The Life of the Party

Do you believe in miracles?   Some people believe in them; others secretly hope they can happen; and then there are those who simply refuse to believe in them.  The reason for this is that if miracles do occur, there is no way to prove them scientifically.  So, in a world governed by reason, in a world governed by science, in a world where we want to be able to figure everything out, there is no room for miracles.

However, there’s one exception to this: Everyone believes in the miracle of the universe.  The Bible teaches that God created the universe out of nothing.  Scientists believe that all there is in the known universe – more than a one hundred billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars and planets – all exploded out of something smaller than the period at the end of a sentence.  I think you could call that a miracle. Because that’s just not normal!

Then there’s us.  We have a definition for miracles.  Webster’s dictionary defines a miracle as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.”

But the one thing I can say about miracles is that they reveal something about hope.   You see, whether we admit it or not, every one of us hopes for miracles in our lives – and not just for ourselves, but for others.  When a child is diagnosed with a terminal illness, we don’t just say, “Oh well, that’s too bad.”  No, we pray for a miracle.  When a son or daughter rebels or makes poor choices – we ask for a miracle.  When tragedy strikes, when an investment fails, when our spouse is diagnosed with cancer – we hope for a miracle.  We long for things to be right, and when they’re not we pray that somehow God can intervene and make things right.   Where does this hope for miracles come from?  That’s where Jesus comes in.

When you look at the Jesus, we can safely say Jesus was a miracle man.  The very fact of his existence is a miracle.  God became man and lived among us.  Some refuse to believe this.  Others do but have a hard time believing a child can be born of a virgin. But the Bible teaches this: Jesus came and lived among us and did some pretty miraculous things: He walked on water, helped the blind to see, cleansed lepers and raised people from the dead. And so we are left to wonder, if Jesus could do those the miraculous then, can he still do miracles today?  Does God still do miracles today?

Well, if you’ve ever hoped for a miracle, if you’ve ever asked for God healing or even longed for a miracle in your own life, then let me encourage you to open your Bible to John 2:1-11.  For in this passage, we’re going to see how Jesus makes things right for a wedding gone wrong, and in the process answers our question: Does God still do miracles today?  So, if you’ve found John 2, follow along as I read verses 1-11. On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water;” so they filled them to the brim.Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 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 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.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.  Now this passage begins with Jesus and his disciples arriving at a wedding in Cana.  So we need set the context for His first miracle with a little teaching about:  The Wedding Feast:

Now a Jewish Wedding Feast was a big deal, not just for the couple, but for the entire community.  For the bigger, the stronger, and the more numerous the families in town, the better the economy, the greater the military security, and the more everyone in the community would flourish.  So weddings were a sign of God’s blessing. Now, this was also a huge event in the life of the bride and groom.  For once they tied the knot, they would become full adult members in their community.  That’s why Jewish Wedding Feasts like this one in Cana often carried on for a week or even longer.

So here, John continues his narrative of Jesus.  It’s now the third day in his narrative of the story of Jesus.  And on this day, Jesus arrives at this wedding feast. He arrives with five brand new apprentices: John, Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael.  And he’s there doing what any other friend or relative of the bride or groom would be doing.  He’s enjoying the feast, he’s laughing with the groom and partying with his new disciples.  Which leads me to the first observation I want us to take away from this wedding: Jesus ministered in the midst of ordinary life.

This is important.  Too often we think that for ministry to happen, we have to plan it, train people for it and then go make it happen.  This was never the norm for Jesus.  Jesus simply served people in the rhythms of everyday life. In Jesus’ life there was no division between sacred and secular, the spiritual and physical, the clean and unclean.  Jesus enjoyed weddings, went to dinner parties, and practiced the everyday customs of his culture.  As John said earlier in this gospel – he lived among us.  He was a regular Jewish man, who lived an ordinary Jewish life.  And it was in the midst of the ordinary course of this life, that’s where Jesus served.  And if Jesus ministered this way he is a great model for us.  Think of it this way: Ministry can take place wherever you are – in whatever you’re doing, and with whoever you are with.  I love that the first time we see Jesus help someone is at a wedding.  Think about our lives.  Jesus has called us to be a blessing wherever we find ourselves– whether that be with woodworkers, RC flyers, quilters, potters, mahjong players, pickle ballers or golfers.  Whether that be at the grocery store or in the restaurant, in conversations with landscapers or neighbors, God gives us opportunities everyday to lend a hand, carry a burden, offer a prayer, give a ride or just be a friend.  That’s what Jesus did. Jesus ministered in the midst of ordinary life, and that’s how Jesus would have us minister today, even at something as simple as a wedding celebration.  The Christian life is not a compartmentalized life between the sacred and the secular.  Jesus wants to love through you through the rhythms of your everyday life.

Now back to the story. At this point Jesus is just one of the guests at a wedding.  He’s there simply enjoying the feast. But now comes The Wedding Disaster:  Let’s read the first view verses again: On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

Here’s the disaster: THERE WAS NO MORE WINE! THIS is NOT A GOOD THING!  To run out of wine at a Jewish wedding was unconceivable.  “You don’t plan accordingly, you look the fool.”  You just didn’t do this.  To run out of wine at a wedding feast was social suicide.  As such, running out of wine carried a strong stigma of SHAMEupon the groom AND the groom’s family. It meant you didn’t care about your community.  So, there’s no way you could face your neighbors after this.  Not only that, but a catastrophe of this sort made the family liable to a lawsuit. They were legally required to provide a feast of a certain standard. But, on top of all this, there was one more thing associated with having no wine: JUDGMENT! The lack of wine was a significant SIGN of judgment upon the marriage.  So, running out of wine was a disaster of epic proportions.

But then along comes Mary, who is obviously in some position of responsibility since she knows the wine is gone.  She quickly comes to Jesus to inform him there is no more wine.

What does Jesus do? “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”   What’s going on here?  Why did Jesus address his mother this way?  At first glance, Jesus sounds disrespectful or a bit annoyed with his mom. What’s the deal? Well, first of all, when WE HEAR this word “woman”, we assume that Jesus is annoyed with his mom. However, the English translation misses the meaning here. When Jesus says, “Woman,” he’s actually using an affectionate term.  He’s not showing annoyance or disrespect.  So, what’s going on?  They key to understanding Jesus’ reaction is in the phrase, “My hour has not yet come.”

What is this “hour?” Jesus is referring to is the hour of his death on the cross.  When Mary comes to inform him of this disaster: “They’ve run out of wine” she’s insinuating that Jesus needs to do something.  Jesus needs to help save this family from shame and disgrace.  But she doesn’t really know what she’s asking of Jesus. For Jesus knows that if he does something about the wine, he will begin to set in motion his path to the cross.  Which is why Jesus replies, “Why do you involve me?  My hour has not yet come.”  In other words, Jesus is reluctant to get involved, because he’s just getting started in his ministry. It’s like he’s saying, “I’m not ready to die yet.” “I’m not even done calling my disciples.” “I can’t be doing miracles yet.  There’s too much work to be done first!”

Now, it’s highly unlikely Mary knew what Jesus was talking about when he said, “My hour has not yet come.”All she knows is that Jesus can help.  She’s known him all his life.  She’s known his compassion.  She’s seen him help others in need.  And so she not only believes he can help, she believes He will help.  And so she does something quite extraordinary here.  She takes a step of faith, goes to the servants attending the guests and says, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it.”

Now, here’s the second observation I’d like us to take away from this encounter:  Mary had absolute confidence Jesus could save the day!  Mary believed Jesus could redeem the situation.  Mary believed Jesus could take this wrong and make it right.

Now before we look at this miracle, I want us to take note of one more thing about Jesus here.  And that is this:  Jesus always responds to those who put faith in him.  This is the first time we see this in this gospel.  But it won’t be the last.  Jesus always responds to faith.  Jesus didn’t respond to his mother because she told him there was no more wine.  Jesus responded because Mary believed He would help.   What an amazing example of faith.  Our God responds to our faith.  Faith moves the hand of God.  And that’s what moved Jesus to act, even though he had been reluctant to act at first. Jesus responded to Mary’s confidence in Him.

And as a result, we now get to see The Wedding Miracle: Look at verse 6, Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.  These were no ordinary vessels.  The six stone water jars were used for the ceremonial washing of hands as part of the Jewish purification rites before and after meals.  According to the ceremonial law, you became symbolically unclean by touching objects of everyday life.  So before eating, you would pour water over your hands to cleanse yourself of any bad influences associated with whatever you may have touched.  Ceremonial washing was a part of everyday life for a Jew.  Notice now what happens next:

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.  Now, by the time the servants filled these jars with water – they held nearly 180 gallons of water.  Now, don’t miss the significance of two details here.  First, the jars were empty.  The jars that hold water for ceremonial washing were empty.   Second, once these jars are filled, they will hold an abundance of water.  Two significant details that John wants us to notice: empty ceremonial jars and an abundance of water.

Ok, back to the story: Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 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 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.” John 2:8-10

Ok, now let’s look at The Significance of His Miracle: The key to understanding this miracle is in verse 11, This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.  He thus revealed His glory and his disciples put their faith in him. When Jesus transformed the ceremonial water into choice wine, Jesus did more than rescue a family from shame, Jesus did more than simply save the day – this miracle was a neon signpost in the middle of a wedding feast that was full of significance!  This was the first of his miraculous signs.

In other words, When Jesus did this miracle, He revealed who He really was and what He came to do!

First, His miracle revealed that He was the Messiah. Certain signs would accompany the Messiah’s arrival. One of those signs was an abundance of new wine: Abundant wine was considered a sign of blessing that was to accompany the Messiah  Listen to this description of Messianic Blessing from Isaiah: On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.  Isaiah 25:6  I want you to notice something here in the story.  At this wedding feast there was a master of the banquet. His job was to make the party great.  So, when Jesus turns the water into wine and saves the day, do you see what Jesus is revealing?  He is saying, I am the true master of the banquet.  I am the Lord of the Feast.  I am the Messiah. That’s the first sign revealed in this miracle.

Now the next: 2) When Jesus turned the water to wine, His miracle announces the kind work He is going to do: By using ceremonial water and turning it into wine, he not only rescues the bride and groom from shame and disgrace, but reveals that he has come into the world to accomplish what the Old Testament Law could not do.  Every Jew knew that ceremonial washing provided only ceremonial cleansing from sin.  It could never truly remove sin. Therefore, it was an EMPTY RITUAL.  When Jesus turned the water into wine, he revealed that he was replacing EMPTY RELIGION with ABUNDANT GRACE. Or as in Paul’s words of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “The old has gone, the new has come!”  That’s was a second sign of abundant wine: In the Old Testament and Judaism Abundant wine was considered a sign of the age of salvation!

Now comes the third: 3) When Jesus turned the water to wine, His miracle signified the joy that comes as a result of His work: Now it begins to make sense what Jesus said earlier, “My hour has not yet come.”  Because his hour meant there was going to be suffering; He was going to endure a cruel death – but to what end?  JOY. The writer of Hebrews spells it out for us: “For the joy set before him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrew 12:2 

What is this JOY set before Jesus?  What is it that will help him endure such suffering, shame, and death?  Here it is: One day, all those who put their trust in Jesus will be united with Him at another wedding feast: The Wedding Supper of the Lamb! Here is how John describes it in the book of Revelation:  Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:6-9

How great is that?  Jesus does His first miracle at a wedding, and one day we who believe in Him will celebrate with great joy at our wedding supper with Him.  And all this is wrapped up in his first miraculous sign of turning water to wine – abundant wine.

For Abundant wine signifies the Messiah has come.

And Abundant wine signifies the age of salvation is here. And ultimately,

And Abundant wine signifies the joy of experiencing life with Jesus!

But the question for us today is simply this: Can You See What Jesus revealed with this sign?  You see, not everyone saw it.  The Master of the Banquet did not get the significance of the sign.  The servants who served the wine didn’t get the significance of the sign.  But we are told, who did get it:  His disciples.  That’s the real miracle of this story. Seeing who Jesus really is and what he came to do, changed their hearts. For after seeing Jesus turn water to wine, their hearts turned to faith in Him.

So, let me ask you?  Do you see what those first disciples saw?  Do you see a Savior who came to remove your judgment and shame?  Do you see the Messiah who invites you to an eternal party of joy?  That’s the miracle of Jesus:  The disciples saw who Jesus was and what He was all about – when he filled those empty jars with water that became wine – They saw the Life of the Party – and they put their trust in him.

What about you?  What do you see when you look at Jesus?  Is it enough for you to put your faith in him?  If so, then yes, God still does miracles today.