One the one hand, the book of John has some of the most straight forward theology and messages of all the New Testament.
But, on the other hand, it’s unlike any other book, and has some of the most challenging puzzles and riddles of the entire bible. .
And this “water to wine” story that we will read today is one of them. On the surface it looks like it’s just Jesus helping a bunch of folks who had already consumed literally “barrels” of wine….to get even more smashed then they already were.
So one could say that this one of the pro-alcoholic story’s of the bible?
If you run out of wine, ask God, he’ll get you some more. Yes?
I don’t think so, and I’ll tell you why in a little bit.
But first, I want to talk about the book of John itself.
This book is not one of the synoptic gospels. In other words, the other three gospels, Mark, Luke & Matthew are synoptic and have some very specific parallels. In some cases, they are word for word copies of each others, and it’s very clear that the first three gospels in the bible derived there material from some common source. These authors clearly shared with each other in some way prior to putting down their final version in words.
That’s not the case with John. He wrote his completely separately and from a very specific point of view, to a very specific audience.
Most notably, this is the only gospel specifically written to and for believers. The others were written to convince non-believing audiences. This one is for those who have already trusted Christ.
We know this to be true from John Chapter 20 verse 31
31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
Yes, in many places in also addresses the non-believer as well, but it was written primarily for the already saved that they ” may continue to believe”.
That’s very unique.
You will also notice that John’s gospel is not written documentary style. John made a point to pick and choose what he did and did not include include. He adds some things that no one else wrote about. And omitted some things that they did, and this section that we read from today is a good example. It can be found in no other account of Jesus.
John himself, it seems, was much older that the others when he finished this gospel, so he may have be able to write it from a “farther way” perspective.
Have you ever done that?
Have you ever looked at events at one point in your life, and then looked at them many years later? When you do, what seems to be really important about the event sometimes shifts. At fifteen I would certainly list getting a car as a major life changing event. But today, getting a car is something you just have to do, when they keep breaking down.
If I wrote about getting a new car this year, I would have very different emphasis.
We also do know John didn’t include everything he knew because He left out major events that all the other gospels, and even ones in which John himself in other writings claims to have been in attendance. He doesn’t address the birth or childhood of Christ at all, nor the transfiguration, or the Last Supper. He was most certainly at the last two.
He even writes in the book itself that he had a bunch more to write about, but the volume would be too large if he included everything.
Why he he did some of what he did in assembling his book is somewhat a mystery.
Some of it clearly does not seem to be in chronological order. That really bothers some people, but it’s true.
The other three offers seem to have taken painstaking care to keep the account in the proper order, but John places the stories together in a “sermon” fashion.
To me that makes a lot of sense, because he is “preaching to the choir” so to speak. His gospel is a BIG SERMON to believers, and he has specific points he want to make.
I do the very same thing. I don’t try to make every biblical point each week, but rather lay out a whole array of important points and topics that I hope to address over time.
And in the course of just one sermon message I often use a variety of stories and illustrations to amplify what I am talking about.
For example, I might talk about Jesus being tempted by the Devil and then talk about Job and the trials he went through. In the same sermon I might talk about Moses and his trials and temptation in the Desert. I might drop in a fleeting reference to the serpent in the garden. And most of you know what I mean already, without much detail.
I don’t presented every story of the bible, or any of them in chronological order, but that’s OK because you knew these stories already, because you’ve heard them before.
With John’s gospel, it now several decades later and many people already know the stories of Jesus, as a matter of fact many people already follow Jesus.
So from this place, John can use the known material, in whatever order or whatever style to present a vivid and wonderful sermon.
It’s purpose…”so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah”
That is the most important thing.
Not the format, or completeness of the historical story, but the big picture. What does it mean? What is Jesus trying to tell us?
So with today’s reading, we are not get upset about the fact that this story is not mentioned in the other gospels. We’re not to overly concerned about the empty wine barrels or about the wine at all, instead we are to celebrate the wedding feast because Jesus has arrived, and he has brought out and continues to bring out the “good stuff”.
John Chapter 2:1-12
1 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.
9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”
11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After the wedding he went to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples.
A Wedding feast is a joyous event. Or at least it should be.
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother,
“Why is the bride dressed in white?” “Because white is the color of happiness,
and today is the happiest day of her life,” her mother tried to explain, keeping it
simple. The child thought about this for a moment, then said, “So why’s the
groom wearing black?”
This story of this miracle by Jesus is deep in many ways, but this one of the most profound is marked the arrival of the earthly ministry of Christ.
This was his first sign and wonder. This was day one….
(and it’s one of the confusing points about the chronology of John, he includes the story of the calling of the disciples and the clearing of the temple in the previous chapter, even though this event, it’s very clear, happened before those things.)
We know this, from among other reasons, because of what Jesus himself says:
4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” He tells his mother.
But at this moment, it had. This would be it. For thirty years, he was more or less in the shadows. But God said….now is the time.
That’s happened quite a few times in my life, I don’t know about you….I say, “No God, I’m not ready yet…I don’t think so….how about a little while longer?….”
God says….Nope. The time is now.
If you think about it, Jesus had be dreading the next three years.
Leaving the security of his family home, and wandering and wandering, preaching to people who didn’t often hear, performing miracles for those who just wanted a good show, dealing with the questions, and the debate, and the attempts at entrapment. Then there are the false accusations, the charges, the pain, the suffering, the death.
If that was the program for the next three years of your life, would you be ready to get it started?
I’m sure being all man, just as he was all God, he wasn’t thrilled. But here it was. With the turning of this water into wine, the word would spread like wildfire.
At this wedding, it would all begin.
And the wedding was already an important occasion for the entire community, and every for an ordinary family it could go on for upwards of 7 days.
Kings were known to have parties for many weeks, even months. It was a good way to measure the prominence and wealth of a family.
What you had, and how long you could afford to through a party, was an important representation of a families place in society.
And running out of wine so early was a disaster.
For the Jews, wine was always symbol of joy and abundance, and wine was a symbol of covenant promises fulfilled. To have a wedding without wine was unthinkable.
People always ask though…why did it have to be wine?
Truth is…in these circumstances, it really had to be wine.
There were a few other options. There was juice, but without refrigeration it would go bad really fast. Water usually tasted really really bad and was often contaminated, and then was milk, also would go bad quickly, and frankly just wasn’t a party beverage.
So wine was the good choice because is was easy to keep and transport, and it even had medicinal value. They also didn’t have any refrigeration or other ways to keep much of their food safe. So drinking wine with meals helped to kill germs and keep people from getting sick.
Besides, this was a party, a feast, and wine was just what you did. They were out and Mary knowingly turns to Jesus:
Who says:”Dear woman, why do you involve me? “My time has not yet come.”
Why did Mary turn to Jesus?
This passage seems to indicate Mary was aware that Jesus could do something.
Several other early writings indicate that Jesus had performed a limited amount of other miracles in his childhood.
Had Mary had witnessed some of them privately, and just knew Jesus could help?
Mary says….”Do whatever he tells you.”
And that the beginning. The beginning of the greatest wedding feast and celebration that had ever happened. In the midst of this party, the true bridegroom had arrived.
And he takes plain old water and makes wine out of it. And not just any wine, he makes the good stuff.
I think that is a very important thing to remember about Jesus. He has the ability to take anything and transform it.
He can take anything and anyone, and no matter how plain or stale or ordinary. Even if we are sour, and filled with vim and vinegar. Even if we are an 30 gallon jar of nothing worthwhile at all, he can change us instantly.
And not change us back into what we were before but change us into the good stuff.
When his miracles of transformation change us, people will see it and come running to Jesus, and he can handle them all. He welcomes them all. He desires them all.
There’s story told by author, evangelist and inspirational speaker Tony Campolo.
He was in Honolulu for a speaking engagement. Jet lag kept him drowsy by day and awake at night, so he found himself walking the streets at 3:30 A.M. looking for a bite to eat. He went in to one of those “greasy spoon” diners, took a seat, and ordered a donut and coffee.
Shortly after he was served, a group of eight or nine prostitutes came in. They were loud and crude and garishly clad, and they sat down for a bite to eat and some rest. Eventually,
Tony overheard one of the ladies say, “Tomorrow’s my birthday. I’m going to be
39.” “So what do you want from me,” shot back one of her friends, “a birthday
party?” “Come on,” replied the first, “why do you have to be so mean. I was just
saying. That’s all. I don’t want anything from you. Why should you give me a
birthday party? I’ve never had a birthday party in my life. Why should I have one
now?”
In that moment, Tony made a decision. After the girls left, he asked the man behind the
counter, “Do they come in every night?” “Yeah” “The one next to me, does she
come in?” “Yeah, that’s Agnes. She’s here every night. What of it?” “Because
tomorrow is her birthday. Let’s do something about that. Let’s throw a party.”
A huge grin broke out on the man’s face, “I like that.” He called to his wife in back
and they planned the whole thing. The man and his wife would provide cake and
refreshments, Tony would come back at 2:30 a.m. with decorations.
At 3:15 the next morning, the place was covered with streamers and
happy birthday signs and little paper napkins that said “Happy Birthday.” The
man’s wife must have gotten the word out on the streets because the place was
packed with other prostitutes. When Agnes came in there was a big shout of
“Surprise.” She staggered and her eyes moistened while the crowd sang happy
birthday.
Then there was an uncomfortable silence.
Suddenly, Tony belted out, “What do you say we pray.”
So there, surrounded by a bunch of prostitutes, Tony prayed for Agnes and her salvation and her life situation, and that God would be good to her.
And that night, in that birthday party/prayer meeting, many of women heard
about a God who could give them new relationships based on sacrificial love
rather than physical gratification. They heard about a God who could give them
new wholeness and purity even after they’d felt so empty for so long. They heard
about a God in whom they could have faith even though they had lost faith in everything else so long ago. They heard about a God who love them as they were but could transform them into something even better.
That is the amazing truth behind who Jesus really is. The truth that even if we are rotten to the core, and our barrels have run dry, Jesus is in the miracle business, he can transform every last one of us, and keep doing it and keep doing it.
And he won’t just transform us into anything any old ordinary thing….He always transforms us into the good stuff.
Amen
©2011 Timothy Henry