Message: The Best Wine, in Overabundance 

Passage: John 2:1-11

Series: The Book of John: Bearing Witness

Date: 9.16.2018

You may recognize the beautiful bride, Tiffany, in that picture. Some of you are wondering why I’d show Tiffany with her first husband - well, I am her first husband. What you see is an un-bearded, more athletic version of myself. Either way, let’s be honest, she makes me look good… The beauty of the bride is the glory of the groom. That’s true of all of us men!

What you do recognize is the joy on our face on our wedding day. It was quite a week for us. We had family and close friends who came to be with us from across the nation. Between our church, and our friends, we had a rather large local community that celebrated with use as well. Tiffany and I had saved, and with the help of our parents and our church, we were able to do a lot with a little. The wedding itself was beautiful. The venue at our church was beautiful, which they provided for free. Our friend was a wedding coordinator, and she ran the wedding like the pro. We had a stringed trio that played during the service, some of them our friends. Our beloved pastor in college traveled up to perform our wedding. We hired a wonderful photographer; the pictures were amazing (106). Our reception was at a ballroom, where we had  catered a dinner that provided for everyone. Cake that was beautiful and edible! A close friend of the family was a premier DJ in town - he knew how to make it a party! At the reception, we were announced to a thunderous applause, were able to greet almost every table, and danced the night away with friends and family. We had a blast. Everything went swimmingly. By the end of the evening, our cheeks hurt because we were smiling so much. There was great joy, and we were able to soak in every minute of it. That joy, the joy of a wedding where two lives are brought together, is the greatest earthly joy that God has given us. 

Our passage today speaks of another wedding celebration, 2000 years ago. We are in Chapter 2 of the book of John. Recall that John the apostle began his gospel with a prologue that outlined what he wanted to communicate. He wrote his gospel as a testimony, to bear witness to Jesus, the Son of God. In the previous weeks John testified through John the Baptist, who baptized on the other side of the Jordan river, that Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” It was significant that he was baptizing on the other side of the Jordan, which represents the entrance into the promised land. Part of what God was communicating to us is that there is a new Promised Land, one by which the entrance is solely through Jesus, the Son of God. The book of Hebrews, specifically, chapter 11, confirms this.

Last week, we saw Jesus ‘sizzle’ in his deity as he called his first disciples, and “saw Nathaniel under the fig tree” before he came to him. He promised Nathaniel that he would see greater things than these; that he’d see heaven come to earth and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite phrase to reference himself.

John is teaching us something about God, even in the order in which he tells of the life of Jesus, as he bears witness to His glory. Thus, as we look at the passage today we must not view it as an isolated incident, a mere bullet point on the pro’s and cons of believing Jesus is the Son of God. Instead, we must see that John is weaving a thread through his gospel that tells a greater story, one that we are included in.

As we look at the passage today, we are going to view it under the following headings:

The Sign of Significance (v11)

The Joy of the Wedding (v 1-2)

When Joy Runs Dry (v3) 

The Ambiguous Conversation (v3-5)

A Hidden Miracle (v4-9)

The Best Wine for Last (v10)

The Greatest Wedding Feast 

Let’s read, then pray.

Read:

John 2:1–11

The Wedding at Cana

[1] On 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.” [5] His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

[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. [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.” 

[11] This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (ESV)

[Pray]

It is good practice when devising a plan to begin with the end in mind. Today, as we look at the passage, we are going to do just that. From verse 11 we have the heading: The Sign of SignificanceThe Sign of Significance (v11)

Look at verse 11 with me. John tells his readers that this was the first of Jesus’ signs, which John records 7 of them in his gospel. He didn’t call it a miracle, but a sign. A sign points to something greater. He downplays the miracle of turning water into wine for something more important: what and who the sign points to.

What does John say the purpose of this miracle is? That Jesus would “manifest his glory [and thus] his disciples believed him.”

I’d like for us to use this statement as the key by which we will unlock the rest of the passage. Consider it the proper lens from which, when we peer through it, we will see and comprehend the meaning of the passage. So, if we want to understand what John was aiming to communicate to us, we must look at the passage today with this purpose: to see the manifest glory of God in the turning of water into wine.

To know what they know, think how they think…

Wedding

6 Stone Jars for Purification: to be a part of community

Wine: without wine, 

Look back to Verse 1 with me, as we look at the Joy of the WeddingThe Joy of the Wedding (Introduction, v 1-2)

Read v1-2

What is the significance of a wedding? It is to be the celebration of the greatest joy. Why? A wedding celebrates the beginning of the most intimate relationship; a marriage, where two people commit to fully know, and fully love each other. There’s no greater earthly joy that we are given than this: to know and be known; to love and be loved. 

And this wedding had the makings of a great celebration. The guest list was large, the preparations were many, the servants were on hand, with a master of the feast, and there was additional help from Mary, possibly a family member, which may be why Jesus, a now a Rabi, along with his freshly minted disciples, are there with him. There was room at the table, and the party was large enough to absorb a few party crashers (v2). And these wedding parties, in Jewish culture, lasted an entire week.

The groom would show his honor, his glory, in his provision for the wedding. It was his duty to provide for the party. If it is well supplied, well put together, it was to his glory. If the provisions run short, that reflects on the groom, which also indicates something to the bride. In an honor / shame culture, this had great implications. It would mean great embarrassment for the groom, and would muddy the joy of the bride. It might suggest to her that she wasn’t worth the money he would spend to make sure there were provisions for the celebration. And it would be a very public declaration of an insufficient love for his new bride, a shame which no bride could handle on their wedding day.

However, what we read is that the wine ran out! Wine had a special significance in the Jewish culture. It was a symbol of joy. The rabbis say, “There is no rejoicing save with wine.” In other words,“If there is no wine, there is no joy.” 

The Bible has also equated wine to joy, as a gift from God:

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart. (Psalm 104:14-15)

We read in verse 3 that the wine ran out. If there is no joy when there is no wine, and the wine had run out, then what does it mean when the wine runs out. What does it mean when…

When Joy Runs Dry (v3)

It’s amazing that someone whom one would think has all the provisions in the world, all the reason for ‘happiness,’ be it fame, money, power, would still find that joy runs dry. I think specifically of Hollywood actors and actresses, who confess to have every thing, yet find they have nothing to live for. Like a soinge, they soak up every pleasure they can get their hands on, but ultimately, those pleasures run dry. Their lives end in a tragic pursuit that leaves them numb.

Jim Caviezel, when asked in a Faithwire interview about what it’s like to be a Christian working Hollywood, the actor replied with these staggeringly powerful words: “It’s like water all around you and nothing to drink. You know if you go out to the ocean and you drink the saltwater, you’ll die.”

Jim recently starred in the Bible-based movie “The Apostle Paul.”

Ultimately, all the world has to offer, every provision it can afford, is a short-lived joy. It will not quench your thirst. Like saltwater, you will drink it and it will drain you of life, and you’ll die.

I believe this was what John was communicating. The wine appears to run out on day one. The joy of this wedding was short-lived. Even the joy of marriage between man and woman, as wonderful as that is, is short-lived.

The wine has run out. The joy is about to do the same.

But we have a special seat in this wedding. We sit with John, who sits with Jesus, and he is privy to what is happening behind the scenes. He hears this odd, and Ambiguous conversation between Jesus and His mother.

Lets read verse 3-5The Ambiguous Conversation

V3 When the wine ran out the mother of Jesus said to him, “they have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Jesus has divine insight. He must have rightly read his mother’s intentions, her tone of voice, and all the things we don’t know or see. She was expecting him to do something. What was she expecting?

Something miraculous? That’s within the scope of possibility. She wasn’t asking Jesus to do a quick “beer run,” back to Nazareth. Besides, this is wine for a wedding feast- you can’t get that kind of wine in great quantity in a moments notice.

She’s seen angels announce she was to be pregnant, and then sing over her son at His birth; she’s seen Elizabeth sing and magnify God as John the Baptist leapt in Elizabeth’s womb; wise men had come from foreign nations to worship her baby; she’s heard prophecies from priests who spoke after merely getting a glimpse of the child. 

Maybe now “it’s time?” It’s time for Jesus to reveal all of who he is, the Messiah, by performing a great miracle for all to see, to be glorified. Maybe now, with his band of newly minted disciples, her son can take the spotlight and show in Cana what he’s going to do for all of Judea. In her voice was a sense of urgency. “the wine has run out.” It’s time, Jesus… now’s the time.

But his response was, “What has this to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 

This is a statement that distances Jesus from mother. What was Jesus doing? Was he performing the 21st century Milliniel ritual of #Adulting? When the children differentiate themselves from their parents, establish their own agenda? (Marriage, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kids) 

Jesus is not the disrespectful or ungrateful son, but he did reprove his mother. We’ve seen this in other places in Jesus’ life. When he was 12 his family lost him as they caravanned back home from Jerusalem. He was found at the temple, speaking with the priests. Even then, he was about the business of His Father, in His Father’s house.

Jesus response was to let Mary know, He is now on a direct mission. He does nothing outside of the purview of that mission. What he does, all his actions have to do with his Kingship, his Messianic Identity. He takes direction only from the Father. Jesus is the obedient Son; but his first obedience is to the Father.

Jesus statement: “My Hour has not yet come” tells us how he intends to be glorified. The hour of his glorification is on the cross. 

John 12: 23-4, 27-28

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit…

27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” 

We read in John 17, the night he was arrested:

John 17:1–5

[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [4] I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

His hour, the hour He is glorified, was the hour of his death. Mary, you want me to be revealed, to be glorified? I will be glorified at the Father’s appointed time, not yours or anyone else. I do not lower my aim to meet the expectation of man; instead, I lift your eyes to the aim and glory of God.

We have to see the shift in the tone of the conversation. Do you see it? In v5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Is Mary undeterred in ‘mothering’ Jesus? Or Is there a change in tone, and a response, a submission to the will of Jesus. Mary, in this moment, I believe remembers that He is the Son of God, that she trusts he will do what he will do, and it will be best. As my professor at Western, Dr. John Johnson, had written in regards to Mary: He knows the hour. He knows the time.

What’s ironic is that Jesus asked, “What has this to do with me?”  And then acts. If I’m to do something, it will have to do with me. You want wine? This is nothing. I don’t want to give you wine. I want to give you more than that. I want to show you the Father. I want to make Him seen and known. I want to teach you about myself. Let’s turn the tables here, and ask the question again… but let me ask it…

What does this have to do with me?

~everything!

Ok, let’s look at v 6A Hidden Miracle (v6-8)

I want to identify a few key items here, and what Jesus was revealing as he used them.

There were 6 stone water jars there. They held 20-30 gallons each. Their purpose was to for the Jewish rites of purification. In order to enter the wedding feast, you must be clean. You must wash yourself, your hands, your feat. You don’t enter the wedding unless you’ve gone through the rite of purification.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus used these pots to bring wine, the symbol of joy, to the wedding feast. And even moreso, the pots were what was considered “clean,” as they were made of stone, but one certainly wouldn’t call the contents, the water that was inside them “clean.” This wasn’t drinking water. The was washing water. And he took something that would later be poured onto the ground after its use and made it wine, the richest, most delightful wine.

I may be stretching the metaphor, but I think it’s true: People, who were once unclean, sinners who have and continue to recognize their need, and are made clean, have been seasoned and fermented with such grace, that they are now the richest most delightful people to be around.

Jesus was intimating at something with the purification jars… If you want to be clean, really and truly clean, that only comes from me. 

And from water he produced wine, the symbol of joy. 

He had the servants fill the jars with water, as they were already depleted. They filled them to the brim. If we were to do the math, thats up to 180 gallons of wine. 907 bottles of wine. That is way more than the wedding party could possibly consume. When Jesus brings wine, when Jesus brings joy, he brings it in abundance - in overabundance. This is so like God. I think of Ephesians 3:20: Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or think… Eph 3:20

The Best Wine for Last (v8-10)

V8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, he did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom,  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.”

First, note that Jesus’ statement, “My hour has not yet come” is evidenced in that his miracle was kept hidden. Mom’s desire for him to shine publicly would not dictate his actions. Further, what might be more applicable to you in the here and now, is that sometimes the miracles of God are done in private, and they are far more sacred, life giving, joy giving, than what he might do for you in public. Sometimes the miracle we need happens in the confines of our own heart, the producing of joy, and might not manifest or be a result of a circumstance around us.

So, what was God saying in bringing the best wine for last? What was the significance?

Jesus had many encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees. In their arguments, they’d ask if he was greater than the temple, greater than Abraham, greater than Moses. His response was, invariably, “I am.”

The promise through Abraham, the Law through Moses, the Temple through Solomon; none of these compared to the joy that can only be given through Jesus.

Friends, the world gives wine -“joy,” but the wine - the “joy” that Jesus gives far surpasses anything we have ever experienced. 180 gallons of it! Filled to the brim!

“You have put more joy in my heart than when their wine and grain abound.” Psalm 4:7

A pastor a greatly respect, John Piper, said this in an conversation he had at Google: "If you could give me a greater, longer lasting joy that what I have in Jesus, I’d cease to be a Christian… but you can’t. It doesn’t exist.”

So what happens when your joy runs dry?

It inevitably will on this earth. Our circumstances change, we lose our job, we lose our loved ones, we lose our marriage, we lose our relationships, we lose our life. Like the bridegroom, we don’t have the capitol for endless joy. Our ability, our provisions, no matter how much money we have, will run out. The earth doesn’t contain the necessary capital to fill and maintain the caverns of joy we desperately seek to fill.

In these moments we have to remind ourselves of the miracle, the sign we have in the cross, that our eternal joy has been purchased. Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. And we have been washed, made clean, for the The Greatest Wedding Feast. 

You see, the hour has come when he would pay for his bride. He spared no expense, through his death on the cross, he purchased us with his blood. He did this for JOY, Hebrews 12 tells us: it was for the joy set before him that Christ endured the cross, despising the shame.

He took the shame so we wouldn’t have to. He paid for the wedding, for the wine, for our joy, in overabundance— for eternity, because we didn’t have the capital to pay for it for ourselves.

This is what we celebrate when we go to communion: that all our joy was purchased on the cross:

Matthew 26:26–29

[26] Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” [27] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, [28] for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Our response, to behold, believe, and worship.

Know that you are not alone when your joy is deferred. Jesus, the night he was betrayed, after he instituted communion, said this:

26:29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” (ESV)

This joy promised by Jesus is fulfilled in Him upon His return. It is the joy that is everlasting. Go, knowing you’ve been cleansed by His blood, redeemed for a wedding feast, for which you and I are saved and will be “in His presence [for all eternity], [where there] is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11