The Time of Messiah Has Come (John 2:1-12)

Have you ever seen something big happen and not realize that it was a big event? I didn’t realize at the time what a big deal for me personally that going on a date with Amanda would eventually be. I didn’t realize the changes that would occur in my life when I began being in ministry. I had no idea where it would take me.

I think a lot of major historical events occur this way as well. I don’t think that those marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 realized what a huge event it was. Nor do I think that those people fighting at Waterloo or Gettysburg realized what big moments they were involved in.

I think the same can be said about Jesus’s turning water into wine. We oftentimes look at this event as rather insignificant. It doesn’t get a whole lot of press, but in reality this moment carried massive significance. Jesus is here inaugurating the age of Messiah.

Throughout the Old Testament one of the signs of the Messianic Age was that it would be characterized as a time of abundant wine (Isaiah 55:1; Jeremiah 31:12; Joel 2:24; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-14). The provision of alcohol is accompanied by abundance in other things as well. The time of Messiah is characterized as a time of great joy and provision from God characterized by an abundance of wine.

Understanding the Messianic Age’s wine reference as well as John’s usage of the word “signs” make this miracle quite intriguing. The other three gospels call things like this miracles while John calls them signs. Why the difference?

The difference exists in John’s purpose for writing the Gospel of John. He wrote the book to prove that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”. It is a sign to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God to us.

This sign declares loudly to us that the new age, the age of Christ has come. The Messiah has come, now trust in Him.

A Quick Word About Wine

This portion of Scripture is all about wine. And since that is the case, I believe that there are a few things to say about wine before we begin. Some people believe that the wine used at this time was diluted to between 1/3-1/10 of its fermented strength. While I think that it is likely that people did this because of poor water quality I do not believe this is the only way that people drank wine, even though we know that this practice was customary. This is because Scripture speaks ill of the practice of mixing wine with water (Isaiah 1:21-23). It seems impossible for wine to have been watered down to 1/10 because no one could over drink and get drunk. Since there are repeated references to not being drunk with wine 1/10 probably was not standard.

Moreover, two things have to remembered as we discuss wine in the Bible. The Bible is filled with references to wine being a gift from God (Psalm 104:14-15 is one example). The Bible is also filled with people being drunk and commands against being drunk (Ephesians 5:18 is one example). So drinking of wine is not condemned in Scripture but being drunk is. The Church operated with these principles from its beginning until the early 1900’s. And, most Christian denominations still operate under this principle.

The next thing that should be said about alcohol consumption is that if you are under age then you are not allowed to have any alcohol. Today’s laws are written in a way that will prohibit you from drinking alcoholic beverages. Romans 13 makes it clear that Christians are to obey the laws of the land. This is the Law of the Land.

Alcohol consumption at a young age has been seen to cause brain damage. Because the teenage brain is still developing alcohol consumption can damage the teenage brain much more than it can impact adults. Because of brain development alcohol consumption can cause problems in the areas of memory, motor skills, and coordination.

To sum up the entire alcohol section succinctly I will just say that there is nothing in Scripture that forbids drinking alcohol by adults but it is against the Law and stupid for those who are under age.

Amazing Wedding Celebrations

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.” – John 2:1-2

Jesus’ mother was invited to a wedding along with Jesus and His disciples. It is very likely that the disciples are the five that were discussed last week: Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael and the one disciple that was left unnamed. The unnamed disciple is very likely John. And, a wedding celebration in this day was a big deal, much bigger than weddings today.

Wedding celebrations could last up to a week. I remember planning my own wedding. We were trying to get it finished and get out as quickly as possible. There was a 15 minute ceremony, if that, followed by an hour of cake eating in the gym at the church I grew up in. This was different. It’s hard for me to even imagine what a week long wedding celebration would look like. We do know though that the groom was responsible for keeping the festivities supplied. If he failed to do so it was thought to be a shameful act. I start counting how much it’s going to cost when I’m having a group of people at my house for a few hours. Here there would be a week’s supply of food and wine for this celebration…all supplied by the groom. Some information supplied from the text leads me to believe that it was a custom of those throwing the party to serve unmixed wine first and then wine mixed with water later on. But this is just a conjecture. We don’t really have enough insight into the practice to make that conclusion. What you need to know is that this was an incredible expense on the part of the groom and it was a great dishonor to him if he runs out of food and drink.

Because of the customs in the day and some things that we read in the text we know that it is very likely that these people are very close friends of Jesus’s family. It actually seems as if Jesus’s mother is one of the people who is helping to throw this party.

What we will find in the middle of this wedding celebration is that the Messiah has been revealed and we are to trust in Him.

“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.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” – John 2:3-5 ESV

Jesus’s mother came to Jesus when the wine ran out. Jesus’s response seems disrespectful when we read it today but it wasn’t. “Woman” was a very respectful way to address a woman in Jesus’s day. It would be akin to using the word Ma’am in our language. In fact you’ll find Jesus often addressing women in this way. His point was to say that the time of His revealing as Messiah had not yet come. It was up to Him, not His mother to choose the time of His unveiling. But Christ would still help with the wine problem. And as He helps with the wine problem He will be seen as glorious and reveal Himself as the Messiah.

The Messiah Is Here (John 2:6-10)

I’ve already stated that the time of Messiah was to be marked with abundant wine (Isaiah 55:1; Jeremiah 31:12; Joel 2:24; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-14). I believe this to be the key to interpreting this passage of Scripture well. If you get this then the picture gets so very clear. In Amos 9:13-15 we read, concerning the glorious salvation to come,

13“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
14I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.

So, what does this actually mean for us? The time of Messiah is marked by abundance of wine and that is exactly what Jesus is able to produce. I think there are two things that we can take away from this. 1) The old has gone and the new has come. 2) The new is much more glorious than the old.

Look at Jesus’s response to His mother.

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 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, 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 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.”

Six ceremonial basins set apart for ritual washings are sitting there. Each basin, we read, holds between 20 and 30 gallons of liquid. They are all filled up with water. Then, between the time that the servants fill them up with water and the liquid is drunk by the “master of the feast”. It is excellent wine. The ritual water basins are no longer holding the liquid required for Old Testament ritual washings. They are holding the new wine of the Messiah. And the quantity of wine here is enormous. It’s between 120 and 180 gallons of wine for a celebration of close friends. The quantity becomes symbolic of the massive quantity described in the new age or the messianic banquet that will occur after Christ’s return and the Judgment. The basins used for ritual washings are now the basins use to hold the Messiah’s wine. This is a much more glorious task for a basin.

The second thing to note is that the new is much more glorious than the old. The water is transformed to wine and given to the master of the feast. He didn’t know that it had once been water. And let’s talk about a miracle. It takes weeks for wine to ferment. This is a miracle of incredible proportions because not only is water turned into a fruit juice but that fruit juice has to ferment. This all happened before the “master of the feast” tasted what was in his cup. Here, the interesting part is that the “master of the feast” states that the best wine is being served later which is not the custom of most people.

The basin is being used for something better than it was before. The wine is actually better than the wine served in the beginning. The New Covenant is always discussed as being superior to the Old Covenant. God chose a people for Himself and did many wonderful things through His covenant with Abraham,but it was not until Jesus came as the fulfillment of that promise that we receive many wonderful blessings. And consider how Scripture speaks of the superiority of Christ.

• Jesus is the Second Adam who succeeded where the first Adam failed.
• Jesus has already spoken of being the second Israel in this book. He is the greater Israel through whom the covenant would now come.
• Jesus is the prophet greater than Moses. As we saw last week, He gives grace where the Law brought death.
• Jesus is the King who is greater than David.
• And most glaringly obvious to our discussion today, Jesus’s  sacrifice is superior to the Levitical Sacrifices made time and time again for the forgiveness of sins.

We rebelled against God and He made a way for us to be brought into a right relationship with Him. The priest would offer blood sacrifices on behalf of the people but they were only images of the sacrifice Christ would one day make. The old was only a picture of the glorious sacrifice to come.

The age of the Messiah is here. It has come. Jesus has just announced it’s beginnings here at this wedding feast. How are you to respond to this message?

We find out at the conclusion of the wedding feast.

This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.” – John 2:11 ESV

Trust In Him

This was the first of Jesus’s signs. Remember, John uses the word “sign” instead of “miracle” because He is emphasizing that these miracles are signs of who Jesus is. Jesus is the long awaited Messiah that would save God’s people.

I once heard a guy say that this miracle is glorious for two reasons. One, Jesus turned wine into grape juice that was fermented. Grapes being turned into wine was a 2-4 month process from the time the wine was pressed and sat in a shallow pit for a few days and then jarred in stone jar lined with goatskin that would stretch during fermentation for 2-4 months. Jesus not only turned water into wine but in a moment also changed this grape juice into wine. A 2-4 month process was done instantaneously. No wonder His disciples saw Him as glorious and believed.

Here, for the first time Jesus revealed His glory and His disciples believed. This is remarkable power. This is a remarkable sign of the time of Messiah. But only Jesus’s disciples and the servants knew what was going on. And what we read is that Jesus’s disciples believed in Him. Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and John saw Jesus as glorious and trusted in Him. They knew at this point that Jesus was truly the Messiah.

Here is the challenge given to you today. Will you trust Him as the disciples did here? Will you see the glorious power of Christ and trust in Him? He is the Messiah. He has come to save us from our sins. He is the one long foretold. Will you trust in Him?

If you are a believer today, allow this miracle of Jesus help you to be strengthened in the faith. See and understand with more clarity than you had yesterday that Jesus is the Christ, He is the Lamb of God, and He is glorious beyond all description. See this and allow it to make you trust Him more. That’s what happened with the disciples who were there. They saw Jesus as glorious and trusted Him more. It says, “they believed”. Allow it to move you to a greater trust and faith in Him. May it be said of you that you heard about this miracle and your faith grew, and you “believed”.

 

R. Dwain Minor