Questions We Ask Jesus
6th July 2008
August 2 – Church Picnic
August 3 – Mission Sunday – Rick and Carol Reynolds
August 10 – Coordinator of Missions for one of our associations –
We may go to one service for those two weeks – we’ll let you know.
Last weekend Cindy and I were at our 999th graduation party. We were sitting with some neighbors who were at their 991st graduation party. These friends are Serbian. They were telling us about an upcoming Serbian wedding – and the festivities start at about 10 am - with dancing and food – and the groom has to find this apple to shoot – at 1:00 – the limos come to take the wedding party to the wedding – which lasts between 2 and 2.5 hours… (My weddings last about 15 minutes…) – They plan to shrink this one down to 1.75 hours. Afterwards, everyone is giving a shot of something to drink and then everyone dances. Then the wedding party comes out and throws money to the crowd – and then there is the reception to end all receptions – a Pig Roast to last into the night.
It makes My Big Fat Greek Wedding look skinny!
We are looking at questions people ask Jesus. This is one of the first questions and Jesus’ first recorded miracle. When they start a political campaign, they get an arena and set everything up and it is all designed long before with certain people and certain signs – they have it all set up to launch this campaign. This is like the launch of His campaign – you would think - if you were going to launch a campaign…
They are at this wedding – and there is this catering disaster – like a Pig Roast where the Pig didn’t show up!
As we get into this passage, we will understand the value of what this means.
Lord, thank You. We ask You to prepare our hearts. Thank You this past week for the work in the lives of children through VBS. Your kingdom is upside down – it is not what we expect. Your work in this world cannot be put in a box – it is beyond our thoughts or understanding. Sometimes your work seems wrong to us, but in the end it will be clear. We know that someday, we will understand. You are a good God. You are true, faithful. You are filled with truth and Your way is blameless, without flaw or fault. May Your word open our eyes.
John 2:1 And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding. 3 And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw [some] out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it [to him.] 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when [men] have drunk freely, [then] that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This beginning of [His] signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Cana is a small village. Picture this wedding. And the reason I tell about this Serbian wedding – our weddings have become a pretty predictable thing. But back then, it was a community celebration. Cana was a small village – but most likely, the entire village was involved. The wedding may have started on Wednesday, would have gone through the weekend – and possibly for a week. It was up to the hosts to provide refreshment for the guests – and wine was a crucial part of this. It was the groom who would have been responsible for the wine. To fail to provide adequately was a social disaster. Today, if the food isn’t great, you may talk about it, but it is not a social disaster. This was a shame-based society. You hear of some cultures where people would commit suicide before losing face. That is similar to this culture. This social disaster may taint the reputation of this couple for the rest of their lives. It was much larger than we might look at it today.
John 2:1 3 And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
Some believe that Mary was a relative of the groom – there are some ancient writings that may lend some credence to that. But Mary was concerned and understood the gravity of the situation.
Do you remember the Grey Poupon mustard commercials? There are these high-falutin people - “Do they have Grey Poupon? They are out of Grey Poupon!” and everyone starts to leave. Mary is not saying “They have no wine”
Jesus, they have no wine – do something about it. Look, they are out of wine – provide. It never really tells us what she is expecting from Him. There may have been a good possibility that she wanted him to reveal Himself.
Think about it – 30 years earlier, she was met by angels and she knows the story… and all the wise men coming - and she is expecting something great – but for 30 years nothing happens. I’m sure Jesus was a wonderful child – growing in wisdom and all. But really, there is no evidence.
A lot of times, this happens in our lives. God may speak to us and we’ll go years without seeing the promise fulfilled. How many times must she have given up? Think of the trouble they went through- having to flee to Egypt for several years – it would be like you having to flee to Canada for one of your kids.
This was recent after the baptism where the dove descended – and she sees that things are beginning to take place – there is this buzz and now is the time – Jesus – this is your opportunity.
Jesus’ response?
4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
MOM!
Woman! (Not disrespectful – but like, Ma’am.) – or when He was on the cross – Woman, behold your son… same word.
This signifies the role she is to play. The mom role is coming to an end and He is entering a new realm, and the relationship they have will change. When He says – My hour is not yet come – He is speaking about the cross. His purpose is to go to the cross – He came to die for our sins. He did not come as King in the physical realm – He came for the purpose of dying on the cross. All of His ministry and life points to the cross. He is pointing everyone to that time in history.
I think He is saying – there are two kingdoms – yes, there is this earthly kingdom – but we are to live our lives with the focus of the other kingdom. He wants Mary’s attention – and everyone else’s attention to be on the eternal kingdom.
Jesus performs the miracle…
6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw [some] out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it [to him.] 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when [men] have drunk freely, [then] that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now." 11 This beginning of [His] signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
There are two approaches – two explanations – two lessons. One is theological, the other practical.
From a theological perspective, weddings are very important.
Mat. 22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son
The wedding feast is used to illustrate the Kingdom of God. This was part of their language. It was imagery of the coming Kingdom. Oh yeah…this is what the kingdom of God is compared to.
Wine is an indication of the coming of the kingdom.
Isaiah 25: 6 And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, [And] refined, aged wine.
Amos 9: 13 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.
This is a sign of the coming of the kingdom. What Jesus is doing – He is not simply solving a catering disaster – He is saying the Kingdom has come and I am the king ushering it in.
6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.
These pots were ceremonial – for purification. They would make themselves ceremonially clean. They could come together for fellowship – because in one sense, their sins were washed away (ceremonially). Jesus takes these pots, has them filled with water – and it becomes wine. We go to the Last Supper. He washed all their feet – to clean them physically – and then took the wine – which was His blood, to cleanse you from the inside, forever. We are taking this outside cleansing – and I am changing it – and My blood will take away your sin and guilt and cleanse you on the inside. I think what He is doing here – when you study the life of Christ – everything He does points to the cross. Every act moves Him closer and closer. That is what His life was all about. We might be thoroughly cleaned on the inside.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw [some] out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it [to him.] 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when [men] have drunk freely, [then] that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now."
Jesus is mixing these two worlds – the heavenly realm is breaking into the earthly kingdom. There is a new way to live. All that is of the Old Testament is to be set aside for the New. We need to learn to live in the New realm. So often, we see things only from this perspective, living only for this world and this present life. But Jesus is saying, the concern for your soul must come first. The priority must be on Him – and His realm. So often, we focus on the things of this life – but that does not come first anymore. It is an introduction of a whole new realm. Eyes are being opened, and they believed. They understood that something had changed.
That is the theological – here is the practical.
This was a sign that they might understand. But we know that Jesus, when it comes to the physical realm – displays compassion and love. This was a disgrace – and He removed and eliminated their disgrace. Not only did He transform the water into wine, but he transformed the future of this couple. They did not need to go into it ashamed. Christ is able to transform our lives and our culture and surrounding.
Today, where we live – I remember when I was a kid – 15-20 years ago, my mom used to say – Shame on you – Shamey Shame. You didn’t want to hear that. We don’t have that in our society anymore. But what we do have is guilt. We live in a guilt society – an obsessed society – a compulsive society – that is what we put on one another. There is this guilt that comes in. Just like Christ removes the shame for this couple- so Christ wants to remove the guilt as well. We all have guilt and failure – what we need to see – His death completely removes it. We go from the ceremonial cleansing on the outside – to the cleansing on the inside. That is what He does to the person who comes to Him. He cleanses you completely on the inside, no matter how bad you have been. When He speaks of our forgiveness – though your sins are like scarlet (the deepest red dye that you could not get out) – there is no cleanser on earth that can take that out – I have made them white like wool. He removes our sin and guilt – as far as the east from the west…that is far – I have removed your sin – cast it into the deepest part of the sea. That is for us – critical to understand. In our relationship with God – you are clean and have the right to come before God and can have the confidence that He will accept you as you are. You don’t have to do something to make up for it – Jesus did that. Those things that you have done wrong are cleared – it is blank and clean.
Remember the story of the prodigal son – who came to his senses – “I am not worthy to be your son – I am a man of shame – I will remain in my shame – make me one of your hired men” – what did the father do? It was like he never heard him. It removed all shame and gave him a place of honor –that is what Christ does for us.
The next thing it does – the effects of guilt can be removed completely from our lives. We still have some of the effects of our sin – in that we have to live with what we’ve done – but we can begin now – inside, spiritually – that has been dealt with. But we don’t have to deal with it anymore. You begin to make the right decisions and you can move forward – we are free from the past. Now we need to do what is right. We can move forward with God.
He gives us the power to change.
There is a transformation that takes place – we are a new creature. The water is no longer water, it is wine. When you come to Christ – at your core, you are no longer a sinner – you are a saint. Now it takes a while to learn to live that way – but from the moment you come to Christ, from your core on the inside, you have the ability and power to do it.
Let’s pray.
Lord, thank You for this story of tremendous truth in Your word. Help us to learn from the symbolism and the reality of the Kingdom that You demonstrated through this. Help us to be encouraged by the practical truth of our forgiveness – help us to know it deeply within our hearts. Help each of us, no matter how we have failed – to take our sins – and to symbolically put them at the deepest part of the ocean. Help us to recognize that those things we have done that bring us the most guilt and shame have been done away with.