THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

WATER INTO WINE

(John 2:1-11)

 

John 2:1-11 (NASB) 1On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said* to Him, "They have no wine." 4And Jesus said* to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come." 5His mother said* to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 6Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7Jesus said* to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." So they filled them up to the brim. 8And He said* to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him. 9When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called* the bridegroom, 10and said* to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

TEXT OUTLINE

I. THE OCCASION (1-5) - The setting for this miracle is a wedding in Cana of Galilee. In the culture of Israel, weddings were important events, announced well in advance and recognized by the entire village. Following the public betrothal the family announced the wedding date and began to make preparations for an elaborate ceremony that could last for as long as a week (Judges 14:12). To actually run out of wine would have been regarded as an insult to those present and would have brought great shame on the host and hostess, and on the wedding couple themselves. Mary, the mother of Jesus, approaches Him and says, "They have no wine." To this Jesus replies, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come" (v.4). Mary’s point of orientation is the need of the moment, while Jesus is focused on His purpose for coming—"My hour has not yet come." This phrase is a clear reference to His death on the cross. (See John 5:28; 7:30; 12:23; 13:1.) Mary responds by saying, "Whatever HE says to you, do it" (v.5). In the wilderness Jesus would not use His power to meet His own need, yet here He responds to His mother but with the understanding that from now on His life must be determined for Him by God. By this He indicates that what He is about to do goes beyond the immediate need and fulfills His Father’s purpose for His life. I’m sure there were other wedding couples that would have appreciated Jesus catering their wedding, but that wasn’t why He came.

 

II. THE OMNIPOTENCE (6-10)

A. THE CONTAINERS

1. Their common purpose – They were used for purification.

2. The capacity – Each one was capable of holding from twenty to thirty gallons each for a combined capacity of 120 to 180 gallons.

B. THE COMMANDS

1. The first command – Mary gave the first command, which was, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

2. The second command – "Fill the waterpots with water."

3. The third command – "Down some out now."

4. The fourth command – "Take it to the head steward."

C. THE COMPLIANCE

1. They filled the waterpots to the brim (v.7)

2. They took it to the head steward (v.8)

D. THE COMMENT

1. By the narrator – The narrator is quick to note that the ruler of the feast or head steward did not know where the wine came from, but the servants who had drawn the water out of the water pots knew.

2. By the head steward – The head steward calls the bridegroom, and says to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now."

III. THE OUTCOME (11)

A. THIS WAS THE FIRST OF MANY SIGNS – A sign points past itself to something or someone else. It was not meant to be an end in itself, but the first of many such "signs" that pointed men past themselves to the person of Christ—His deity and Lordship.

B. HIS DISCIPLES BELIEVED IN HIM – According to Luke, it had its desired effect; it produced faith in His disciples.

 

APPLICATION

 

I. THE GOD OF THE COMMONPLACE – With all the hurting people that were in that area, why would Jesus waste His time increasing the wine supply at a wedding? Wasn’t this a shameful waste of time and energy, Jesus? In a world filled with pain isn’t Jesus’ action at the Wedding Feast a bit odd? Shouldn’t He have healed some needy person instead of giving license to this revelry by turning water into wine? What are we to do with a Jesus like this? Perhaps we are forced to admit that we cannot box Him in. Jesus is Lord! HE is Lord wherever He comes among us, bringing His glory into our ordinary places. He speaks and glory breaks out, strange and wonderful things happen. Life explodes and overflows. Against our attempts to reduce Jesus to more manageable proportions, to scale Him down to our size, John’s Jesus strides in upon the scene in majesty and mystery. Whenever Jesus arrives, even at a wedding reception, glory breaks out.

 

In 2Kings 6, we are told of a time of expansion and the loss of an axe head.

2 Kings 6:1-7 - 1Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. 2"Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live." So he said, "Go." 3Then one said, "Please be willing to go with your servants." And he answered, "I shall go." 4So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, my master! For it was borrowed." 6Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. 7He said, "Take it up for yourself." So he put out his hand and took it.

This may seem a trivial use of divine power, but the truth of the matter is, God involves himself in the commonplace events of life. God is interested in every detail of your life. He knows the number of hairs on your head and His power is not diminished by His acts of power.

 

II. MIRACLES ARE PRECEDED BY PROBLEMS – Men were partaking of a miracle and did not even know it. Only those who had faced the dilemma of the empty wine vessels knew that this was a demonstration of divine power. Problems provide those facing them with a front row seat on the miracle. Those who share the pain of the problem also share the pleasure of the miracle. In 2Kings 4:18-37, we are told of the woman whose son died. Her husband, unaware that the boy had died, is surprised when she informs him that she is going to the prophet’s house. He is unaware of the problem and never seems to realize that his son was raised from the dead. If you’re going to witness a miracle, you must be ready to face the problem.

 

III. LEARNING TO READ SIGNS – Miracles and healings point past themselves to God. We often rejoice in the miracle more than in the Master. We glory in the healing, to the neglect of the Healer. Jesus healed 10 lepers. Nine of them rejoiced in their healing and one rejoiced in the Healer. We must learn to look past God’s provisions and see the provider and His purpose. Abraham wanted a son and would have been satisfied with Ishmael, but God’s plan was to give the world a Savior. The purpose of the miracle at the wedding feast in Cana was to reveal the identity of Jesus to His disciples. John tells us, "And His disciples believed in Him" (11).

 

IV. SERVANTS ONLY – The servants didn’t perform the miracle, they merely served what the Miracle worker produced. We must remember that when all is said and done, God gets the glory. These servants had not acted presumptuously, but obediently. The power wasn’t in the pots, but in the Master. Apart from His command the water remains water. But when we obey His command, water becomes wine.

 

PRAYER

Jesus, we invite you to invade all of our life. We ask you to forgive us for failing to make you the Lord of what we consider to be trivial matters. We believe that you desire to be a part of every aspect of our lives.

 

Teach us to see past the signs and see you. Enable us to see the miracles that are occurring around us everyday. We desire to live with the awareness that you are with us every day in every way.

Some of us are facing critical crises, while others of us are dealing with minor difficulties. We bring them all to you, Lord, and ask for your intervention. We have no wine, but we are willing to obey your commands to us. If you should use us to deliver your provisions to someone else, we are ready to obey and in the end to give you all the glory.