrespectful- don't you think? Dear woman, why do you involve me?
- But that's not what's happening here
- In the original Greek dear woman is a term of intimacy and endearment
- It's kind of like calling someone 'sweetheart'
- As for Jesus' question- why do you involve me?
- It's not that harsh sounding in the Greek
- Instead it's more like asking: Are you sure this is any of our business?
- What's important here is the contrast between the concerns of Jesus and His mother
- Mary was concerned about the lack of wine
- While Jesus' focus was already on the reason He had come to Earth
- Notice what He says: My time has not yet come
- Throughout the Gospels whenever Jesus talks about my time or the hour
- He's talking about the moment He would die on the Cross for the sin of the world
- Please read Matthew 26:36-46
- When Jesus told Mary my time has not yet come He was saying:
- Mother- I've always been obedient to you. I've always tried to do what you've asked Me to do
- But above all- I've got to obey my Father in heaven. I must submit to His plan for My life- no matter what it costs Me!
- Now read verse 5
- You know, sometimes it hard to know what to think about Mary
- Some Christians exalt her to the point where she's virtually an object of worship
- While others look at her as little more than a uterus God used to bring Jesus into the world
- The Bible gives us another way to think about Mary: She was the witness
- She was the only one who saw- and experienced- the whole thing
- She was the one who:
- Heard Gabriel announce that she would give birth to the Savior
- Gave Jesus birth- who watched Him grow- and supported Him throughout His earthly ministry
- Stood at the foot of the Cross and watched Jesus die- and then saw Him in His resurrected glory
- More than anyone else Mary knew who Jesus was:
- 'Yes'- he was her Son
- But more importantly-
- She knew Jesus was the only begotten Son of God- the Christ- the Savior of the world
- And she knew that God's Son could perform a miracle
- That's why she confidently told the servants: "Do whatever he tells you."
- These stone jars were at the reception for a purpose
- Old Testament law required Jews to wash their hands before eating
- Since modern plumbing wasn't around in those days- the stone jars were set out as wash basins
- Now remember-
- There were six of these jars holding between 20-30 gallons of water each
- We're talking about nearly 150 gallons of water
- You know- there's something missing here
- In the 7th verse.../ In the 8th verse...
- Jesus instructs the servants to put water into the jars
- He says draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet
- Do you see what's missing?
- There's no explanation of what Jesus did to change the water into wine!
- Which is very unusual
- Typically when the Bible describes one of Jesus' miracles it tells us He did something first:
- In some situations He prayed
- Other times He took some kind of concrete action
- Please read Mark 7:31-35
- Here's the bottom line-
- We don't know what Jesus did in John 2 to change the water into wine
- All the Bible tells us is that the water became wine
- LOld TestamentS of wine
- About 150 gallons worth
- That would fill about 4800 4 oz. glasses
- Talk about taking a party to the next level
- You can get a lot of people smashed with 150 gallons of wine
- The master of the banquet was responsible for keeping the party going
- He was like a master of ceremonies
- Or a toastmaster
- Anyway- let me paraphrase what he told the groom: "Most people bring out the best-tasting wine first- then when everyone's liquored-up- and nobody cares- they bring out the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best for last."
- A wine-snob might have expressed it more eloquently
- But there's no getting around what happened
- Jesus had taken well water- and turned it into the finest vintage of wine you could imagine
THE MIRACLE: WHAT IT MEANS
- It was a miracle- but what does it mean?
- See- in the New Testament miracles don't just happen
- Miracles always happen for a reason- they always reveal a deeper spiritual truth
- Well read what John says in verse 11
- By witnessing this miracle
- Jesus' disciples concluded that He WAS the Messiah- the Christ- the Son of the Living God
- The question is:
- What was it about this miracle that caused them to reach this conclusion?
- Well...to answer that question you have to go back to the Old Testament
- In the Old Testament wine- and the consumption of wine- symbolizes the blessings and spiritual joys that comes from the Lord
- In Genesis 27:27-28, Isaac blesses Jacob
- Now- let's jump forward about a thousand years to the time the Jewish people were living in exile in the nation of Babylon.
- These were people who are lost everything.
- About the only thing that kept them going was the dream of returning to their homes in the Holy Land
- During that time God sustained the hopes of His people. Through the prophets He told them
- You'll only be in captivity for a short time.
- Then I'll restore you and bring you back home. Once again I will be your God- and you will be my people
- In these prophecies the harvest of new wine became a symbol of hope- a symbol of God's promise
- At this point you might be thinking:
- OK- I understand that wine was a symbol of hope and spiritual joy for the Jews.
- But I still don't see why changing water into wine made the disciples believe that Jesus was the Messiah
- Here's where we come to the most important prophecy of all- Isaiah 25:1; 6-9
- What we just read is a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah- the Christ- the Son of the living God
- And notice what it says: One of the things the Messiah will do is host a glorious feast that flows with wine
- Not cheap wine- but the finest wine that can be imagined!
- Now do you get it? Do you see what this miracle means?
- By changing water into wine Jesus had fulfilled one of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah
- No wonder the disciples concluded that He was the Christ- the Son of the Living God- the Savior of the world!
- But there's one other thing I want you to notice about this miracle: It proves that Jesus is in the transformation business
- In Cana He proved He could take ordinary water and transform it into a dark, rich, full-flavored wine
- But more importantly- the Bible says Jesus can take a filthy sinner and transform them into a pure and righteous child of God!
- Isaiah 1:18: says: 'Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'
CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATION
- You probably don't know who Vincent Damon Furnier is-
- But you may know his stage name- Alice Cooper
- In the 1970's and 80's The Alice Cooper Group was one of the biggest names in rock
- Essentially Vince Furnier invented what came to be known as 'shock rock'
- The songs- and especially the stage shows- were designed to be loud, raunchy and over-the-top
- In those days a typical Alice Cooper concert-
- Featured lots of blood, gore, electric chairs, guillotines and Satanic imagery
- Each show ended with a scene of Cooper being executed for witchcraft
- As Alice Cooper's act took off- his life began to spiral out of the control
- By the early 80's he and his bandmates were spending $32,000 a year- just on beer
- As alcoholism took control of his life- his wife threatened to end their marriage
- As it turns out- both Cooper and his wife had a strong Christian heritage
- Cooper's father and grandfather had been ministers
- His wife's father was a Southern Baptist preacher
- Anyway- with no place else to turn Alice Cooper and his wife Sheryl started attending church
- Eventually- Alice Cooper made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
- In his own words:
- At first I accepted Jesus because the preacher made me afraid I was going to hell
- Only later did I begin to understand God's love and acceptance
- The idea of someone like Alice Cooper becoming a Christian has been difficult for some people to grasp
- His old fans wonder what it means
- And some 'fundamentalist' Christians have questioned the sincerity of his faith
- Today Alice Cooper and his wife are active members of the Camelback Bible Church in Scottsdale, Arizona
- They're deeply involved in Sunday School and Bible study
- And- as a fellow member of Camelback writes:
- From the alcoholic godfather of shock rock to a man humbly serving the Lord by ministering in the church nursery...on a Sunday night!
- Now THAT'S a testimony to the transforming power of Jesus Christ
- ...And they call changing water into wine a miracle
- Let us pray
I got to meet him for the first time this past Sunday. I went to work in the church's nursery Sunday night while they were having a prayer service. Anyway, much to my surprise, he and his wife, Sheryl, were also working in the nursery. So, I had the privilege of walking in on him having a tea party with a little 3 year old (named) Anna.
Source- The Furnier Freakshow website
