[This is a repost while I am away on leave]
Scripture: John 2:1-12 (ESV)
”On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”
Remember back to our introduction to John’s gospel. We said that John wrote his gospel to convince people to believe in Jesus, and that in believing in him they would be saved. Exhibit A of the evidence was the “Book of Signs”, which records various miracles that Jesus did as signs of Jesus’ glory and divine power. Today we see the first of these signs. It occurs during a social disaster. In the culture of the day hospitality was a sacred duty, and yet here the wedding had run out of wine. Mary approaches Jesus asking him to step in and fix the problem. After some reluctance, Jesus steps in and miraculously fixes the problem. But exactly how he does this is interesting.
First, we should note that his mother had faith in Jesus. She tells the servants “Do whatever he tells you”. So this miracle, this sign of Jesus’ glory, happens in the context of faith. The second thing we should notice is what Jesus makes the wine in. There were these six stone jars, which John tells us were there for the Jewish rites of purification. These jars were not for holding wine, they were for washing! Specifically these jars were used in ritual cleansing and purification. They were used to make what was unclean clean. They were very much a symbol, or a sign if you will, of the old covenant times.
But now Jesus takes these jars and he repurposes them for the new covenant time. Jesus takes these old covenant vessels filled with water, and fills them with something better – the very best wine. We are supposed to understand that in the new kingdom that Jesus was ushering in, there is abundance. Where there was emptiness, now there is overflowing.
But as amazing as this sign was, Jesus himself says, “My hour has not yet come”. He doesn’t draw attention to himself and John tells us that the glory for this particular miracle goes to the bridegroom who gets the credit. But his disciples were there, they had seen the miracle. They had seen the sign. And in seeing the sign, they believed.
The water of the old covenant turned into the wine of the new covenant. Jesus would later use wine again with exactly these words “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”. In a sense Jesus’ ministry began and ended with the sign of new covenant wine.
The question is in having seen the sign, do we like the disciples believe?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus thank you for giving us the book of John. Thank you for the sign at the wedding in Cana. Thank you for the sign we have every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Please help me see the signs and believe.
Spiritual Challenge:
When you next partake of the Lord’s Supper, consider how Jesus’ ministry also began with the sign of wine. Then take, drink, remember and believe.