Water into Wine
01/19/10
John 2:1-11
Pastor Greg Smith
In the church calendar, this is the season of Epiphany. When a person says “I just had an epiphany,” they mean they had a sudden, surprising insight. The season of Epiphany is about Jesus revealed for the first time. Like verse 11 says,
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their faith in him.
What do we learn about Jesus in this first epiphany of his glory? Jesus is full of surprises! I might like things to be predictable. Jesus doesn’t follow my agenda. I need to get used to the fact that Jesus may do things differently than I would! Jesus is surprising.
— His love is greater.
— His joy more intense.
— His grace more abundant.
At the beginning of this story there is this puzzling dialogue between Jesus and his mother. Let’s begin at verse 1.
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
It’s hard to know why Jesus’ mother would have brought this problem to Jesus. They were all just guests. Jesus’ reply sounds a little aloof, maybe even irritated.
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
The New Living Translation adds the word “Dear” trying to soften what Jesus says and to make clear that Jesus meant no disrespect to his mother. But Jesus was also making clear that even his mother could no longer tell him what to do. Jesus wasn’t rude. But he makes some distance between himself and his mother. Not even Jesus’ mother has a privileged claim on him.
From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus knew his purpose and goal. “My hour has not yet come,” he says. He was referring to the time of his death and resurrection when he and the Father through him would be glorified. His purpose was to listen for direction from the Father and do the Father’s will at the Father’s time.
Jesus’ mother accepted this. But she also knows that Jesus can take care of the problem of the wine. She isn’t going to tell him how to do it or when. But she does tell the wedding catering crew, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Jesus’ first miracle was a test case of this. Jesus would do things his way— his very surprising way! He turned water into wine: real, rich, alcoholic wine!
Like I said, I like things to be predictable. Jesus is surprising. I need to get used to the fact that Jesus may do things differently than I would! Like wine in worship: that’s not the way I would usually do things!
Talking about wine and alcohol in church is about as comfortable as talking about money or sex or even politics. Showing a bottle of wine around feels about as sacrilegious as displaying some underwear.
At least these feelings are true for me. I grew up in a church tradition that said that all alcohol consumption was wrong. TheIr reasoning was something like this:
1. Alcohol is dangerous. Alcohol abuse is at the heart of many a broken marriage and behind the abuse of many children.
2. Alcohol can be addictive.
3. So, the best thing to do is to make a rule against ever using any alcohol.
But when I got out into the big wide world, I realized that not all Christians believed like we did:
— It was October and we were visiting churches in Reseda. We decided to try the Lutheran church. Friendly group: on the way out they invited us to stay after the service because in the church patio they were serving Octoberfest beer! Marie and I about fell over in shock.
Amazing to the old Nazarene in me, Jesus was very comfortable with wine. In fact wine was the beverage of the ancient world. There was no refrigeration, no canning, and no bottling, and the annual harvest of grape juice had to last all year. So it was just a matter of time before the harvest of grape juice turned into wine— leave a glass of juice out in the counter and find out for yourself!
Jesus turned “six stone jars of water… each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.” How much wine is that?
— Each one of the six stone jars is about the size of one of those gray garbage cans.
— Let’s say that there were six stone jars containing 25 gallons of water each That’s 150 gallons of wine.
— If you do the math, you will find that that equals 757 bottles of wine like this!
— Did Jesus make enough wine? That wasn’t just enough wine for the wedding at Cana, but for every wedding held in Palestine that day and more!
And it was really good wine!
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Jesus is full of surprises! He does things differently than I would expect.
Verse 11 says,
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory.
Jesus came to reveal his glory and the glory of his Father. He did this through a series of signs, actions that point beyond themselves, all epiphanies of a deeper truth.
Throughout the gospel of John, the signs point beyond themselves.
— Jesus fed five thousand with just a basket full of food
— a man blind from birth is given the gift of sight
— Lazarus is raised back to life after three days in a tomb.
Each of these were impressive miracles in themselves. But they all pointed beyond themselves to some truth about Jesus. And people either understood the deeper reality to which the signs were pointing and they came to have faith in Jesus like the disciples, or they got caught up in what literally happened.
— Jesus fed five thousand with just a basket full of food but some people just wanted unlimited, free bread every day!
— Jesus healed a man blind from birth is given the gift of sight but people got caught up in the fact that it was done on the Sabbath day.
The master of the banquet (he is what we would call the wedding coordinator) in the story is an example of this. He searches for a rational explanation for what has occurred (verse 9).
The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Some couldn’t see beyond the literal:
— That Jesus is a real party guy! Of course, I hear he tends to overdo it.
— Being with Jesus was so joy-filled that it was a lot like a roving party. So in Luke’s gospel Jesus is accused of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” In other words, “This guy eats too much and drinks too much!”
On one level, Jesus miraculously, saved the wedding host from the embarrassment. It was the gift of joy, a good time for all. Thanks to Jesus, instead of the host and guests pointing fingers at each other, everyone had a great time.
But there were deeper truths as well.
1. Jesus is saying that some of great Old Testament hopes were beginning to be realized.
In the Old Testament the abundance of good wine is joy-filled sign and symbol that God’s new age of salvation has arrived. Listen to Amos 9:13-14 in TEV.
13 “The days are coming,” says the LORD, “when grain will grow faster than it can be harvested, and grapes will grow faster than the wine can be made. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with it. 14 I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow.
And listen to these words from Isaiah 25.
6 Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world — a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine. 7 Here he will suddenly remove the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the nations. 8 The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone’s eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The LORD himself has spoken.
These words express the Old Testament hopes that Jesus came to fulfill. And yet Jesus is always bigger than Old Testament expectations. He wasn’t just the Deliverer, a new Moses, but God come in the flesh. Jesus is always more than expected!
What else does the sign of abundant wine point to?
2. Jesus puts new wine into some old forms.
The stone jars represent this. They were used for the purification rites. The rites would have preceded the wedding celebration, and now they stood empty. Jesus gives the jars a new purpose. It’s like Jesus is saying that purification is only the beginning! It’s not nearly enough to engender the joy God intends for all who have come to this feast.
3. Jesus wants you to be overwhelmed by the abundance of his grace.
We get bogged down with a sense of scarcity. We get caught up in thinking about how little there is! Jesus wants us to experience the abundant supply of God’s grace!
John’s gospel is very different from the other three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
— It may be surprising to discover that John’s gospel only tells us about a few of Jesus’ miracles. But the stories that he does tell are very important.
— It is also amazing that John doesn’t tell us about the Last Supper and communion. But two of his most important miracles are the stories of abundant bread given freely for all, and abundant wine, far beyond what is needed.
In response to a humble request Jesus provides wine in abundance, 757 bottles worth! His grace is free and full. His is extravagant in the outpouring of his mercy.
I have to admit that I like things to be predictable, well planned without surprises. But Jesus promises to give overwhelming and extravagant grace.
When I expect little, I receive little. What if my expectations were lined up with Jesus’ generosity? When I expect much:
— I will pray differently. I want people to pray for me who expect God to answer with extravagant grace and abundant mercy.
— I will plan differently.
— I will trust more.
— I will worry less.
— I will live for eternity.
We get bogged down with a sense of scarcity. Jesus wants us to experience the abundant supply of His grace.
When we come to communion we are accustomed to taking small tastes. How about eating till we are satisfied! Not more bread; surely not more wine— that is literalistic thinking again. But more of the overwhelming, free and rich grace that Jesus offers!
Dare to ask for abundance of grace:
— he forgives the unforgivable
— he heals the broken
— he replaces sadness with joy!
— he transforms lives that seem unreachable.
Pastor Greg Smith
In the church calendar, this is the season of Epiphany. When a person says “I just had an epiphany,” they mean they had a sudden, surprising insight. The season of Epiphany is about Jesus revealed for the first time. Like verse 11 says,
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their faith in him.
What do we learn about Jesus in this first epiphany of his glory? Jesus is full of surprises! I might like things to be predictable. Jesus doesn’t follow my agenda. I need to get used to the fact that Jesus may do things differently than I would! Jesus is surprising.
— His love is greater.
— His joy more intense.
— His grace more abundant.
At the beginning of this story there is this puzzling dialogue between Jesus and his mother. Let’s begin at verse 1.
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
It’s hard to know why Jesus’ mother would have brought this problem to Jesus. They were all just guests. Jesus’ reply sounds a little aloof, maybe even irritated.
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
The New Living Translation adds the word “Dear” trying to soften what Jesus says and to make clear that Jesus meant no disrespect to his mother. But Jesus was also making clear that even his mother could no longer tell him what to do. Jesus wasn’t rude. But he makes some distance between himself and his mother. Not even Jesus’ mother has a privileged claim on him.
From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus knew his purpose and goal. “My hour has not yet come,” he says. He was referring to the time of his death and resurrection when he and the Father through him would be glorified. His purpose was to listen for direction from the Father and do the Father’s will at the Father’s time.
Jesus’ mother accepted this. But she also knows that Jesus can take care of the problem of the wine. She isn’t going to tell him how to do it or when. But she does tell the wedding catering crew, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Jesus’ first miracle was a test case of this. Jesus would do things his way— his very surprising way! He turned water into wine: real, rich, alcoholic wine!
Like I said, I like things to be predictable. Jesus is surprising. I need to get used to the fact that Jesus may do things differently than I would! Like wine in worship: that’s not the way I would usually do things!
Talking about wine and alcohol in church is about as comfortable as talking about money or sex or even politics. Showing a bottle of wine around feels about as sacrilegious as displaying some underwear.
At least these feelings are true for me. I grew up in a church tradition that said that all alcohol consumption was wrong. TheIr reasoning was something like this:
1. Alcohol is dangerous. Alcohol abuse is at the heart of many a broken marriage and behind the abuse of many children.
2. Alcohol can be addictive.
3. So, the best thing to do is to make a rule against ever using any alcohol.
But when I got out into the big wide world, I realized that not all Christians believed like we did:
— It was October and we were visiting churches in Reseda. We decided to try the Lutheran church. Friendly group: on the way out they invited us to stay after the service because in the church patio they were serving Octoberfest beer! Marie and I about fell over in shock.
Amazing to the old Nazarene in me, Jesus was very comfortable with wine. In fact wine was the beverage of the ancient world. There was no refrigeration, no canning, and no bottling, and the annual harvest of grape juice had to last all year. So it was just a matter of time before the harvest of grape juice turned into wine— leave a glass of juice out in the counter and find out for yourself!
Jesus turned “six stone jars of water… each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.” How much wine is that?
— Each one of the six stone jars is about the size of one of those gray garbage cans.
— Let’s say that there were six stone jars containing 25 gallons of water each That’s 150 gallons of wine.
— If you do the math, you will find that that equals 757 bottles of wine like this!
— Did Jesus make enough wine? That wasn’t just enough wine for the wedding at Cana, but for every wedding held in Palestine that day and more!
And it was really good wine!
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Jesus is full of surprises! He does things differently than I would expect.
Verse 11 says,
What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory.
Jesus came to reveal his glory and the glory of his Father. He did this through a series of signs, actions that point beyond themselves, all epiphanies of a deeper truth.
Throughout the gospel of John, the signs point beyond themselves.
— Jesus fed five thousand with just a basket full of food
— a man blind from birth is given the gift of sight
— Lazarus is raised back to life after three days in a tomb.
Each of these were impressive miracles in themselves. But they all pointed beyond themselves to some truth about Jesus. And people either understood the deeper reality to which the signs were pointing and they came to have faith in Jesus like the disciples, or they got caught up in what literally happened.
— Jesus fed five thousand with just a basket full of food but some people just wanted unlimited, free bread every day!
— Jesus healed a man blind from birth is given the gift of sight but people got caught up in the fact that it was done on the Sabbath day.
The master of the banquet (he is what we would call the wedding coordinator) in the story is an example of this. He searches for a rational explanation for what has occurred (verse 9).
The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
Some couldn’t see beyond the literal:
— That Jesus is a real party guy! Of course, I hear he tends to overdo it.
— Being with Jesus was so joy-filled that it was a lot like a roving party. So in Luke’s gospel Jesus is accused of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” In other words, “This guy eats too much and drinks too much!”
On one level, Jesus miraculously, saved the wedding host from the embarrassment. It was the gift of joy, a good time for all. Thanks to Jesus, instead of the host and guests pointing fingers at each other, everyone had a great time.
But there were deeper truths as well.
1. Jesus is saying that some of great Old Testament hopes were beginning to be realized.
In the Old Testament the abundance of good wine is joy-filled sign and symbol that God’s new age of salvation has arrived. Listen to Amos 9:13-14 in TEV.
13 “The days are coming,” says the LORD, “when grain will grow faster than it can be harvested, and grapes will grow faster than the wine can be made. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with it. 14 I will bring my people back to their land. They will rebuild their ruined cities and live there; they will plant vineyards and drink the wine; they will plant gardens and eat what they grow.
And listen to these words from Isaiah 25.
6 Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the nations of the world — a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine. 7 Here he will suddenly remove the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the nations. 8 The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever! He will wipe away the tears from everyone’s eyes and take away the disgrace his people have suffered throughout the world. The LORD himself has spoken.
These words express the Old Testament hopes that Jesus came to fulfill. And yet Jesus is always bigger than Old Testament expectations. He wasn’t just the Deliverer, a new Moses, but God come in the flesh. Jesus is always more than expected!
What else does the sign of abundant wine point to?
2. Jesus puts new wine into some old forms.
The stone jars represent this. They were used for the purification rites. The rites would have preceded the wedding celebration, and now they stood empty. Jesus gives the jars a new purpose. It’s like Jesus is saying that purification is only the beginning! It’s not nearly enough to engender the joy God intends for all who have come to this feast.
3. Jesus wants you to be overwhelmed by the abundance of his grace.
We get bogged down with a sense of scarcity. We get caught up in thinking about how little there is! Jesus wants us to experience the abundant supply of God’s grace!
John’s gospel is very different from the other three, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
— It may be surprising to discover that John’s gospel only tells us about a few of Jesus’ miracles. But the stories that he does tell are very important.
— It is also amazing that John doesn’t tell us about the Last Supper and communion. But two of his most important miracles are the stories of abundant bread given freely for all, and abundant wine, far beyond what is needed.
In response to a humble request Jesus provides wine in abundance, 757 bottles worth! His grace is free and full. His is extravagant in the outpouring of his mercy.
I have to admit that I like things to be predictable, well planned without surprises. But Jesus promises to give overwhelming and extravagant grace.
When I expect little, I receive little. What if my expectations were lined up with Jesus’ generosity? When I expect much:
— I will pray differently. I want people to pray for me who expect God to answer with extravagant grace and abundant mercy.
— I will plan differently.
— I will trust more.
— I will worry less.
— I will live for eternity.
We get bogged down with a sense of scarcity. Jesus wants us to experience the abundant supply of His grace.
When we come to communion we are accustomed to taking small tastes. How about eating till we are satisfied! Not more bread; surely not more wine— that is literalistic thinking again. But more of the overwhelming, free and rich grace that Jesus offers!
Dare to ask for abundance of grace:
— he forgives the unforgivable
— he heals the broken
— he replaces sadness with joy!
— he transforms lives that seem unreachable.