06-15-08 Sermon Review

The First Miracle
John 2:1-12

If you remember, a few weeks ago we finished the first chapter of this gospel and took a little break.

We now continue in our exposition of John and start here in chapter two. We ended our first chapter by recapping the main point of the whole chapter: namely that the chapter was a testimony of the person of Jesus. We saw this through John's prologue, the testimony of John the Baptist, and the confession of Jesus' new disciples. Now we come to the part of the book where Jesus affirms these grand statements about Himself by His deeds. We will today take a look at the first miracle Jesus performed in a little wedding in Cana.

Jesus Attends a Wedding - Jesus was invited to a wedding along with His disciples. He was probably very close with the couple getting married. Even though He was about to begin His ministry, Jesus saw it fitting to attend and participate in the festivities of the wedding. His attendance of a wedding shows us that the Christian life is not only about "ministry." There are good things here in this world that we should celebrate and rejoice in. Jesus sets the model for us in all areas of life, even as a model of celebration.

Jesus Addresses His Mother - When Mary finds out that there is a lack of wine, she tells Jesus expecting Him out of His resourcefulness to address the problem. Jesus tells her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." The English translation seems rather cold and disrespectful, but the Greek is not so; yet, there is no doubt that Jesus addressing His mother in a new way. There was a changed relationship. Mary was no longer His mother, but a lady. Jesus was starting His new ministry and as such, He was distancing Himself from her, though not flippantly or disgracefully. No one had special authority over Jesus, even Mary. Though Jesus was born by Mary, He was not under her authority. As Jesus was beginning his ministry, He was making that very clear.

Jesus Changes Water to Wine - Jesus, though making it clear that Mary had no authority to tell Jesus what to do, did not desire the wedding feast to end in such a horrible fashion. The lack of wine at a wedding was such a serious matter that the family of the bride could take legal measures against the groom if the wine was depleted before the festivities came to an end (the groom was responsible for providing the wine). Jesus noticing some empty jars calls the servants to fill it with water. Once that was done, the servants were told to draw some out and take it to the headwaiter - more like the best-man who was also responsible for overseeing the distribution of wine and food. The headwaiter, tasting the water turned into wine, expresses to the groom the great quality of the wine.

Jesus Manifests His Glory - Jesus addressed the issue by providing a great quantity and exceptional quality. Jesus' miracle was also timely as well as thoughtful. He did not steal the thunder of the couple getting married by doing the miracle in the open, but doing it secretly. But most importantly, it was purposeful to His mission. The text says the miracle manifested His glory, and this manifestation was enough for His disciples to put their trust in Him.

Conclusion - What a wonderful story of how Jesus maintained the joy of the wedding feast by performing a spectacular miracle without putting Himself in the spotlight. He was the Servant of servants. Yet at the same time, He manifested His glory so that His disciples would believe in Him. all His miracles were like that. He met the needs of people and in them, revealed His glory. I pray that as we look at the other miracles Jesus performs, that we would be like the disciples. I pray we would come to believe in Him and believe in the testimony of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Stay strong and God bless!