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John 2:1-11 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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So please turn with me to John chapter 2, and as you turn there, I'll give you the outline
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! for this sermon that we'll be going through. So first is the conflict in verses 1 and 2.
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!
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And that's because it's a very good way to understand a narrative in any form.
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So let's read the passage together, starting in verse 1 through verse 11.
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On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
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Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of
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Jesus said to him, they have no wine. And Jesus said to her, woman, what does this have to do with me?
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My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you. Now there
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were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons.
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Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water, and they filled them up to the brim.
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And he said to them, now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it.
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When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from,
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though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom
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and said to him, everyone serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely,
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then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. This, the first of his signs,
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Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
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So now that we're all familiar with the passage, let's proceed again to the beginning of the story,
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beginning with the scene, verses 1 and 2. First, on the third day. If you've been tracking along with
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us from previous sermons, you may remember that John really likes chronology. And I think this
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third day lead-in phrase is building on a pattern that John has already set up from the back half
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of chapter 1. So in the back half of chapter 1, if you'll flip over a page or just look back,
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he uses a lead-in phrase very similar to this, the next day, three times.
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So in verse 29, verse 35, and verse 43, each time this phrase is used, the end of that section
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is a revelation of Jesus' identity being shared, declared, or confessed. So first, in verse 34,
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corresponding to the next day of verse 25, John the Baptist says,
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and I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God. Next, looking at verse 41,
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corresponding to the next day of verse 35, Andrew says to his brother Simon, about to become Peter,
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we have found the Messiah. And John adds his own parenthetical clarification, which means Christ.
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These are big statements to be said about a Jewish man from Nazareth, to be sure.
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Third, looking at Nathaniel, says in verse 49 of chapter 1, his life-changing interaction with Jesus
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turned his skepticism in verse 46 to this declaration in verse 49,
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Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel. That's an absolute 180-degree turn from
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can anything good come out of Nazareth, to you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.
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Both here and in the second examples, we see the disciples specifically making messianic connections
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to Jesus, though not with perfect understanding. These three passages have been well covered over
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the last couple weeks, but I wanted to make sure that the pattern that John had set up did not fail.
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Over and over, the authors of scripture use patterns so that they can be easier for us to remember,
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and also to draw our attention when something changes. So here the leading phrase is similar,
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on the third day, but it's not the same.
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I think we would do well to expect a similar revelation as before, being about Jesus' identity,
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but not quite the same.
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Continuing, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.
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So a little bit about the location. The group has not traveled far in the last two days,
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this being the third day. The group has not traveled far
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since Philip and Nathanael began to follow Jesus.
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They are still in Galilee, as they were previously in chapter 1,
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and John 21, 2 identifies Nathanael as of Cana in Galilee.
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So Cana was most likely Nathanael's hometown or village,
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so this was likely where he encountered Jesus for the first time.
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So they've been hanging out here for a couple of days now.
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Perhaps these new, excited disciples had time to discuss what Philip meant in verse 45,
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where he said to Nathanael,
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we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.
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Certainly these men would have been eager to dive into the scriptures
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to see if these things could really be true.
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They may know that there is much that they do not know.
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They refer to Jesus as rabbi,
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understanding that they need teaching, they need instruction from him.
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Undoubtedly, they do not know how much Jesus will change their paradigm
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of who the Messiah will be and what he will do.
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So still setting the scene,
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let's talk about the people we know at this wedding.
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In the back half of verse 1 through verse 2.
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So first, the mother of Jesus.
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This is the first mention of Mary in John's gospel.
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I think it's worthwhile to briefly consider the portrait of Mary in the gospel of Luke,
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as this will give us additional insight as we read this account of John.
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So while pregnant with Jesus, Mary sang a song of praise in Luke 1, 46 through 55.
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A beautiful song.
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I'll only read the first and close of it,
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so you can see Mary's reverence of and hope in the Lord.
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It begins with this first sentence.
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My soul magnifies the Lord,
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and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
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for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
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And it ends with this.
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He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy,
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as he spoke to our forefathers,
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to Abraham and to his offspring forever.
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There's a wealth of biblical themes
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that is worth much study to unpack from this song,
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but we don't have time to unpack all of it here.
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But I'll summarize to say that Mary is clued in
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to what God is doing in Israel throughout its history.
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She seems to think that the Messiah's life
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could not be more humble than beginning with her.
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But again, that's part of her not yet perfect understanding
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of who this Messiah will really be.
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After Jesus' birth in Luke 2
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and the visitation of the shepherds to Mary and Joseph,
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there is a succinct description of Mary
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in verse 19 of chapter 2 of Luke.
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Mary treasured up all these things,
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pondering them in her heart.
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My point in going to these texts in Luke
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is to illustrate that Mary believes in her son,
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not merely how my mom believes in me as her special boy,
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but Jesus as Messiah.
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The angel told her in Luke 1, 32 and 33,
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this is the angel speaking to Mary,
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he will be great about Jesus,
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he will be great and will be called the son of the most high.
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And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
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and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
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And of his kingdom, there will be no end.
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A correct understanding that Jesus is the Messiah,
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but not yet a correct understanding
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of how Jesus will be the Messiah.
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Mary likely, likely the same as the disciples,
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has hoped and believed that this eternal reign of Jesus
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that's communicated to her by the angel,
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would be temporal, national,
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and most importantly, start right then and there.
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So let's talk about his disciples who were also here,
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mentioned in verse 2.
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We know by name there would be at least four
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from, again, the previous chapter,
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Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathaniel.
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And as Nathan argued last week,
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most likely that other disciple
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that's not named in the previous chapter
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that was with Philip
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is most likely John the Apostle.
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Let's talk about wedding.
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So twice, just in these two opening verses,
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John mentions the wedding in specific,
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and I don't think that's an accidental repetition
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by any means.
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So a few points to derive from that.
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First, God loves marriage, plain and simple.
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The Father gave marriage to humanity
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as a gift to man and woman,
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so it is no surprise that the son,
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who is one with the Father,
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would be in supportive attendance at a wedding.
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Also important to note,
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this is not the only wedding
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about which John writes.
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This first wedding in John 2
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is where Jesus begins his ministry,
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as we saw in verse 11,
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the first of his signs.
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John writes about another wedding
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on the other side of Jesus' ministry
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in Revelation 19, 6 through 9.
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And this is worth reading together,
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so I'm going to ask you to flip over
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to Revelation 19,
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keep your place in John 2,
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and as you get there,
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I'm going to take some time
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to get some water.
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So this is towards the tail end
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of John's life,
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as well as the Revelation.
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So as a kind of climax before,
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the new heavens and new earth
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are created.
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So Revelation 19, 6 through 9,
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John writes this of what he sees.
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Then I heard what seemed to be
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the voice of a great multitude,
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like the roar of many waters,
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and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder
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crying out,
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Hallelujah!
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For the Lord our God,
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the Almighty reigns.
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Let us rejoice and exult
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and give Him the glory.
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For the marriage of the Lamb has come,
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and His bride has made herself ready.
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It was granted her to clothe herself
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with fine linen, bright and pure,
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for the fine linen is the righteous deeds
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of the saints.
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And the angel said to me,
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Write this,
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Blessed are those who are invited
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to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
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And He said to me,
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These are the true words of God.
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At this wedding in Cana,
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Jesus appears as an average guest.
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We're about to see Him cause a miracle,
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but it's known to few at the time,
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and He does not make Himself the focus.
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The marriage supper of the Lamb
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will be different.
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Jesus Christ will be the center.
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A few weeks ago,
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my wife and I had the lovely opportunity
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to witness the marriage
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of Gaines and Taylor Kidd.
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And it was lovely.
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It was so much fun,
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lots of great memories,
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and good times to share.
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Taylor's father even made me
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tear up a little bit
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during his very heartfelt speech
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during the reception.
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Very grateful for it.
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And happy month anniversary.
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But it wasn't perfect,
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because it's an earthly wedding.
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The marriage supper of the Lamb
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will far exceed all categories we have
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for a glorious wedding.
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And we eagerly await that day.
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Come, Lord Jesus, come.
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This wedding in Cana was also not perfect.
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So let's turn our attention back to John 2,
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continuing in verse 3,
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considering the conflict.
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So my first question here,
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let's read verses 3 through 5 together.
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When the wine ran out,
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the mother of Jesus said to Him,
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They have no wine.
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And Jesus said to her,
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Woman, what does this have to do with me?
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My hour has not yet come.
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His mother said to the servants,
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Do whatever He tells you.
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So my first question here is,
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why does Mary even care
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that they ran out of wine?
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Personally,
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and you may,
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this is my more laissez-faire mentality,
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events run out of supplies,
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it happens, you know.
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To me, it's no big deal.
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For example,
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at my bride and I's own wedding,
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just four years ago,
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recently,
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we kind of infamously ran out of a lot of food.
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So,
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we had a kind of humorous interviews being done
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by some guests,
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you know,
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for jokes.
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And one of our friend's fathers,
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when asked what was his least favorite part
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about the wedding,
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was,
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they ran out of meatballs.
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It was true.
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We ran out of meatballs.
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Guilty as charged.
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So I want to say,
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it's not that big of a deal.
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But,
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this was not the case here
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about this wine.
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So looking just after our passage
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in verse 12,
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we can see that Jesus' brothers
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were also in attendance.
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So from that,
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we can infer
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that this may have been a relative
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or at least a very close family friend.
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And if that close relationship exists,
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which it presumably does,
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Mary may have had some organizational duties,
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responsibilities.
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As we will see,
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she gives instructions to the servants
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and they listen.
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Either way,
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Mary wanted to spare the wedding host
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severe public embarrassment.
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This is far more serious
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than running out of meatballs.
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This would have been a social scar
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on this family
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for the rest of their lives.
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Possibly even with legal ramifications
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against the bridegroom and his family.
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So whatever the exact situation,
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we can know that this is a great,
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genuine need for this family.
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So let's consider this section of the story,
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the conflict,
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with three parts.
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The request,
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the hour,
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and the command.
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So first,
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the request in verse 3.
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Reading the text at face value
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tells us that Mary was not exaggerating.
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They were out of wine.
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The wedding feast was a big deal
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that could be as long as a week.
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We don't know.
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Presumably this is day 3 of,
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you know,
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4, 5, 6, 7.
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So to be out at this point
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is a big problem.
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It's also,
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I'd say,
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impossible to know
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for sure
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what Mary had in mind
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when she told Jesus
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that they were out of wine.
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By his response,
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we can know that
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he inferred
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that she wanted him
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to fix it.
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Personally,
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I do not think
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that Mary had an ordinary process
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in mind
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for how Jesus would fix this.
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I think if she did,
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we would have read something
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about money changing hands.
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You know,
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if my mom asked me
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to go to the store
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and get something for a party,
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she's probably going to give me
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something to that effect.
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This isn't what happens here.
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And considering the previous text
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that we looked at,
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where we read about
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Mary's belief in Jesus,
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specifically the Father
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working through Jesus,
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I think Mary is implicitly
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asking for a miracle.
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So let's talk about
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Jesus' answer
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in verse 4.
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Woman,
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what does this have to do with me?
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My hour has not yet come.
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The first half.
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Jesus' answer here
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is not disrespectful,
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but it is abrupt,
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and it is a bit startling.
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It would have been
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an unusual way
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to address one's mother,
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and it would have certainly
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caught Mary's attention.
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Jesus seems to be creating
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or illustrating
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some distance
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between himself
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and his mother,
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as he is about
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to be more wholly
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pursuing his earthly ministry.
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She, too,
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needs a bit of correction
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with her view of the Messiah.
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Now, I think it's interesting
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to note that
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this small,
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gentle rebuke
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from Jesus here of Mary
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is of a very different kind
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than the rebuke
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that Peter receives
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later whenever he is
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misapplying his understanding
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of the Messiah.
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But what about the hour,
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the end of Jesus' answer,
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specifically Jesus' hour,
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my hour has not yet come.
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This term is used
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several times
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throughout the gospel,
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a few times by John
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as the narrator,
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and a few times
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where Jesus says it
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explicitly about himself.
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So here, of course,
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he's saying it about himself.
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Let's look at an example
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where John uses it.
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So John 7, 30,
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reads as this,
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So they were seeking
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to arrest him,
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but no one laid a hand
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on him,
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because his hour
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had not yet come.
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Importantly,
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John tells us this
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in the middle
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of a public debate
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about Jesus' identity
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in Jerusalem.
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Let's look at somewhere
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where Jesus used it
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of himself
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in the high priestly prayer
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in John 17,
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1 through 3.
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So this is right before
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the betrayal
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and arrest of Jesus,
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and Jesus prays this,
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Father, the hour has come.
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Glorify your Son
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that the Son may glorify you.
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Since you have given him
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authority over all flesh
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to give eternal life
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to all whom you have given him,
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and this is eternal life
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that they know you,
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the only true God,
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and Jesus Christ
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whom you have sent.
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This hour,
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Jesus' hour,
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is a recurring theme
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throughout the gospel of John,
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and it is referring
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to Christ's crucifixion
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being handed over
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to lawless men.
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This is how the apostle Peter
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says it in Acts 2,
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23 and 24.
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This Jesus,
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delivered up
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according to the definite plan
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and foreknowledge of God,
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you crucified,
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speaking to the Jews
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in Jerusalem,
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and killed by the hands
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of lawless men,
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God raised him up,
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loosing the pangs of death,
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because it was not possible
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for him to be held by it.
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Jesus is working on
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the divine timetable here.
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He knows his mission.
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He knew he was walking
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a long road
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to the cross
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for his beloved,
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and he knew that
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here at the wedding
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in Cana.
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Moving to the command
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in verse 5,
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Mary takes this,
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turns to the servants,
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and says,
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do whatever he tells you.
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Mary trusts that Jesus
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will do something.
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Perhaps she thought
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this would have been
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a great time
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for Jesus to publicly
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show his power.
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A few days ago,
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the new prophet
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on the block,
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John the Baptist,
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said that the Messiah
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was coming
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and announced Jesus
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as the Son of God.
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Instead,
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she calls the wedding
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servants over
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and trusts that Jesus
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will do something,
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even if it's not
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maybe what she had
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in mind.
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But laser focused
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on his mission,
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the hour.
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Jesus does not publicly
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reveal himself here
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as the Messiah,
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but he does take
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the servants with him.
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This is a marvelously
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compassionate action
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toward the wedding
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families and Mary.
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And that takes us
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to point number three,
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the solution
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in verses six through eight.
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Now there were six
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stone water jars there
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for the Jewish rites
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of purification,
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each holding
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twenty or thirty gallons.
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Jesus said to the servants,
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fill the jars with water.
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And they filled them
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up to the brim.
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And he said to them,
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now draw some out
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and take it to the
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master of the feast.
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So they took it.
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So I want to make
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two observations
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about this solution
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of what Jesus does here.
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First, it's out of focus.
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These water jars
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would have likely been
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off to the side
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in a storage room,
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certainly not
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in the feast area
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with everyone else.
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And Jesus does not
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make a show of this miracle
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by trotting out
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the new wine
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to the master
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of the feast himself.
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Instead,
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he sends the servant
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to deliver it
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as if they found
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new ordinary stores.
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Now you may be wondering
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why it was so important
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that Jesus does
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this miracle privately.
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We've already talked
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about the hour
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and that certainly
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is a part of this.
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Later in John,
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we can see two different
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groups of people
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that create problems
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when Jesus does work
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public miracles.
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First, the crowds.
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After Jesus feeds
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the thousands in John 6,
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John records this
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in verse 15.
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Perceiving then
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that they were about
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to come and take him
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by force to make him king,
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Jesus withdrew again
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to the mountain
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by himself.
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This was not the mission
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that Jesus came to do
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at the time.
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He did not come
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to be a revolutionary
19:20
leader against Rome.
19:23
Second,
19:23
after the final
19:24
of the seven miraculous signs
19:26
that John records,
19:28
the raising of Lazarus,
19:29
the Pharisees gathered
19:31
their council
19:32
and John gives
19:33
this conclusion
19:33
of their meeting.
19:35
So from that day on,
19:37
they made plans
19:37
to put him to death.
19:39
Jesus, therefore,
19:40
no longer walked openly
19:41
among the Jews
19:42
but went from there
19:43
to the region
19:43
near the wilderness.
19:45
The hour was coming closer
19:46
but not quite yet.
19:48
So Jesus pulled back
19:49
his public appearances.
19:50
All this is to be done,
19:52
all this is done
19:53
to be perfectly in step
19:55
with God's plan,
19:56
including the timing,
19:58
for Jesus.
19:59
Second observation
20:00
about the solution.
20:02
Faithful servants.
20:04
Mary gave the servants
20:05
a command to do
20:06
whatever Jesus says.
20:08
And here,
20:09
Jesus then gives them
20:10
two separate instructions
20:12
and they do it.
20:13
No questions asked,
20:14
no deviation,
20:15
or half-heartedness.
20:16
The first command,
20:17
fill the jars with water
20:19
and their action
20:20
and they filled them up
20:21
to the brim.
20:23
I don't know about you
20:24
but I do not know
20:25
if I'd be so inclined
20:26
to do this unquestioningly
20:27
after the preparation
20:29
leading up to this wedding feast,
20:30
the grueling work
20:31
of serving for probably
20:33
a couple days at this point.
20:35
But they do it.
20:36
John says that the jars
20:37
are 20 to 30 gallons
20:38
so let's just take the middle
20:39
and say 25.
20:41
So that's about 200 pounds
20:43
of water per jar
20:45
and there are six jars
20:46
so that's over 1,000 pounds
20:48
of water
20:48
that they are drawing
20:50
and filling up
20:51
and carrying.
20:52
That's already a lot
20:53
of serious work.
20:55
But on top of that,
20:56
this is not our modern day
20:58
with spigots
20:59
from the city reservoir.
21:00
They were most likely
21:01
drawing this water
21:02
out of a nearby well.
21:03
So they're lifting
21:04
all of this water
21:05
a few times over.
21:07
This is some serious faithfulness.
21:11
And no matter how close
21:13
the well was,
21:14
there's still a lot of work
21:15
tied up in that phrase
21:17
and they filled it up
21:18
to the brim.
21:19
That's a lot.
21:20
It would have been
21:20
very understandable
21:21
to me
21:23
to fill those jars
21:24
mostly full,
21:25
maybe three quarters,
21:26
save yourself
21:27
a couple hundred pounds
21:28
and a lot of work.
21:29
But no,
21:30
they filled them up
21:30
to the brim.
21:31
These are faithful servants.
21:34
As servants of Christ
21:35
ourselves,
21:35
we ought to work
21:36
diligently.
21:38
For those of us
21:38
in Christ,
21:40
all we do
21:40
is for the Lord
21:41
and deserves to be done
21:42
with earnestness,
21:43
no corner cutting.
21:45
It's also good
21:46
to note the generosity
21:47
of Jesus here.
21:49
Using the average,
21:50
this would have been
21:50
150 gallons of wine
21:53
for the rest
21:53
of the feast.
21:54
This was an enormous,
21:56
plentiful amount
21:56
for more than the rest
21:58
of the feast.
21:59
We see the same abundance
22:00
when Jesus feeds
22:01
the thousands.
22:03
Seven and twelve
22:04
large baskets
22:05
full of leftovers
22:06
there.
22:07
Similarly here,
22:08
this is not merely
22:08
a sufficient,
22:09
scraping by miracle.
22:11
It is an abundant
22:12
blessing.
22:14
The second command
22:15
from Jesus,
22:17
draw some out
22:18
and take it
22:18
to the master
22:19
of their feast.
22:20
And their simple action,
22:21
so they took it.
22:22
Certainly this command
22:24
was not as much
22:25
physical work,
22:27
but it took some boldness
22:28
and some belief.
22:30
It is not evident
22:31
in the text
22:31
the exact moment
22:32
when the water
22:33
became wine.
22:35
The most we can
22:36
narrow it down
22:36
is somewhere between
22:38
when the cup is filled
22:39
and when the master
22:40
of the feast
22:40
takes a sip.
22:42
No matter the exact moment,
22:43
it would be understandable
22:44
for the servants
22:45
to let some doubt
22:46
slip in.
22:47
Maybe on the way
22:48
over to the master,
22:49
they began to smell
22:50
an aroma from the cup.
22:52
Even if they could
22:53
smell it themselves,
22:54
they could doubt
22:55
that it was really
22:56
the wine
22:56
and maybe it was
22:57
their tired mind
22:58
and body
22:58
playing tricks on them.
23:01
If they brought
23:02
the master
23:03
of the feast water,
23:05
it would not end
23:06
well for them.
23:07
Can't imagine so.
23:08
It would mean
23:08
embarrassment for them,
23:10
maybe even punishment.
23:12
But despite any fear
23:13
and doubt,
23:14
they went.
23:14
They carried this gift
23:16
of Jesus
23:18
from Jesus
23:19
to someone
23:20
who had no idea
23:21
what it cost.
23:23
They do not do
23:24
the miraculous
23:24
transforming work,
23:26
but they play
23:27
a vital role
23:28
and Jesus chose
23:29
to work alongside
23:30
their effort.
23:32
And what did
23:33
that effort bring?
23:35
Let's look at the result
23:36
in verses 9 through 11.
23:40
When the master
23:41
of the feast
23:41
tasted the water
23:42
now become wine
23:43
and did not know
23:44
where it came from,
23:45
though the servants
23:45
who had drawn
23:46
the water knew,
23:47
the master of the feast
23:48
called the bridegroom
23:49
and said to him,
23:50
Everyone serves
23:51
the good wine first
23:51
and when people
23:52
have drunk freely,
23:53
then the poor wine.
23:54
But you have kept
23:55
the good wine
23:56
until now.
23:57
This,
23:58
the first of his signs,
23:59
Jesus did at Cana
24:00
in Galilee
24:01
and manifested
24:02
his glory
24:03
and his disciples
24:03
believed in him.
24:06
So first,
24:06
let's talk about
24:07
who this master
24:08
of the feast
24:08
most likely was.
24:10
This was the servant
24:11
or employee
24:12
overseeing the feast,
24:15
specifically in charge
24:16
of arranging the tables,
24:18
tasting the food
24:18
and the drink
24:19
before it was served.
24:20
A couple of English
24:21
translations that made
24:22
this idea a little bit
24:23
more clear in my mind
24:24
was table master
24:25
or head waiter.
24:26
This is the guy.
24:29
Let's talk about
24:30
the miracle
24:30
of the water
24:31
into wine.
24:33
So as before,
24:34
Jesus does not make
24:34
a big show
24:35
or do a special dance
24:36
for this.
24:37
Rather,
24:38
he has such power
24:39
as the creator
24:40
to simply do it.
24:42
Yahweh creates
24:43
the world
24:44
in Genesis 1
24:45
and he does so
24:46
by his word.
24:47
Let there be light
24:48
and there was light.
24:51
Now,
24:51
the word become flesh
24:53
is here
24:54
at this wedding
24:55
in Cana
24:55
and he says,
24:57
draw some out.
24:59
When I was younger,
25:01
I played football.
25:02
I was very engaged
25:03
in the sport.
25:04
I'd go to football practice
25:05
sometimes twice a day.
25:06
Dad,
25:07
don't know how
25:07
you let me do that.
25:08
I watched football games,
25:10
listened to football analysis,
25:11
played football video games,
25:13
probably too many of those.
25:14
And one of the things
25:15
I learned during that time
25:16
is that coaches
25:17
didn't have much tolerance
25:18
for the gap
25:20
between what they would
25:21
say and instruct
25:22
to the players
25:23
and what actually happened
25:25
on the field.
25:27
On one of my teams,
25:28
we had a reverse play,
25:30
which means
25:30
everybody goes one way,
25:32
they give the ball
25:32
and somebody else
25:33
reverses going the other way.
25:35
Ideally,
25:35
the defense is so confused
25:37
that he,
25:38
the reversing player,
25:39
just walks all the way
25:40
to the end zone
25:40
and scores a touchdown.
25:41
That doesn't always happen.
25:44
So,
25:44
on my team,
25:45
the player that needed
25:46
to give the ball
25:47
to the reversing player
25:48
was a little uncomfortable
25:49
with a handoff,
25:51
just handing the ball to him,
25:52
but preferred
25:53
to do a little toss.
25:55
The reversing player
25:56
also preferred
25:57
to get a little toss
25:58
than have it handed to him,
25:59
just made them more comfortable.
26:01
But the coach said
26:01
over and over in practice,
26:03
don't toss it,
26:04
hand it to him.
26:05
So,
26:06
one game,
26:07
coach calls a timeout,
26:08
we need a big play,
26:09
everybody's on the sideline
26:11
and he calls
26:11
the reverse play
26:12
and he reiterates,
26:13
don't toss it,
26:15
hand it to him.
26:16
So,
26:17
we go out there,
26:17
everybody's going
26:18
to the right
26:18
and then the ball
26:20
is pitched up,
26:22
hits the reversing player
26:22
in the face mask,
26:23
the ball's lost.
26:26
The coach was fuming mad
26:27
and he wasn't mad
26:29
because he didn't know
26:30
what to do,
26:31
he was mad
26:32
that he didn't have
26:32
the authority
26:33
to carry it out,
26:34
to make the players
26:35
do it.
26:37
There is no gap
26:39
between what Jesus says
26:40
and what he has
26:41
the power to do.
26:43
When he told the servants
26:44
to draw the water,
26:46
he was not fretting
26:47
about the water
26:48
not transforming into wine.
26:49
There was no chance
26:50
that it was going to
26:51
not transform into wine.
26:53
The God-man,
26:54
Jesus Christ,
26:55
wielded his enormous
26:56
creative power
26:57
to transform the water
27:00
into wine
27:00
and he used the servants
27:01
to be the vehicle
27:02
of delivery.
27:05
And because this is done
27:06
by the almighty power of God,
27:08
it is really wine,
27:09
good wine,
27:10
nothing watered down.
27:12
Both from John's account
27:13
in verse 9
27:14
and from the table master's
27:16
reaction in verse 10,
27:17
we can see that this is wine.
27:19
John speaks to
27:20
the transformation
27:21
and the table master
27:22
speaks to the quality.
27:24
So first,
27:25
let's now look at
27:27
the table master.
27:28
The table master
27:29
calls over the bridegroom
27:30
and he sets the expectation.
27:31
He's telling him
27:32
what normally happens.
27:34
Everyone serves
27:34
the good wine first
27:35
and when the people
27:36
have drunk freely,
27:37
then the poor wine.
27:38
In other words,
27:39
at this point
27:40
in the celebration,
27:41
most people dial back
27:42
the quality of the wine.
27:43
This would have been
27:44
a gentleman
27:45
that's been to many,
27:46
many weddings,
27:46
served at many,
27:47
many weddings.
27:49
But then he gives
27:49
the bridegroom
27:50
this surprise.
27:51
But you have kept
27:52
the good wine
27:53
until now.
27:54
The bridegroom
27:54
was most assuredly
27:55
surprised and grateful
27:57
to hear this
27:58
and continue
27:59
the celebration
28:00
of his marriage.
28:03
A brief note
28:04
on good wine.
28:06
Before,
28:06
I had noted
28:07
Jesus' generosity
28:08
in the volume
28:09
of the wine
28:10
that he was creating.
28:12
Here,
28:12
it is worthwhile
28:13
to note
28:14
Jesus' generosity
28:14
in the quality.
28:16
From the table master's
28:17
comments,
28:18
it is clear
28:19
that this new wine
28:20
is of a higher quality
28:22
than what was expected
28:23
to be the good wine
28:24
at this wedding.
28:25
What an unexpected
28:27
blessing this must have
28:28
been for the bridegroom.
28:29
He thought that they
28:30
had already brought
28:31
the top shelf stuff out,
28:32
but yet,
28:33
this new wine
28:35
was even better
28:36
than what came before.
28:37
So not only did they
28:38
suddenly have a vast
28:39
store of wine,
28:40
but it was even better
28:42
than what they had before.
28:44
So continuing
28:45
with the result,
28:46
let's consider
28:46
what else came
28:47
from this miracle,
28:48
looking at the first
28:49
half of verse 11.
28:51
This,
28:52
the first of his signs,
28:53
Jesus did at Cana
28:54
in Galilee
28:55
and manifested
28:56
his glory.
28:57
We see that
28:58
through this sign,
28:59
Jesus manifested
29:00
his glory.
29:02
John records
29:03
seven specific signs
29:04
throughout the first
29:05
half of his gospel.
29:07
After this sign,
29:08
they're healing
29:08
the official son
29:09
in chapter 2,
29:10
healing the invalid
29:11
in chapter 5,
29:12
feeding the multitude
29:13
in chapter 6,
29:13
walking on water
29:14
in chapter 6,
29:15
healing the man
29:16
born blind
29:17
in chapter 9,
29:18
and finally,
29:19
raising Lazarus
29:20
from the dead
29:20
in chapter 11.
29:22
though this miracle,
29:24
this sign,
29:25
was intentionally seen
29:26
by fewer people
29:27
at the time,
29:28
it does show
29:29
Jesus as the
29:30
sovereign creator
29:31
of the universe
29:32
with the authority
29:33
to transform
29:34
and the power
29:35
to really do it.
29:37
Let's consider
29:38
the disciples' faith
29:39
and his disciples
29:40
believed in him
29:41
at the end of verse 11.
29:43
The disciples
29:43
that are here,
29:44
we already talked
29:45
about who they are,
29:46
are presumably
29:46
the same group
29:47
that were called
29:49
in the last chapter,
29:50
and we're calling him
29:51
Messiah,
29:52
the king of Israel,
29:53
the son of God.
29:54
So why does John
29:54
record here
29:55
at the end of verse 11
29:57
that the disciples
29:58
believed in him?
30:00
First,
30:00
I'd like to say
30:01
this phrase
30:01
does not necessitate
30:02
that previously
30:03
none of the disciples
30:04
really believed in Jesus.
30:05
It could just as well
30:06
be the case
30:07
that the disciples
30:07
previously
30:09
thought he was the Christ,
30:11
the son of God.
30:12
In John 1.50,
30:14
Jesus says to Nathanael,
30:15
because I said to you,
30:16
I saw you under the fig tree,
30:18
do you believe?
30:19
You will see
30:19
greater things
30:20
than these.
30:21
And I will say,
30:22
this is a greater thing
30:24
that they have seen.
30:26
But I think looking
30:27
at the rest of verse 11
30:28
can help us
30:28
better understand
30:29
what to make
30:30
of this phrase
30:31
at the end of it.
30:32
His disciples
30:32
believed in him.
30:34
Specifically,
30:35
Jesus manifested
30:36
his glory.
30:37
Let's consider
30:38
that word glory
30:39
for a second.
30:41
Let's look at
30:41
where this was previously
30:42
and the only time
30:43
it's used before this
30:44
in the gospel of John.
30:46
in chapter 1,
30:47
verse 14,
30:48
John writes,
30:49
And the word became flesh
30:51
and dwelt among us,
30:52
and we have seen
30:53
his glory,
30:54
glory as of the only son
30:56
from the Father,
30:57
full of grace
30:58
and truth.
30:59
Jesus speaks
31:00
several times
31:01
in John 17
31:02
about glory.
31:04
And verse 5
31:05
gives us
31:06
succinct insight
31:07
into this term
31:08
in chapter 2.
31:09
This is what Jesus
31:10
prays to the Father.
31:12
And now,
31:13
Father,
31:14
glorify me
31:14
in your own presence
31:16
with the glory
31:16
that I had with you
31:18
before the world
31:19
existed.
31:21
That is the glory
31:22
that Jesus
31:23
is manifesting,
31:24
making visible
31:25
to the disciples.
31:27
The glory
31:28
that he had
31:29
with the Father
31:30
before the world
31:31
existed.
31:32
The glory
31:33
not just of
31:34
a righteous man
31:35
or great leader,
31:36
but the glory
31:37
of God.
31:38
The glory
31:38
of the transcendent
31:40
creator and king
31:41
of the universe,
31:42
is made visible
31:43
in part
31:43
to these disciples.
31:45
What else
31:46
could they do
31:47
but believe?
31:49
So,
31:49
a few closing
31:50
applications
31:51
for us today.
31:52
Application number one,
31:54
see Jesus'
31:55
glory as God.
31:57
This is the first
31:58
of the signs
31:59
that John records
32:00
for us,
32:01
but no sign
32:02
is greater
32:03
than the resurrection.
32:05
God raised him up,
32:06
loosing the pangs
32:07
of death,
32:08
because it was
32:09
not possible
32:10
for him
32:10
to be held
32:11
by it.
32:12
It is not
32:13
possible
32:14
for the glory
32:15
of God
32:15
to be held
32:16
by death.
32:18
Here,
32:19
on this
32:20
third day,
32:21
Jesus manifests
32:22
his glory
32:23
by transforming
32:25
this water
32:26
into wine.
32:27
His glory
32:28
by resurrecting
32:29
Jesus
32:29
at the empty tomb.
32:33
Our second
32:34
point of application
32:34
is to believe
32:36
in Jesus
32:37
as king.
32:39
You've heard
32:40
today
32:40
part of
32:41
Jesus'
32:41
the account
32:42
of Jesus'
32:43
life.
32:44
I pray
32:44
that there
32:45
is clarity
32:45
in what I've
32:46
said
32:46
and what I've
32:47
read,
32:47
that Jesus
32:48
is the second
32:49
person of the
32:50
trinity,
32:50
the word,
32:51
the logos
32:51
of God,
32:52
who became
32:53
flesh to show
32:54
the glory
32:55
of God
32:55
to us
32:56
and conquer
32:56
death.
32:57
The battle
32:58
is over.
32:59
The victor
33:00
has won,
33:01
and the right
33:02
response
33:03
is to kneel
33:03
before the
33:04
king,
33:05
Jesus.
33:06
Our sin,
33:07
our flesh,
33:08
will be repulsed
33:09
at giving up
33:10
idols and
33:10
submitting to
33:11
God.
33:12
Idols that
33:12
we made,
33:13
that we found,
33:14
that we coveted
33:15
from others.
33:16
So pray to God
33:17
that he will
33:17
give you grace.
33:19
Pray that he
33:20
would credit
33:20
the perfect
33:21
righteousness of
33:21
Christ to
33:22
your account
33:23
and receive
33:24
Jesus'
33:24
substitutionary
33:25
death,
33:26
which was the
33:26
wages,
33:27
consequences,
33:28
of all of
33:28
our sin.
33:29
And let's
33:30
not lose
33:31
sight of
33:31
the explicit
33:32
purpose that
33:33
John gives
33:33
us in
33:34
recording these
33:34
signs in
33:35
John 20,
33:36
30,
33:36
and 31.
33:38
Now Jesus
33:38
did many
33:39
other signs
33:40
in the
33:40
presence of
33:40
the disciples,
33:41
which are
33:41
not written
33:42
in this
33:42
book,
33:43
but these
33:44
are written
33:44
so that
33:45
you may
33:46
believe that
33:47
Jesus is
33:47
the Christ,
33:48
the Son
33:48
of God,
33:49
and that
33:49
by believing
33:50
you may
33:51
have life
33:51
in his
33:52
name.
33:53
Third
33:54
point of
33:54
application,
33:55
fully and
33:56
faithfully
33:56
obey.
33:58
This life
33:59
often feels
33:59
long and
34:00
we are
34:00
often tired.
34:02
I'm sure
34:02
I'm about
34:03
to learn
34:03
a new
34:03
level of
34:04
tired as
34:04
we're expecting
34:05
our firstborn
34:06
in just a
34:06
month or
34:06
so.
34:08
So let
34:08
us be
34:09
constantly
34:09
refocusing
34:10
our efforts
34:11
to diligently
34:12
serve our
34:14
King,
34:14
not for our
34:15
own glory,
34:16
but for
34:16
his,
34:17
to make
34:18
him known
34:19
to the
34:19
people that
34:20
do not
34:21
yet know
34:21
him,
34:22
and to
34:22
bring him
34:23
to remembrance,
34:25
bring him
34:25
to mind
34:25
among the
34:27
people that
34:27
do know
34:27
him.
34:29
As we
34:29
go,
34:30
remember the
34:31
glory of
34:31
God that
34:32
we have
34:32
experienced
34:32
through the
34:33
partaking of
34:33
the word
34:34
in the
34:34
Lord's
34:34
Supper,
34:35
the singing
34:35
of the
34:35
word,
34:36
the preaching
34:36
of the
34:36
word,
34:37
and the
34:37
hearing of
34:38
the word.
34:39
Jesus was
34:40
supremely
34:41
focused on
34:42
his mission
34:42
to fulfill
34:43
God's plan.
34:44
He did not
34:44
seek to glorify
34:45
himself at
34:46
the improper
34:46
time.
34:48
He did not
34:48
reach out and
34:49
take what would
34:49
seem good in
34:50
many human
34:50
eyes.
34:52
He chose
34:52
to use
34:52
humble,
34:53
ordinary,
34:54
obedient people
34:55
for his
34:56
miraculous,
34:57
transforming work.
34:58
And all
34:59
these signs
34:59
are written
35:00
so that you
35:00
would believe
35:01
that Jesus
35:01
is the
35:02
Messiah,
35:02
the Son of
35:03
God,
35:03
and that by
35:04
believing,
35:05
you may have
35:05
life in
35:06
his name.
35:07
Join me in
35:08
prayer.
35:08
prayer.