Preaching the Word
Preaching the Word
John 2:1-11 - From Water to Wine A Journey with Jesus
Reflecting on the recent re-election of President Trump, we grapple with mixed emotions and the implications of this political landscape for our faith communities. Does this political shift offer a chance for the church to boldly share the gospel, or does it tempt us to place our hope in transient political movements? Join us as we navigate these questions and call for a deeper national repentance, emphasizing that true salvation is found not in politics, but in the return of the King of Kings.
The sermon embarks on a journey to the wedding at Cana, where Jesus' first miracle unfolds. This pivotal moment not only marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry but also invites us to immerse ourselves in the profound mystery of marriage as a reflection of our union with Christ.
In this episode, witness the transformative dynamic between Jesus and Mary during this miracle, as Jesus takes a definitive step towards independence, setting the stage for his mission. We unpack the layered symbolism of turning water into wine, challenging the rigidity of self-righteous traditions and revealing the joy and abundance Jesus brings.
Explore the tension and faith in Mary's response, which models unwavering trust in the Messiah. As we reflect on what what Jesus does, we are prompted to re-evaluate the rituals we cling to in our own lives, ultimately encouraging a shift towards a more personal and genuine relationship with Jesus, transcending traditional practices and embracing the hope found in him as the bridegroom.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
The following is a sermon I gave at New Life Church in Cornell on November 10th, the Sunday after our national elections, where President Trump was re-elected for his second term. It was quite a week for our nation politically speaking, with the Republicans taking the presidency, the Senate, and it appears as if they will have the House of Representatives as well. These are truly historic times. Personally, I'm both surprised and pleased by how this election has turned out, as I believe it gives more opportunity for the church to feel free to proclaim the gospel message and for our nation to turn back towards governing with biblical principles found in the word of God. However, I would offer a word of caution. I believe this movement was more of a vote with people's pocketbooks than with moral principle. We must keep praying for our nation, especially for the church in America, to repent of their wicked ways and seek the face of God. This political change did not change the fact that our nation shows great signs of being under God's judgment. Signs of being under God's judgment. Many people in our nation are still under a strong delusion about basic natural revelations from God, as the Apostle Paul puts it, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. While this may be an opportunity for the nation, it isn't any kind of salvation for our nation. Furthermore, our hope should not be in a political movement of America or in any nation on the earth. Our hope is to be in the return of the true King, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and when he comes, there will be no election, there will be no debate, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Speaker 1:Today we'll be looking at Jesus' first miracle, found in John 2, verses 1-11. And this miracle is done at a wedding feast. If I could sum up the first miracle of Jesus and why he would begin his public ministry at a wedding feast turning water into wine. It goes something like this Jesus is our bridegroom and we are his bride. When we know Jesus intimately, we know him as our bridegroom. He replaces our self-righteous religious pretenses with a very personal relationship that offers abundance and life. In Hebrew culture, wine symbolized life and abundance, and when you know Jesus personally, he brings life and abundance to your soul. One day, jesus, our bridegroom, will come for his bride and we will feast with him.
Speaker 1:Before I get into the text of John, chapter 2, I'd like to read a couple of passages from the Old Testament that talk about this idea of God as our bridegroom and the church as his bride. Jeremiah 2.2 reads In that passage we see that the Lord speaks of his people as a bride. And Isaiah 62.5 also reads and here in Isaiah, we see God speak of himself as the bridegroom of his people. Now let's go into John, chapter 2, verses 1 through 11, where Jesus performs his first public miracle. Should it surprise us that his first miracle is at a wedding feast? I don't think so. Jesus is coming for the salvation of his bride. I want to invite you to take your copy of God's Word, if you have it, and turn with me to date John chapter 2.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to look at that first miracle that Jesus performed at the wedding of Cana. As you're turning there in your Bibles, let me ask you a couple of questions. When you think of a wedding, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you think of two people falling in love? Do you think of a lifelong commitment falling in love? Do you think of a lifelong commitment. Maybe for some of you, the idea of marriage brings up thoughts of anxiety or anger. Perhaps you see marriage as more of a struggle or competition rather than the blessing that God intended. Or perhaps, like many of the youth in our nation today, you think marriage doesn't mean anything because nobody really takes it seriously anymore and our lawmakers have destroyed the very foundations of marriage in our culture that are supposed to uphold the family.
Speaker 1:Now let's begin with our study in John, chapter 2, verse 1. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana, in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. We read here that the wedding took place on the third day. Now I don't want to spend too much time on this, but this could seem confusing at first. The sentence might be better translated for us English-speaking people. Three days later, it's actually referring to the final day in a series of seven days that describe a full week in the Gospel of John. The week began back in John, chapter 1, verse 19, when John the Baptist was telling the priests and Levites that had come to question him that he was not the Christ, but that one stood among them whom they didn't know, one who would come after him. The week that's being laid out here in the Gospel of John is Jesus's first week of ministry. Now, hebrew weddings at this time in Palestine could last for can you guess that's right typically a week. Furthermore, the Jewish wedding feast was intentional about teaching principles of God's Word. However, the origins of this week-long wedding feast dated much further back than even the law of Moses. We see these wedding feasts in the lives of our patriarchs, abraham, isaac and Jacob, and that tells us these week-long wedding feasts may date back past even the flood, into very ancient times.
Speaker 1:The wedding ceremony was central to Jewish life and it involved the entire community. Families spent much time not only in planning and prepping for it, but in celebrating it. The financial responsibility for the wedding and celebration fell on the groom and his family. You can only imagine what kind of planning a week-long celebration would take Today, when we think of throwing a wedding celebration or a reception that lasts for one day. We spend a great deal of time prepping and planning. Consider the budgeting that would have had to go into a week-long celebration that involved not only inviting your entire extended family, but the whole community as well, which may be the whole town. So Now, as you're considering all of this and how the marriage feast was so central to Jewish life. Consider, first, how this week-long celebration with the whole community involved reinforced this lifelong relationship that was being formed to create a new family in the community.
Speaker 1:But there's even a deeper truth that the marriage ceremony symbolized. It's one we're going to dive into today. The prophetic truth is that there's a faithful God who's coming for his people. The Messiah was coming for his bride. Today in our text, we find the Messiah literally beginning his ministry at a wedding celebration. That, in part, is designed to point to him, and the Gospel of John's description of this is all to show us that Jesus is coming for the salvation of his bride John 2, verse 2,. Jesus also was invited to the salvation of his bride John 2, verse 2. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
Speaker 1:As we continue in our text for today, we find out that Jesus was invited to the wedding with his disciples. Jesus, our bridegroom, was invited as a guest to a wedding. Jesus didn't remain solitary. Like John the Baptist, jesus accepted invitations to social events, even though his enemies would use it as an opportunity to accuse him of being a glutton and a drunkard. At this point, jesus had already called five of his disciples. All of them were from the region of Galilee, and three of them even came from the same village. It's very likely here that Jesus and his mother were invited to this wedding because they were close relatives or family friends. We'll also see later that Jesus's mother is overseeing the kitchen and, again, all of his disciples are from this region of Galilee where the wedding is taking place. So, as I mentioned, weddings are so central to Jewish life and, as you can see, when they gave the wedding celebration, they invited everyone and their cousin's cousin. One more item of note is that Jesus's earthly father, joseph, isn't mentioned here at the wedding, and scripture doesn't mention Joseph at all during Jesus's ministry. It's believed that Joseph had died sometime between Jesus turning 12 and when he began his ministry.
Speaker 1:John 2.3 reads when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine. Now that we've given some context to this wedding, we read in verse 3 that the wine runs out. So what's the deal with the wine? Why is this such a big deal and what does it have to do with Jesus? Well, for the wine to run out at a wedding feast was a serious offense in Hebrew culture. It was an embarrassment to the family of the groom. As I mentioned, wine represented life in abundance. It was so serious that it could even possibly lead to a lawsuit from the bride's family. Now isn't it interesting that when the wine runs out, the scripture tells us Mary comes to Jesus? What a picture of Mary believing and trusting that her son could fix this.
Speaker 1:An interesting note here is that John's gospel always refers to Mary as the mother of Jesus. It never calls her by name. It never calls her Mary, much like John. The apostle and writer of the gospel of John never mentions his own name. He never mentions Jesus' mother's name. Now, mary, jesus' mother, had always believed her son was the Christ, ever since she was visited by Gabriel the angel, and it seems here that she believed it was time for him to reveal himself to others. It is this text that also shows us that Mary had some responsibility over the kitchen, which even becomes more apparent as we continue. For Mary to approach Jesus on this matter meant she was hoping for a miracle.
Speaker 1:John 2.4,. And Jesus said to her Woman what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. Jesus' response is strong and it can seem harsh at first glance, but the word, translated woman here could better be understood by us as ma'am. Now, if you ever traveled down south, you know people often have a sense of respect for one another and greet each other by saying sir or ma'am. It's just a nice way of showing respect when you speak to another person. The use of the word woman to begin this conversation in Jewish culture wasn't derogatory, but it was a sign of respect. However, notice Jesus doesn't say mom, he says ma'am.
Speaker 1:And after beginning the conversation, by showing his mother respect but a firmer tone, jesus is trying to create some separation between him and his mother. Mary still sees him as the little boy more than the rabbi before her. She knows he's the Christ, but she doesn't yet recognize his purpose. And when a child becomes an adult and begins to live independently, there's a transition period that occurs and it can be difficult for a parent to let go of the control they once had. Parents have a tendency to hold on and cling to their children even after they become responsible, independent adults.
Speaker 1:Jesus is making it clear to Mary here that she should no longer treat him as her young son but as the Messiah, with the purpose of fulfilling the will of the Father. As Jesus tells her this, he says that his hour has not yet come. As Jesus tells her this, he says that his hour has not yet come. When we first read this, it can be difficult to understand. What is Jesus saying that my hour has not yet come?
Speaker 1:But as we continue to read through the Gospel of John, jesus develops this idea of my hour and he uses that phrase my hour to describe the time of something very important that is yet to happen in his ministry. And almost every time Jesus uses that phrase my hour he either is referring to the Passion Week or the very time of his crucifixion. Here are some verses for that John 7.30, john 8.20, john 12.23, john 12.27, john 13.1, and John 17.1. However, in the context of this wedding feast, when Mary is asking Jesus to make wine, jesus saying his hour has not yet come, I believe, is referring to the hour in which he will one day celebrate with his bride. At this point, that hour is thousands of years away and Mary is still being overly motherly, wanting to see Jesus the Christ celebrated. But Jesus uses this idea of it not being his hour to teach her that he has now begun his ministry and his purpose is not simply to glorify God as her obedient son, but that he has to follow Father God's larger plan.
Speaker 1:Now John 2.5 reads and we see here the response of Mary Even though Jesus spoke strongly to her and basically said, mom, you need to let go, she turns around and points to her son, submitting to whatever he would do. While it might look like Mary isn't quite giving up on fixing things, she does recognize she needs to let go and let her son take control. Mary doesn't know what Jesus is going to do, but she believes that whatever he does will be the right decision. We also see in this verse that Mary had authority over the servants in the kitchen. As she is directing the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do is directing the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. So how does this look for you? When you're at your job, overseeing something or someone, where do you turn? Do you turn to Jesus? Do you seek and submit to God's guidance in your life? Or, like Mary, are you trying to tell Jesus how your life should go? What if you turn to Jesus and he speaks strongly to you? Are you willing to let him do whatever he wants in your life? What's your response? We continue to read John 2.6.
Speaker 1:Now, there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. These stone water jars were used to hold water for religious purification. Water purification before the meals was one of these extra laws or traditions of the elders that the Jewish leaders had added, or traditions of the elders that the Jewish leaders had added. And when I say an extra law, I mean this is not a law found anywhere in the Old Testament. The Jewish leadership believed that in addition to the written Torah, the first five books of the Bible, there existed another Torah, and that other Torah was their oral traditions, the traditions of the elders. The Jewish people would not eat unless they washed their hands properly according to the rites of purification, according to the rituals of the elders. And being that this was such a large gathering, there were six large stone water jars here for washing before the meals, and each of them held 20 to 30 gallons. That means all together these jars held between 120 and 180 gallons.
Speaker 1:John 2.7 reads Jesus said to the servants Fill the jars with water. And they filled them up to the brim. Jesus telling the servants to fill the jars up shows the abundance Jesus is about to provide for those he cares for. The symbolism is very powerful here. Jesus is using empty jars that are part of extra laws and extra traditions created by the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders who promoted these extra religious rituals in the name of God were the false teachers of Jesus's time. And Jesus filling these sacred jars to the brim and bringing forth wine out of them shows the foolishness of these extra-religious rites and rituals that people were trusting in. It demonstrates the abundance and joy that Jesus alone can bring to people trapped in false religion, to people trapped in false religion. Consider the implications of Jesus using these vessels that teachers had used to misuse Scripture for their own self-righteousness. Consider the outrage of some of the people if they had found out Jesus used these sacred jars. Consider the outrage of the religious Jewish leaders when they learned Jesus used these sacred jars. Consider the outrage of the religious Jewish leaders when they learned Jesus used these jars for vessels of wine. Jesus breaks through man's self-righteous rituals and religious pretenses and he brings forth genuine joy, a genuine joy that comes through faith in him alone. Can you think of some sacred jars that you have in your own life, some extra religious rules that you've created in an attempt to feel holy? It's only through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, that we can be reconciled to God.
Speaker 1:I want to read you a couple of verses from Revelation, chapter 5. Revelation 5, 2-4 reads and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. My friends, there is no one worthy in the heavens, on the earth or under the earth. No one is worthy. But Revelation 5.5 says, and one of the elders said to me Weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, and Jesus alone has conquered and he is worthy. Jesus alone can bring holiness and righteousness to your life. Bring holiness and righteousness to your life.
Speaker 1:Now let's get back to this wedding feast, where Jesus is now standing next to the jars with the servants. John 2.8 reads and he said to them Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. Now the tension here for the servants is real. If there's no more wine for the the feast, so they took it. Now the tension here for the servants is real. If there's no more wine for the wedding feast, things are going to go south for their master fast. If the water that they just put into these jars is just water, they might not have a job tomorrow. But if they don't listen to Mary's instructions, they might not have a job tomorrow either. They are likely hoping for a miracle too. The fact that these servants followed Jesus' instructions, even to the point of drawing wine out of Jewish religious jars, shows how they were desperate. It shows that they felt they had to listen to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and at some level it shows they trusted and hoped that what Jesus was doing was going to work. John 2, 9-10,.
Speaker 1:When the master of the ceremonies the master of the ceremonies was the head waiter or the toast master. This was an official position that was usually called upon to help distribute food or drink at large social gatherings. We might call him the wedding planner. So what this is describing is that the man in charge of the entire wedding celebration didn't know where this wine came from. So the master of the ceremonies calls for the bridegroom. Again, it was the bridegroom's responsibility to provide for the wedding. Now the master of the feast wants to honor the groom for what he's done in this hour of need, because he had no idea this wine existed. And the master of the feast tells the groom that everyone serves the good wine first. Culturally, people served good wine first, so that after people would lose some of their sensibilities, they'd no longer notice or care so much about the poorer wine. It's also a description of how our world works. People in the world offer up the very best and they put on a show, and once they got you hooked on their display of goodness, out comes the common. However, the lesson that Jesus shows us here is something quite different from the world. He shows us that he has the best yet to come.
Speaker 1:I want to address the often debated topic that comes up when we talk about Jesus turning water into wine, because, quite frankly, it deals with an extra rule that Christians can often religiously create. I remember when I was young hearing some people say that the wine in the Bible didn't have any alcohol. Now, I'm sure that the people who said this had the best of intentions to keep people away from drinking too much alcohol. However, when we're not honest about what the Bible teaches, we don't do anyone any favors. It is not an accurate representation of historical biblical truth to say that the wine did not have any alcohol.
Speaker 1:The Greek word for wine here, used in John chapter 2, is the same word for wine used in Ephesians 5.18, which tells us not to be drunk with wine. Which tells us not to be drunk with wine. Historically, we also know that the grape juice was indeed subject to fermentation. In the ancient world, their daily sources of water were often mixed with wine, simply so they could quench their thirsts without being drunk. Mixing wine with water was both to purify the water and also add flavor to very often stagnant water sources. The ratio could fluctuate between three parts water to one part wine, even up to ten parts water to one part wine. Some of the terms that are used in the Middle East and in our scripture, for example, are new wine. New wine was wine recently pressed, but even that would be quickly fermented.
Speaker 1:The reference here to good wine being made by Jesus is a reference to wine that was not watered down. As we talk about Jesus making good wine, I'm certain some people will take it the wrong way, just like people took Jesus the wrong way when they called him a glutton and a drunkard. So let me be very clear today there's nothing inherently evil about wine with alcohol in it, according to Scripture, and to claim that there is is putting up our own set of religious purification jars in front of Jesus. Jesus is not endorsing drunkenness by turning this water into good wine, any more than he was endorsing gluttony when he multiplied the fishes and the loaves. Jesus creating over 120 gallons of good wine at the wedding feast of Cana is the Christ creating a picture for us. It's Christ foreshadowing how he has the very best for us in the future, has the very best for us in the future, how one day our bridegroom will return and abundantly provide a feast for his bride on the mountain of the Lord.
Speaker 1:I'd like to read a prophecy from Isaiah, a prophecy about how Christ will do this in the millennial kingdom. Isaiah 25, 6 through 8 reads millennial kingdom. Isaiah 25, 6-8 reads On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined, and he will swallow up, on this mountain, the covering that is cast over all people, the veil that is spread over all the nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord, god, will wipe away all tears from their faces and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. Our text in the Gospel of John today finishes with John 2.11.
Speaker 1:This, the first of his signs. Jesus did at Cana, in Galilee, and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. In the Gospel of John, the Greek word for signs is simion. It's different than the word the other Gospels use to describe Jesus' miracles. The other Gospels use the word dynamis, which means power, but the Gospel of John uses this word, simion, which describes the miracles having a deeper meaning. They were signs that pointed to a bigger message Jesus was teaching.
Speaker 1:As I mentioned earlier, the Jewish marriage feast symbolized the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and his miracle of turning water into wine symbolizes the joy and blessing of the coming messianic kingdom. Christ is the bridegroom and the church is his bride. Jesus' first miracle displays the celebration, the joy and the abundance that our bridegroom is bringing. Revelation 19.7 reads Are you ready or are you holding on to oppressive religious rituals and self-regulation, believing that it can make you right with God? It was here, at the wedding of Cana, that some of his disciples first believed in him. The miracle of turning water into wine at Cana confirmed for some of Jesus' disciples that there was no hope in Jewish religious rituals, but there was hope in Jesus, their Messiah. If today your eyes have been opened to trust in Jesus Christ alone, please contact God. Bless you this week.