THE MIRACLE AT THE WEDDING FEAST

       

                                                                          JOHN 2:1-11

          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 waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.

          Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him. When the headwaiter 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 headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; 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 the disciples believed in Him (NASB).

INTRODUCTION

          Kham Put Thailand (EP). Khun Paot, a 19-year-old girl, escaped the Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia after an arduous journey with 100 others through miles of jungle, canals, mountains, and rivers. Standing between them and freedom were Communist soldiers, the elements, and a stretch of jungle ground covered with thorns. Most of the escapees were barefoot or wore flimsy thongs.

          A midnight-like darkness hampered the struggling group as it crossed a valley between two high mountain ranges. “We could see absolutely nothing,” Paot later told a missionary, Maxine Stewart. “We didn’t even know where to step.” Suddenly hundreds of fireflies swarmed into view. Their glow made enough light for the people to see the path. The refugees reached the next mountain by “firefly light,” said Mrs. Stewart in the April issue of the Communist Magazine.

          After Paot was transferred o Kham Put refugee camp, she was invited to a Christian meeting. “I know that old man,” she exclaimed at a picture on the wall of the chapel. “He is the one who led us and showed us the way to Thailand and freedom.” She was pointing to a picture of Jesus. The Recorder, September 1979, p. 25.

          As I begin the series on The Miracles of Jesus in the Gospel of John, I would like to share with you on the topic: “The Miracle at the Wedding Feast.”

SETTING

          The Gospel of John is divided into two sections. Chapter one through 12 is often called “the book of signs,” in them Jesus reveals His glory. Chapters 13 to 21 are known as “the book of glory.” These chapters focus on Jesus’ leadership training, farewell discourses and His subsequent glorification on the cross at Calvary.

          The miracle at the wedding at Cana is also the first miracle that the Apostle John records in his Gospel. This miracle has been variously interpreted. However, if you read the Gospel of John carefully, he uses the term “sign” as the designation for the supernatural feats that Jesus performs. John calls what happened at Cana in Galilee and other miracles “signs” because of the purpose of his Gospel. John states that his purpose in recording these signs was to convince people that the Christ, the Son of God is Jesus (John 20:30-31). These miracles are signs because they were pointing something beyond themselves. Consequently, these miracles were not ends in themselves.

          The fact that John records Jesus first miracle as occurring at a wedding banquet is noteworthy. This reveals that Jesus offers His hand of approval to the first institution established by God in the Garden of Eden. By the way, like the first wedding at the Garden of Eden the marriage was between a man and a woman. Wedding was considered very important and special in Israel during the first century. The wedding usually followed the betrothal that was much more serious than our engagement today. In the ancient Israel betrothal was a solemn pledging of the couple, each to the other, and was so binding that to break it divorce proceedings were necessary. The wedding festivities lasted for a whole week.

I.      A WEDDING INVITATION VV. 1-4

          There are some people who present Jesus as if He were a hermit, ascetic, a loner, and antisocial. However, the passage in John 2 shows quite a different portrait of Jesus. Verse one of the text reveals that there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. Cana is qualified by Galilee, which indicates that Cana was probably a small and unknown town. The presence of the mother of Jesus at this wedding underscores that either the couple was a relative or a close family friend; therefore Jesus’ mother did not need any invitation. However, Jesus and His disciples were invited to this wedding. Jesus did not turn down the wedding invitation; neither did He give any excuse that He could not honor the invitation. Jesus and His disciples attended the wedding. Marriage is a divine institution, and our Lord Jesus Christ’s presence at the wedding signified His respect for the institution. He was the most accessible and gracious of men.

          When Jesus went to the wedding, there was serious problem at the wedding feast. Many people who have not studied the background of the turning of water into wine carefully are quick to quote this passage to support their drinking habit. However, that is besides the point in this miracle. In ancient Israel wedding was a big deal as I have said. Wedding gifts were sometimes reciprocal. Therefore, if you did not treat your invited guests with utmost respect, food, drink, and entertainment, you could be sued. In addition, it could be a great shame to run out of wine when the honorable guests had just arrived to take their seats. Such was the situation in which Jesus’ mother found herself at this wedding. The fact that the wine ran out early also shows that the couple was not affluent. However, by the turn out of the invited guests if Jesus did not do something, the shame that would come upon the couple would be unimaginable.

          Therefore, Jesus’ mother reported the situation to Him. Mary had confidence in her Son. She knew that Jesus was resourceful that He could do something about the present crisis. One lesson that I draw from the confidence of the mother of Jesus is that she knew whom and where to go in this crucial moment. When you are in a crisis, to whom and where do you go for help? Many Christians take their problems to people who cannot help them instead of first bringing them to Jesus Christ, who can solve the problems for them.

          The response of Jesus to His mother has elicited many speculations. Some say that Jesus addressed His mother with disrespect. Others say that Jesus treated His mother like a total stranger and any ordinary woman. However, in the Greek, the address of Jesus to her mother as “Woman” is not as cold as in English. This was a term of respect or affection. That Jesus calls Mary “Woman” and not “Mother” probably indicates that there is a new relationship between them as Jesus enters His public ministry. Jesus goes on to say, “What do you and I have in common so far as the matter at hand is concerned?” This must have been extremely difficult for Mary. She has borne Jesus, nursed Him, taught His baby fingers elementary skills, watched Him fall over as He learned to walk; apparently she has also come to rely on her Son as the family provider. However, now that Jesus had entered into the purpose of His coming, everything, even family ties have to be subordinated to His divine mission. Since Jesus has begun His public ministry, His mother, Mary could not view Him as other mothers view their sons. This is not callousness on the part of Jesus, but she, like every other person must come to Him as to the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Neither Mary nor any relative dare to approach Him on the “inside track” a lesson that even Peter and the two sons of Zebedee had to learn ((Mark 8:31-33). My time has not yet come” means “It is not yet time for Me to act.” Literally, Jesus was saying, “My hour has not yet come.” Recall that according to John’s narrative prior to this Jesus has not performed any miracle. The apocryphal record of Jesus’ boyhood miracles is fallacious, which carry no credibility.

II.   A WOMANLY INSISTENCE V. 5

          While some people try to read into Jesus’ response to His mother, the mother did not consider the response as disrespect or an insult. On the contrary, Mary says to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Here Mary the mother of Jesus demonstrates an unshakable faith in the resources of Jesus. She knew that Jesus was mindful of the present difficulty, and that He would take what action was necessary. So she commanded the servants to obey the instructions of Jesus. No situation is hopeless when Jesus is available. What do you do when you are at your wits end? What do you do when you have exhausted your natural resources? Divine intervention for a son or a daughter of God does not come too soon or too late. Jesus always comes through at the appropriate time. Jesus does not operate according to our own calendar; He operates entirely on divine schedule.

III.           A WHOLESOME INSTRUCTION VV. 5-11

          The Bible states that there were six water pots set there for the purpose of purification. These water pots would contain twenty or thirty gallons each. If we compute it conservatively, the six water pots would be able to hold a total of 120 gallons of water. Jesus then commands the servants to fill the water-pots with water. The servants were obedient to the command of Jesus. There is a great lesson here that I want us to explore. In almost everything that God does in our lives there is a role or duty for us to play or perform. Duties are ours. Events are God’s. “It is ours to fill the water-pots. It is Christ’s to make the water wine.” What responsibility has God given to you? Have you responded to God’s command in your life? For example, a husband would say, “my wife does not respect me.” God then tells you, “Love your wife.” When you act on the command or instruction of God, it is God’s business to deal with your wife in the area of respect for you.

          I am glad that the servants did not try to be sophisticated like some of us today. If it were some of us today, we would have said to Jesus, “It is wine that we need not water.” However, the servants took Jesus at His command and did as they were told. One of the reasons that we do not witness the power of God in our lives today is that we do not act by faith. It is like we are all from “Show me state,” Missouri. However, you cannot be a candidate for miracles when you always want to see before you act.

          I am of the opinion that the water did not turn into wine the moment the servants pour them in the water-pots. Rather, the miracle happened as they drew some out and took it to the headwaiter. The reaction of the headwaiter presupposes that he had drunk some of the wine that was depleted. This miracle also shows the selflessness, generosity, and compassion of Jesus towards others. Do you recall Jesus’ encounter with Satan at the wilderness when He had fasted for forty days and was hungry. The devil tempted Him to perform miracle to quench His hunger pangs by turning a stone into bread, but Jesus did not succumb to the temptation. He, who would not work a miracle in the wilderness to meet His own need, here performed a miracle to supply a luxury for wedding guests. And how abundant was His provision!

What becomes evident here is that the chairman of the wedding banquet did not know the source of the wine. He did not know that it was Jesus who had turned the water into wine, but he knew the quality of the wine. He knew that this wine was better than the first one they had consumed. The six huge empty water jars represented the emptiness of Judaism that was passing away, and the water that turned into wine represented the dawn of the Kingdom of God at the arrival of Jesus. These enormous amount of water also represent the power and grace Jesus provides and offers. What were the results of this first miracle of Jesus? First, it manifested forth the glory of Jesus Christ. The miracle exhibited the fact that the exercise of creative power essentially belonged to deity. Moses began his deliverance ministry in Egypt with a miracle of judgment—water was turned into blood, a curse was brought upon one of the basic necessities of life. In Christ’s first miracle, water was turned into wine—the addition of sweetness and joy to the common relationship of life. The wedding miracle was therefore symbolic, a sign pointing to the contrast between the old dispensation and the new, and to the work of Christ as transforming, enriching, and glorifying of the natural, through divine grace and power.

          The other result of the miracle was that His disciples believed on Him. This does not mean that they were not already believers. The demonstration of Jesus’ power at the wedding banquet established the faith of the disciples in His deity. This first miracle proved to the disciples that Jesus could work every miracle. If He could turn water into wine by His will, then He could do anything and everything.

          Some truths worth pondering come to focus in this miracle.

1.     The world and sin give what they call their “good” first; afterwards that which is worse. Jesus gives His best last (2:10).

2.     Satan turns good into bad and worse. Jesus turns good into better and best.

3.     Our main business in life as Christians is to go through the world turning water into wine.

4.     As those water pots fulfilled the Lord’s purpose, so He can use the poorest means. We are but poor earthen vessels, and somewhat cracked, yet Jesus can use weak things to confound the mighty.