Start of Something New | Sermon 10/09/2022

The Wedding at Cana and the Beginning of Jesus’ Signs

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the gospel according to John chapter 2. Chapter 2. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 11 today in the gospel according to John chapter 2 and the title of this sermon today church is the start of something new the start of something new and beginning in verse 1.

The gospel according to John chapter 2 here now the inerrant and infallible words of the living and true God. On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there and Both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran out the mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine and Jesus said to her woman What does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants Whatever he says to you do it.

Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification containing 20 or 30 gallons each. Jesus said to them fill the water pots with water. So they filled them up to the brim and he said to them draw some out now and take it to the head waiter.

So they took it to him. When the head waiter 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 head waiter called the bridegroom and said to him Every man serves the good wine first and when the people have drunk freely Then he deserves then he serves the poorer wine, excuse me.

But you have kept the good wine until now. This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and Manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him thus ending the reading of God's holy and inspired word.

Let's pray church real quick. Father, would you please? Illumine the scriptures today by your Holy Spirit the same Holy Spirit Whom inspired this very word. Lord, would you edify your people today? Would you speak through me dear Lord?

God, would you allow me to get out of the way and for your truth to be brought forth? Lord, please help me to speak in a way that is helpful and clear and let it always be true. I pray this in Jesus name.

Amen. So church one of the highest Privileges you can have as being a pastor is actually officiating weddings. I Myself have gotten to officiate a wedding and done some vow renewals. Truly is a blessing.

There is something very special about a wedding. A Union between a man and a woman cannot help but point to the Creator. Even if a couple is not married, I'm sorry if they're not believing and they get married.

They don't realize it, but they're appealing to the biblical worldview. They're they're showing the biblical worldview and their desire to be married. That is something that God has instituted from the very beginning and you can see it all the way down into Genesis chapter 2 Where it says a man shall leave his father and his mother and he shall be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh a Covenant is made in that moment.

And as the officiating pastor in many ways your hands are off of the big event. There's so many people invested in how well it's going to go the bride the mother of the bride the families. They hope the wedding goes exactly as planned, of course and When it comes to the ceremony itself They're typically looking to you as the officiating pastor to do this, right this better go right they think.

I remember when I did that wedding I Announced the new bride and groom with their new official titles and names. Introduced them to the rest of the people assembled there. And as they walked away and people turn their faces towards them walking down the aisle away from me I breathe the sigh of relief.

It went well. Okay, praise God it went well and yet It's not over at that moment. In many ways after those that 20 minute 25 minute ceremony. There's much more to come. How could we not celebrate what God has brought together?

But just as the ceremony was vitally important in some ways the reception Can be even more so especially To some particular individuals in their mind. I of course think the ceremony and the covenant being established is very important but to Sometimes the bride and the groom they they want the reception to go so well.

Okay Here is where two different families will interact. Right. The family of the bride the family of the groom. You'll finally have those who are estranged from each other for some time now having a dialogue after many years.

What's gonna happen is aunt so-and-so gonna talk with this person is Crazy cousin Wiley gonna be there. I just made that up. You know What's gonna happen? Not to mention the social pressure to live up to all the fairy tale and Hollywood weddings people have seen there's this pressure everyone is Typically comparing your wedding to everyone else's.

Somehow we all become wedding experts. Yeah, I wouldn't have done it this way, but it's pretty good. You know, we do that sometimes when we go into weddings we shouldn't. And so our text begins at the at the time of wedding celebration and with much of the same pressure I just shared with you so starting in verses 1 2 It says on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and The mother of Jesus was there and both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding.

Verse 1 2 1 2 there. So essentially Jesus's public ministry has now begun we've been Leading up to it. There's been much hype and it has begun from here in John 2. All the way to John 12, we will see Jesus's ministry of signs and wonders chapter 2 to chapter 12.

In fact some scholars call chapter 2 to chapter 12, they call it the book of signs as It reveals his glory. It shows his glory to people and people believe on him. And what's interesting is Then chapters 13 through 21 in the gospel according to John are called the book of glory the book of signs and then the book of glory as during that time is When he receives glory for all that he does especially in the crucifixion.

Now I want to keep you in the mindset of the theme that we've been establishing from the prologue. Until now I want to remind you of this. John has already alluded to Jesus being the divine creator of all things if you remember he said That nothing not anything that was made was a made was made apart from him.

That all things agonetto came through Jesus as the one who is God. Then we saw how the word became flesh and tabernacled among us and he has come to make all things new. Including as we saw in chapter 1 verse 12 and 13 new creations out of people.

Not people born of blood or of the flesh or of the will of man but of God. So he's Recreating. We've been going over and if you recall a few sermons ago I spoke about the creation symbolism in the days that are intentionally listed.

Day one was the delegation From Jerusalem Questioning John the Baptist. Day two was John announcing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Day three was the two disciples of John Decided to follow Jesus as he is pointed out.

Day four Andrew introduces Jesus to Peter. Day five Jesus tells Philip to follow him and Nathanael sees that Jesus is the Christ. That's what we went over last week. So for chapter 2 verse 1, it says on the third day and what that means in Aramaic and Greek is.

It's meant to be two days later therefore the wedding in Cana is on the seventh day the pinnacle. So to speak of creation you see the Creation fulfillment language there. Christ performs his very first miracle on that day.

He is going to bring eternal Sabbath and it starts here. The theme of recreation will continue here and largely into chapter 4 as we continue. From in the rest of chapter 2 chapter 3 and into chapter 4 keep that mindset.

Recreation. Jesus creating again. That's what we're gonna see. The old things are passing away. New things are coming. We will see old purification rights replaced with heavenly wine for celebrating. We will see Jesus going to the temple and cleanse it preparing the way for a new temple.

We will see in John chapter 3 natural birth compared to Spiritual new birth. We will see Jacob's well. Opposed to the living waters that Christ offers. And of course with the woman at the well, we see That the worship of God is no longer going to be in specific places in temples anymore.

But he says the worship of God is going to occur in spirit and in truth. So all these new things are going to take place. And some have interpreted this whole passage water into wine as more allegorical.

Some even say it's a parable of Jesus. But remember John thus far has carefully chosen what goes into his gospel account. Everything has been chosen. Intentionally and with purpose. Everything from the prologue until now nothing isn't just another story.

Okay, he's not he's not looking well the synoptic Gospels didn't have this story so I'm going to include it everything that John Intends to share with you and with me is going to lead us to a specific end a purpose.

Okay. If you remember I went over this in the first sermon. He says at the end of this gospel. He says that there was more things that Jesus had done signs. Wonders and miracles and if they were written down the whole books all the books in the world couldn't contain all that Jesus had did that he performed and so It makes you wonder.

Why is John choosing this story water into wine? And sometimes we could just start reading chapter 2 and go, okay, that's interesting. Okay, water into wine and then we move on but there's there's something more here that I think we need to see.

This is not random. John also also sought to show us witnesses a witness of John the Baptist a witness of the Holy Spirit and the Father when Jesus was baptized and of course even a Witness of the disciples we saw that in our last sermon that they had witnessed the Christ Jesus of Nazareth they had seen that he is the king of Israel as Nathanael said.

Now this scene acts as an additional witness to Jesus Christ in his divine power. That's what these accounts will show. The signs and wonders are witnesses as well. Just as John just as the Father and the Spirit just as the disciples are witnesses.

So are the signs. This first miracle takes place at a wedding in Cana. Jesus's mother is referenced as in attendance, but not named. Do you notice that? It says the mother of Jesus. It doesn't say Mary.

I think that's for a specific reason. We'll get into that shortly here. It's possible this was a wedding of a relative or a close family friend as It seems even in verse 3. That Mary has a role in helping of the catering of the event.

She she realizes the wine is out and if she was just a simple guest Why would she be concerned about wine being out in the reception? So it's possible but that this was someone that was close to them that they knew very well and they of course lived near Cana and The disciples accompanying Jesus are likely the five from the other day.

The five that we went over Andrew Peter Philip Nathanael and the anonymous disciple who was following John and then now follows Jesus and I for one. Continue to keep leaning towards the fact that this was possibly John the Apostle the son of Zebedee was the anonymous disciple.

We talked about that last time. There's no evidence for that but This is his gospel. He's writing it and he writes it with such detail. And of course he could have gotten that from another witness, but it seems possible that John was maybe there again.

We don't know that for sure. But of course those five Disciples we see they were invited to the wedding as well. And at this time we don't have any reason to believe Jesus and the disciples were invited due to some rabbinical status that Jesus had.

It was very common during that time. For well-known rabbis or teachers to be invited to events like these because of their status, but we just we just don't really see that. Because the fact is again most of them grew up in Cana.

Philip grew up in Cana. Three of the Andrew Peter Nathaniel are from Bethsaida, which is very close to Cana as well. So it seems that they were all invited irrespective of their connection to Jesus. But now we're going to come into the current conflict of the scene go to verses 3 through 5.

This is the conflict now at this wedding. When the wine ran out the mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine Jesus said to her woman. What does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants whatever he says to you do it.

So wedding feasts always took place along with the ceremony in Jewish culture and These wedding ceremonies could last guess what up to seven days up to seven days a Jewish wedding ceremony and celebration could last.

Sounds like a great time sounds very fun. Now there was much social pressure to come to a wedding even if you hated the family that it. That wasn't uncommon to them. That was very common. Sometimes whole villages and towns would be invited to these weddings and and celebrations and Jewish weddings weren't just about two individuals getting married.

It was very much about two separate families coming together often the the marriages can be arranged and decided by the elders or decided by the The the parents and so it was very much important that these two families Got along and they came together in such a fashion.

With the wedding celebration sometimes lasting as long as a whole week. The groom was the one who had to pay for it all and the groom Had to make sure there was ample supplies for the whole week. It was on the groom in our in our culture, of course, I don't know how that got established.

I should have looked that up, but the The the father of the bride and the bride's family takes care of it seems like traditionally mostly the cost of the the wedding. But historically that's not always been so the groom had to have it all together.

Have you ever been to a wedding where they've ran out of supplies? Anyone ever been to something like that? I remember once being invited to a wedding and They realized they didn't order enough food so they put like this the smallest like Chicken slices on each person's plate.

They were very concerned. So I have seen it and you can see people sweating and they are concerned about what they did. So you could imagine the very same thing is Happening here and just as much as it would be a big no-no for us today.

It was a big deal back then to run out of food. Okay? Because of course in this in this Culture, there was a big factor of shame and honor okay, so if the groom were to run out of supplies and food for the wedding celebration it was even possible that the the the parents of the bride Could sue him they could they could take him for money.

They could sue him for not giving the kind of wedding that their daughter deserved. Very interesting. So wine was of course an important part of Israel's economy as They were an agrarian society, which means of course they they grew With vineyards, they they grew all of trees made olive oil.

They were an agrarian society. In many places throughout Israel vineyards would be covering the hills that was very common and Over and over again in the Bible. We see that wine is a sign of blessing and abundance in Fact some of you might remember last year.

I posted my findings. I did a large data analysis from from cover to cover on the Word of God on the Bible going over specifically References to wine new wine strong drink fruit of the vine Drunkard drunk and other words pointing to alcohol or inebriation.

I did a whole fully exhaustive Comprehensive data analysis on those things and it was determined that 59 of the time those terms are used in the Bible. They're used in conjunction with good things or blessings 59 of the time 4 of the time there was a sort of neutral description of the item and Then only 37 of the time those words had negative connotations or warnings against drunkenness so 59 versus 37 positive versus negative ultimately throughout scripture it shows that In many descriptions of blessing and times of abundance.

That word wine came out that they would have many wine that they would grow many grapes and have wonderful harvests and they would they would have great wine and that's really the What we see throughout even the Lord's Supper is a big aspect of that.

Now some scholars believe wine was often diluted in water. Okay. But it was still determined after that dilution of water to be as strong as a five five percent Alcohol, which would be kind of like a beer that we have today.

Okay then undiluted wine was much higher in alcohol content and Possibly could be considered strong drink the more it fermented. Okay. All that to say of course this Sermon is not going to be about alcohol or the liberty liberties that we have.

You can of course use your own conscience and the Word of God. To decide if you will partake in the fruit of the vine just know that that's what the word says not to be a drunkard but to participate freely.

And if I could point out one more thing. Some say the wine of the Old Testament wasn't enough to get one drunk. Then it begs the question why would there be so many warnings against drunkenness if that makes sense, okay?

Because that is a huge thing. Oh, it was all grape juice back then. It was never anything that could actually get you drunk. But there is so many verses especially in my analysis that say they're staggering.

They are vomiting things like that. And of course that is rejected against God. God hates that sort of that sort of drinking. But then again He talks about wine and in a good way in many blessings of ways, so I digress.

At this point in our scene. They have run out of wine. And the mother of Jesus reports it to him. We're out. We're out of wine. This could create big problems for the groom. Especially if they are only a few days into the wedding feast if they're only day two into out of days seven days.

What is he gonna? What is he gonna do? They're out of wine. Now some speculate as to what Mary expected when she told this to Jesus. Why did Mary report this to Jesus? And some say she was expressing her dismay at them running out of wine, and it was simply just that.

They've run out. Oh boy. Isn't this terrible sort of thing? Others say that she's been used to seeing the small miracles that Jesus had performed throughout his life and. So she wants him to flex some of that power.

Come on Jesus. I know you can just do something. Okay right and that's kind of the the heart of these Gnostic Gospels that we see that Jesus as a teenager or boy was always doing these These different miracles, but that's of course not in the Bible.

Okay. It doesn't seem likely that that's the case of why Mary is bringing this up to him. What is possible is? Since the last time we heard of Joseph Mary's husband. That was when Jesus was 12 and they found Jesus at the temple when they were Looking for him when they thought him he was to be lost.

And the possibility is that since that's the last time we hear of Joseph in that way in the age of Jesus's life. That it's possible now at this point Joseph is dead. We just don't know we simply don't know that seems plausible.

She is a widow and she looks to her oldest son as she is used to coming to him as some sort of assumed head of household. Okay, because again, you don't see Joseph throughout the Gospels. You don't see him Coming to the cross as well as his mother.

You don't see when it says there are your mother and your brothers and your sisters. Joseph isn't present. There's some some speculate that at this point. She was relying upon her oldest son Jesus. That is definitely possible when you see at the end of this gospel when Jesus is on the cross.

He points to John. And he points to Mary his mother and he says behold woman your son and behold your mother to the disciple and so Jesus is concerned about the welfare of his mother after he is on the cross and goes into the grave to be raised again.

So I'm going to say it again. We don't know for sure the point is Jesus is now involved. Jesus has been reported to about what has happened. The problem is before him and Jesus says woman. What does that have to do with us?

And So I want to provide some context. Woman here in this language is neither disrespectful nor is it very endearing? Okay? Some have said it's akin to saying ma 'am. But maybe not even so much saying ma 'am.

Okay, it's I think there's a specific purpose here. He's saying woman like this and this by the way is gune. Which is where we get the word gyna gune. It's how it said in the Greek and so he says woman and Then he then he says a common Jewish idiom that is throughout the rest of the New Testament he says Woman, what does this have to do with us?

Which is to say what is common to you and me with this what do you and I have to do with this and It is not a rebuke or a rejection. But neither is it a welcoming statement once again? It's not very endearing and it's not extremely Rebuking it is somewhere in the middle.

Jesus is patient. He is gracious and kind and that is what we ought to believe here some have taken These verses and said how could Jesus speak to his mother this way we've got to understand their culture cultural context and What is ultimately happening here?

There is no there is not to be a negative or hostile tone inferred here, I just want to make that clear. Ultimately this is it. The will of God is to prevail in Jesus and Mary's relationship now in a more profound way.

He's got to be about his father's Business she had given birth to him. She nursed him. She taught Jesus how to do small things as a child and now She has come to rely upon him possibly as the leader of the home as Joseph is dead.

But his public ministry has started something different has happened something has shifted. The purpose of his coming wasn't simply to be her son, but it was to show that he is the Son of God. And carry out his mission of redemption for his people.

In the prologue I We look together. We saw that he is the unique Son of God, and he is working for his father. Not for his earthly mother. So her name isn't mentioned here for that reason I believe and he doesn't call her mother here.

He calls her goon a he calls her woman. One commentator states it is a remarkable fact. That everywhere Mary appears during the course of Jesus's ministry Jesus is at pains to establish distance between them.

If you look at all their interactions, there's some level of distance he's creating between his mother and this is not callousness on Jesus's part as Of course we saw and I stated he makes provisions for her when he's on the cross.

But she like every other person must come to him as the promised Messiah now. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and that's how she has to approach him now. No one will be able to sidetrack Jesus now.

To the very end his face is set like flint Towards his mission and Even his mother has to come to grips with that. Everything now is viewed inside of the coming cross. He says his hour has not yet come.

What does he mean by that. The hour is not yet that phrase is said multiple times all the way up until chapter 12, then something happens and After chapter 12 moving forward it says that his time has come so.

What is he saying? She tells him they've run out of wine and he's essentially saying my time of crucifixion. Resurrection and exaltation has not yet come and it's not that he's not able to act. When he says my hour has not yet come.

It's that he cannot act in the fullest measure. In maybe the way that she's expecting that is not yet. It is reserved for later. He is making water into wine isn't at the obligation of his mother, but his desire to act must now Only come from the prerogatives and will of his father.

He will act now, but he won't act because she told him he'll act because him and his father's will is aligned at this point. She tells the servants. Whatever he says to you do it. She's not offended by his words.

She knows. She receives it. Okay. It's I get it. She turns to the servants. You better do all that he says. She knows now. You get what I'm getting. You get what I'm saying. There's been a transition here for her so She tells the servants.

She repositions and even Carson says in verse 3 Mary approaches Jesus as his mother, but in verse 5 she now responds as a believer. As a believer. She has submitted the situation to him. It's in his hands now.

And although they didn't want any shame to occur at this wedding feast due to the lack of supplies Jesus knows that the ultimate shame and spectacle making must occur at the cross before the divine Wedding feast can take place.

Purification Water, Messianic Wine, and the Reversal of Shame

Go to verses 6 through 8. Let's move on. It says now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification containing 20 or 30 gallons each. Jesus said to them fill the water pots with water.

So they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them Draw some out now and take it to the head waiter. So they took it to him. Excuse me. It literally says in the Greek. Each pot held two to three measures.

That's what it says. Some have calculated that to be 20 or 30 gallons. But some even consider two to three measures to be possibly 60 to 90 gallons these were. Whether they're 20 to 30 gallons or 60 to 90.

These were huge pots. These were large pots. These vessels could hold a lot of liquid. Now, here's the thing stone pots didn't become unclean like earthenware vessels and In this case they were preferred over earthenware for that very reason if you go to Leviticus 11 verse 33 It says.

And if any unclean thing falls into any earthenware vessel. All that is in in it shall be unclean and you must break the earthenware vessel. But it was determined that stone wouldn't be like that. Earthenware would get unclean and dirty you'd have to break it.

Stone could be reused for cleansing ritual and That's what these pots were used for. These pots were previously filled with water for cleansing. Okay. Each guest likely had water poured over their hands or they came as they came into the wedding ceremony.

They went they went to the pots and they maybe they put their hands in or water was poured over. We're not completely sure before they ate. Any food before they touched any food they must have ritual cleansing.

That's what occurring. What is occurring here? And We saw that even in the synoptic Gospels mark 7 says. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they're they wash their hands properly holding to the tradition of the elders remember when the disciples of Jesus pick grain heads in the field and they're eating and there's The Pharisees and the Jews saying your disciples haven't washed their hands.

They're not doing the law of the elders and it's so it's that sort of thing here. Now we're coming to the point of the miracle. These pots church represent the state of the people at this wedding feast.

I Told you John has a specific reason for sharing this account and this is part of it. The pots represent the state of the people of this wedding feast. In fact, they represent the state of all people.

We are unclean we need cleansing and We need something longer lasting than just water. We need something that is permanent and the water pots are the old ways of Jewish religious custom. But Jesus is going to replace the purification water with something newer and far better so an imperative is made to the servants fill the water pots with water and.

The immense amount of water turned into wine points to something very specific. It points to the rich and abundant messianic age. The wine points to the messianic age and it's all throughout the prophets the major and minor prophets.

Here's just a few to show that. According to the prophets. This is the age where there will be a time when wine flows freely and plentifully. It says Amos. Amos 9 13 through 15 says behold 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. The mountains shall drip sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it.

I 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.

I 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 and so even Jesus in the Gospels. Has these moments? Where he gives symbolic reference to the messianic age and wedding feast especially in Matthew 22 and Matthew 25 those are moments where we see the bride and Bridegroom, but these servants had drawn water from a place.

From a well, I'm sorry from a well to place it into ceremonial cleansing pots. In a sense, this is what has been done for centuries. But now that the Messiah has come they will draw from the cleansing pots something new.

They put water into the pots, but now they will draw something different out. Now they draw for the messianic banquet and this wedding celebration. Symbolizes the wedding feast we the bride of Christ will have with him.

The supreme and holy bridegroom is Jesus. And the pots are filled to the very brim it says. And it's I believe that it's filled to the brim to show that there's no more need for ceremonial cleansing. There's no no more room.

They're overflowing. They're used now for something different. The act is complete. One has come who will cleanse all unclean things and purify them by his blood. The wine symbolizes two things in this way they symbolizes the messianic banquets and Christ cleansing blood.

That is what we are to see with these these pots. Will never need to be filled with water for purification again. Never. Never again will they need to be filled that way what was once for purification is now for celebration.

Jesus has come. Jesus provides a solution. To the conflict in this historical context he immediately provides wine for the groom true and. But ultimately he does it as well in a cosmological context the same way.

So he makes another imperative. For the servants to draw some out now and take you to the head steward. The head over the banquet that's who this would have been. Head waiter is probably not the best translation.

It would have been Arcae. Arcae is like some Archetype, you know, he is. He's the highest steward in this wedding ceremony. He is Over the whole thing in a sense so He takes it to him. The servants and the word now.

Shows a change has been made. Draw some out now. Now because something has happened It's pointing to a greater Transformation that is occurring. The wine comes out of the stone pot. This indicates that purification won't simply be external anymore.

It won't just be on the outside. It'll take place within. There needs to be internal cleansing in each person and only Christ can do that. It's not the law or tradition of the elders nor is this Change of blood flesh or of man, but of God.

This is a heavenly change. That's what Jesus is pointing to and making the water into wine. That we need transformation. We need change. We need cleansing and he can perform that cleansing and he can make us into something new something better.

And that's What we're seeing. Excuse me. This even gives us some context to the bread of life passages that we'll see later in John 6 when he says whoever Feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day there will be context to that when Jesus says that and this kind of points to that transformative aspects of what Jesus Does in his work on the cross?