John 2:1-11
Water into Wine
In chapter 1 we saw Jesus identity revealed by the testimony of words. John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael – they all declared Jesus true identity with their words. Now we are going to see the works that Jesus does to testify to His true identity. His miracles reveal his glory as the Son of God.
John selected 9 of the many miracles Jesus did to include in his gospel for us to read. Today we come to the first miracle John records where Jesus turns water into wine. This is the first miracle Jesus performs and it is the first of 9 miracles recorded in John’s gospel.
This miracle also begins the public ministry of Jesus Christ. These first 12 chapters have been called the book of signs because John records the sign miracles that Jesus does in his public ministry to the Jews. Chapters 13-17 are Jesus’ private teachings to His disciples. And then from 18-21 we see Jesus Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. But, we’re going to see 7 miracles in chapters 2-12, and then later on the Resurrection and the miraculous catch of fish at the end of the gospel.
Now what is the purpose of these miracles? The purpose of Jesus doing miracles is to reveal His glory. Verse 11 says, “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.” His glory – the glory of His deity – is revealed. He is revealing Himself to be God in the flesh and the One from whom all things have been made and thereby the One who has power over all things. His miracles are revealing His true identity as God and His true glory as God.
And that’s what John says, “He thus revealed his glory.” And by revealing his glory, Jesus made his disciples eyewitnesses to His glory. John 1:14, “…We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only…”
It’s important to note the Greek word that John uses for miracle in verse 11, it’s “simeion”, which means sign. He does not use “dunamis” which means power as the other 3 gospels use. He uses simeion, which means sign. A sign points your attention to something else. So, as we go through this passage, and the whole gospel for that matter, we need to see beyond the signs Jesus does to see what about Him – what about His glory - they are pointing to.
So, why is this miracle important? What is the significance of turning water into wine? What does this sign point to about Jesus in this passage that Nathanael, the other disciples, and we are to know?
As we go through our passage this morning we will see those answers. And, to help us through let’s divide it up into four sections: The Setting, the Situation, the Solution, and the Significance
The Setting (v. 1-2)
First of all, let’s get the setting. John says in verse 1 that it’s the third day, and that means it’s the 3rd day since Jesus called Philip and Nathanael as recorded in chapter 1 verse 43.
But notice too, it’s the 7th day since John the Baptist was approached by the Jews in 1:19-28. That’s the first day John records. Day two is mentioned in verse 29, day 3 in verse 35, day 4 in verse 43. And now John says on the third day….. the 3rd day since calling Philip and Nathanael is really the seventh day in all recorded by John so far.
We might notice a correlation here with Genesis. John opened his gospel by saying “In the beginning was the Word…” and those words of John remind us of the opening words in Genesis, “In the beginning God created…” It appears that John wants us to recognize that the God spoken of in Genesis is the God he is speaking about in his gospel. And just as God took 6 days to create everything and the 7th to rest, perhaps John is drawing our attention to the timing of Jesus resting on the 7th day at a wedding.
Time is a recurring theme in John’s gospel. And, Jesus timetable is important… “My time has not yet come”
This wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Nathanael, who just became Jesus disciple, was from Cana. Cana is also the place Jesus was at in chapter 4 when he did a long-distance healing of a man’s son – the man’s son was 15 miles away in Capernaum and about to die. Cana is about 3 or 4 miles north of Nazareth where Jesus grew up and spent the first 30 years of his life until now.
We need to understand a little bit about weddings in this culture. A wedding was a huge, huge event in these times. The actual wedding ceremony came after a year-long betrothal period where the man and woman would not see each other even though legally they would be considered legally married. Weddings would last 7 days and feasts and festivities and lots of celebrating would be going on.
The Situation (v 3-5)
Now Jesus’ mother seems to be working at the wedding and not just an invited guest. She knows about the crisis of the wine running out before the master of the banquet does; she brings servants with her to Jesus and tells him in verse 3, “They have no more wine.” These could have been relatives of hers, or, very close friends. This would explain why she is so distressed about the situation.
Notice too that she goes to Jesus before she goes to anyone else. She didn’t go to the master of the banquet, she didn’t go to the bride and groom or their parents. She went straight to Jesus. To understand why she does we will need to know the significance of running out of wine.
Hospitality is a very serious matter in Middle Eastern cultures. It was the responsibility of the hosts to make adequate provisions for the entire 7 days for all the guests. To run out of wine was not a minor oversight, but, a social embarrassment that would bring great shame on the both of the family’s reputations. This is serious. Furthermore, not only was it a disgrace, but, the bride’s family could take legal action and fines could be brought against the groom and his family for their failure to make adequate provisions for the wedding. This is a very serious matter.
Why does Mary go to Jesus? Think for a moment with me. Joseph is most likely dead, since no mention of him is ever made, and 3 years later, while Jesus is hanging on the cross, he tells John the writer of this gospel to take Mary into his home and care for her as his own mother. So, with her husband gone she might have learned to depend on her firstborn son.
Now, it is very likely that she is expecting Jesus to solve the problem. She may not have known how, but, she knew he could. She knew her son was more than what everyone else thought. John doesn’t say she was expecting a miracle from Jesus, and at this point Jesus hadn’t performed His first miracle.
But, she had reason to believe in miracles when Jesus was involved. She knew when He was conceived it was a miracle because she knew she was a virgin. The only other people who knew were Joseph and Jesus. Nobody else knew, because, who would believe it was God who made her pregnant? For 30 years she’s lived with people thinking that she was immoral when she wasn’t.
Joseph knew she was innocent because the angel told him. He also shared in her shame by marrying her and so everyone thought he was the father who acted immorally with her. What a bond they would have had.
Now, with Joseph dead, can you understand the special attachment she would have had to Jesus? He not only knew the truth, but, he too would have had her shame as well, known by the community as the product of her supposed immorality. She was very close, and very dependent on Jesus.
She also knew what was said about Him. She heard what the angel Gabriel told her; she heard the words of Elizabeth her cousin, of Simeon, and of Anna the prophetess. He will be called the Son of the Most High, the Son of God. He will reign over the house of Jacob on the throne of David. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. She treasured all the things that were said about Him, and she hoped, and longed, and wanted the days to come when no longer will they be promises but that her supernatural Son, who was the Son of God Almighty, would be King.
You know how hard it is to keep good secrets. Can you imagine the torture of Mary? She can’t tell anyone who her Son is. Who would believe her? “Hi, my son is God’s Son, He will be king over Israel, He will sit on David’s throne, and His Kingdom will never end. Oh, and by the way, I was a virgin when he was conceived.” Would you believe it? “Well, we all have dreams for our kids, don’t we Mary?” (Roll their eyes). When it came to Jesus, she knew the laws of nature did not govern Him. He was born supernaturally.
The passage doesn’t say she was expecting a miracle, but, maybe she hoped. Every time she talked to him or looked at him she was hoping and wondering when his glory that was told to her would be revealed. If anyone was ever tortured and ready to burst from knowing the greatest secret in the world it was Mary.
Jesus response to her is in verse 4, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” We need to dig into this a little bit. First of all, Jesus is not being rude to her when he calls her woman. It’s a very polite and kind way of addressing her. He addresses the woman at the well in the same way.
But, why does he call her “woman” instead of “mom?” At first it appears in our English as though Jesus is annoyed because His mom wants to put him to work. But he’s not. It’s much, much deeper. There is a change happening in their relationship.
The Greek for “Why do you involve me?” is literally, “What is there for you and me?” Strange, but, that’s because it’s a Greek idiom that means, “What do you and I have in common here?”
The scholars point this out as a very transitional point in Jesus relationship with his mother. He called her woman, a kind but, distant term. He was distancing himself from her authority as his mother. And now, as his public ministry was beginning, he was committed to His Father’s authority over Him, as evident by his next comment that His time has not yet come.
Why is this significant? It was for Mary’s sake, not His. She was to look at Jesus no longer as her son, but, as her Savior. Jesus was breaking the family ties and, now, all those who are his family are those who become His followers.
Remember Mark 3? Jesus was teaching in a house crowded with people. His mother and brothers arrive and want to get to Jesus. Someone yells to Jesus and tells him they want to see him and Jesus says in verse 33, “Who are my mother and brothers? Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and my sister and mother.”
And then in Luke 11 someone in a crowd yells out to Jesus, “blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” There is no VIP passes for family. You don’t have access to the Father just because of who your family is. There’s no inherited salvation. To truly be in Jesus’ family you have to hear the Word of God, believe it, and obey it.
Mary gets it. She tells the servants to do whatever He tells them to. She doesn’t say anything more. She does not know what he will do, but, she is confident that whatever he does do will be the right thing. She doesn’t know how the problem is going to be solved, but she trusts Jesus. She doesn’t know where the answer is going to come from, but she knows Jesus. She doesn’t know what to do other than go to Jesus. She
Take your concerns to Jesus, and leave them there. Mary went to Jesus first with her concern before she went to anyone else. When she left Jesus, she left her concern with Him. I suppose she didn’t worry one more moment about the wine after she walked away. Take your needs to Jesus and don’t take them back. We have to be willing to trust Jesus and wait for His way and His time.
The Solution
So we’ve seen the Setting, and the Situation. Now, we are going to see the Solution in verses 6-10. Notice verse 6, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.”
The Jews believed that by living daily life and especially by coming into contact with Gentiles that they became ceremonially unclean. So, they were required by the religious leaders to do ceremonial washing before they ate. And, with many guests for a wedding, a lot of water would be needed for them to obey this custom of purification. At this wedding, they had about 120-180 gallons of purification water.
Verse 7 says, “Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” so they filled them to the brim.” The jars were filled to the top, no more water could be put in them. More importantly, no wine could be added to them. John notes this small detail so we know that it wasn’t a trick. There was nothing but water put in, and there would be nothing but wine coming out.
The word for servants here is the Greek word, “diakonos”. This is the word we translate into Deacon. These are not household slaves or servants. If they were, John would have used the word “doulas”, which means slave, or bond-servant. These were most likely people who have been employed, or were volunteering as close family and friends to help with the preparations and serving.
Then Jesus commands them in verse 8, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” Faithfully obedient, just as they were instructed to be by Mary, they draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.
In verse 9, this man in charge tastes the water that was turned into wine and doesn’t realize where it came from. But, the servants knew. In verse 10, he rushes over to the groom, pulls him aside, and says, “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 until now.”
I want us to notice 2 things from this Solution Jesus offers. First of all, He is the One who truly purifies. The Jews did their ceremonial washing and it was part of their religion, and they thought they were clean before God because of it. Washing externally doesn’t clean internally. The wine was a symbol of his shed blood, and Jesus said in chapter 6, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Is Jesus teaching cannibalism? No! What did we eat and drink together last week that represents his flesh and blood? The bread and the juice. Jesus taught that the bread is a symbol of His broken body and the wine is a symbol of his shed blood and these things are to be taken by all those who profess faith in Jesus. Here’s the point. Real purification, really being cleansed of your sins is an internal thing that happens when you receive Jesus and believe that His blood was shed for you to cleanse you from your guilt.
Which leads into the 2nd thing I want you to see: God saves us from shame. This groom and his family were about to suffer great shame for running out of wine. But, Jesus doesn’t let that happen. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will never be put to shame.” When a man trusts in God, God removes his shame. Religion doesn’t wash our shame away. Only the shed blood of Jesus can.
Application:
To see the glory of God, obey God. The servants obeyed Jesus and as a result saw the miracle he performed. It didn’t make sense to them, but, His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Our obedience does not require our omniscience.
God accomplishes great things with those who are not so great. It wasn’t the noble families in attendance at the wedding, or the master of the banquet, or the bride and groom who Jesus revealed his glory to. It was the servants. First Corinthians 1 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things ….so that no one may boast before him.” God accomplishes great things for His purposes and He does it with those who are not so great.
With God, the best things are saved for last. Jesus saves the best for last. The best wine the families could afford was served, and ran out. Jesus provided the wine afterwards, and it was better than the wine that was first served. Those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first in the kingdom of God (_____). No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor 2:10). This requires patience. Jesus told Mary, “My time has not yet come.” His glorification at the cross and resurrection is yet to come. Today, we wait for His glory to be revealed from heaven, we wait to be glorified with Him. With Jesus, the best is yet to come.
Jesus is the Joy-giver. Wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible. In the culture of the day it was essential for any celebration, especially a wedding. There is no greater joy than the joy Jesus gives. The master of the banquet marveled at the wine he tasted. He said it was better than the wine offered first. The groom didn’t know what was going on. Certainly he followed custom and gave the best wine he had first. But, it was cheap compared to what Jesus offered. Look to Jesus for true, joy. Also, look to Him for enduring joy. Jesus changed so much water into wine, that the family had more than enough to last long after the wedding was over. His joy is an enduring joy.
Conclusion
The significance of this miracle is that it revealed Jesus’ glory as God, the miracle was a sign pointing to His true identity. As a result, the disciples put their faith in him verse 11 says. Have you put your faith in Him?
The master of the banquet did not know where the wine came from, but, who did? The servants. They knew they put water into those jars. They knew that wine came out. And, they knew it was Jesus. But, you know what, look at verse 12, none of them are listed as following Jesus. How could they see that miracle and not follow Jesus when he left that wedding?
Let me ask you, I’m preaching Jesus Christ in here. When the service is over and you are walking out of here, are you walking away from Jesus? Or, are you walking out of here with Jesus?
Water into Wine
In chapter 1 we saw Jesus identity revealed by the testimony of words. John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael – they all declared Jesus true identity with their words. Now we are going to see the works that Jesus does to testify to His true identity. His miracles reveal his glory as the Son of God.
John selected 9 of the many miracles Jesus did to include in his gospel for us to read. Today we come to the first miracle John records where Jesus turns water into wine. This is the first miracle Jesus performs and it is the first of 9 miracles recorded in John’s gospel.
This miracle also begins the public ministry of Jesus Christ. These first 12 chapters have been called the book of signs because John records the sign miracles that Jesus does in his public ministry to the Jews. Chapters 13-17 are Jesus’ private teachings to His disciples. And then from 18-21 we see Jesus Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. But, we’re going to see 7 miracles in chapters 2-12, and then later on the Resurrection and the miraculous catch of fish at the end of the gospel.
Now what is the purpose of these miracles? The purpose of Jesus doing miracles is to reveal His glory. Verse 11 says, “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.” His glory – the glory of His deity – is revealed. He is revealing Himself to be God in the flesh and the One from whom all things have been made and thereby the One who has power over all things. His miracles are revealing His true identity as God and His true glory as God.
And that’s what John says, “He thus revealed his glory.” And by revealing his glory, Jesus made his disciples eyewitnesses to His glory. John 1:14, “…We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only…”
It’s important to note the Greek word that John uses for miracle in verse 11, it’s “simeion”, which means sign. He does not use “dunamis” which means power as the other 3 gospels use. He uses simeion, which means sign. A sign points your attention to something else. So, as we go through this passage, and the whole gospel for that matter, we need to see beyond the signs Jesus does to see what about Him – what about His glory - they are pointing to.
So, why is this miracle important? What is the significance of turning water into wine? What does this sign point to about Jesus in this passage that Nathanael, the other disciples, and we are to know?
As we go through our passage this morning we will see those answers. And, to help us through let’s divide it up into four sections: The Setting, the Situation, the Solution, and the Significance
The Setting (v. 1-2)
First of all, let’s get the setting. John says in verse 1 that it’s the third day, and that means it’s the 3rd day since Jesus called Philip and Nathanael as recorded in chapter 1 verse 43.
But notice too, it’s the 7th day since John the Baptist was approached by the Jews in 1:19-28. That’s the first day John records. Day two is mentioned in verse 29, day 3 in verse 35, day 4 in verse 43. And now John says on the third day….. the 3rd day since calling Philip and Nathanael is really the seventh day in all recorded by John so far.
We might notice a correlation here with Genesis. John opened his gospel by saying “In the beginning was the Word…” and those words of John remind us of the opening words in Genesis, “In the beginning God created…” It appears that John wants us to recognize that the God spoken of in Genesis is the God he is speaking about in his gospel. And just as God took 6 days to create everything and the 7th to rest, perhaps John is drawing our attention to the timing of Jesus resting on the 7th day at a wedding.
Time is a recurring theme in John’s gospel. And, Jesus timetable is important… “My time has not yet come”
This wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Nathanael, who just became Jesus disciple, was from Cana. Cana is also the place Jesus was at in chapter 4 when he did a long-distance healing of a man’s son – the man’s son was 15 miles away in Capernaum and about to die. Cana is about 3 or 4 miles north of Nazareth where Jesus grew up and spent the first 30 years of his life until now.
We need to understand a little bit about weddings in this culture. A wedding was a huge, huge event in these times. The actual wedding ceremony came after a year-long betrothal period where the man and woman would not see each other even though legally they would be considered legally married. Weddings would last 7 days and feasts and festivities and lots of celebrating would be going on.
The Situation (v 3-5)
Now Jesus’ mother seems to be working at the wedding and not just an invited guest. She knows about the crisis of the wine running out before the master of the banquet does; she brings servants with her to Jesus and tells him in verse 3, “They have no more wine.” These could have been relatives of hers, or, very close friends. This would explain why she is so distressed about the situation.
Notice too that she goes to Jesus before she goes to anyone else. She didn’t go to the master of the banquet, she didn’t go to the bride and groom or their parents. She went straight to Jesus. To understand why she does we will need to know the significance of running out of wine.
Hospitality is a very serious matter in Middle Eastern cultures. It was the responsibility of the hosts to make adequate provisions for the entire 7 days for all the guests. To run out of wine was not a minor oversight, but, a social embarrassment that would bring great shame on the both of the family’s reputations. This is serious. Furthermore, not only was it a disgrace, but, the bride’s family could take legal action and fines could be brought against the groom and his family for their failure to make adequate provisions for the wedding. This is a very serious matter.
Why does Mary go to Jesus? Think for a moment with me. Joseph is most likely dead, since no mention of him is ever made, and 3 years later, while Jesus is hanging on the cross, he tells John the writer of this gospel to take Mary into his home and care for her as his own mother. So, with her husband gone she might have learned to depend on her firstborn son.
Now, it is very likely that she is expecting Jesus to solve the problem. She may not have known how, but, she knew he could. She knew her son was more than what everyone else thought. John doesn’t say she was expecting a miracle from Jesus, and at this point Jesus hadn’t performed His first miracle.
But, she had reason to believe in miracles when Jesus was involved. She knew when He was conceived it was a miracle because she knew she was a virgin. The only other people who knew were Joseph and Jesus. Nobody else knew, because, who would believe it was God who made her pregnant? For 30 years she’s lived with people thinking that she was immoral when she wasn’t.
Joseph knew she was innocent because the angel told him. He also shared in her shame by marrying her and so everyone thought he was the father who acted immorally with her. What a bond they would have had.
Now, with Joseph dead, can you understand the special attachment she would have had to Jesus? He not only knew the truth, but, he too would have had her shame as well, known by the community as the product of her supposed immorality. She was very close, and very dependent on Jesus.
She also knew what was said about Him. She heard what the angel Gabriel told her; she heard the words of Elizabeth her cousin, of Simeon, and of Anna the prophetess. He will be called the Son of the Most High, the Son of God. He will reign over the house of Jacob on the throne of David. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. She treasured all the things that were said about Him, and she hoped, and longed, and wanted the days to come when no longer will they be promises but that her supernatural Son, who was the Son of God Almighty, would be King.
You know how hard it is to keep good secrets. Can you imagine the torture of Mary? She can’t tell anyone who her Son is. Who would believe her? “Hi, my son is God’s Son, He will be king over Israel, He will sit on David’s throne, and His Kingdom will never end. Oh, and by the way, I was a virgin when he was conceived.” Would you believe it? “Well, we all have dreams for our kids, don’t we Mary?” (Roll their eyes). When it came to Jesus, she knew the laws of nature did not govern Him. He was born supernaturally.
The passage doesn’t say she was expecting a miracle, but, maybe she hoped. Every time she talked to him or looked at him she was hoping and wondering when his glory that was told to her would be revealed. If anyone was ever tortured and ready to burst from knowing the greatest secret in the world it was Mary.
Jesus response to her is in verse 4, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come.” We need to dig into this a little bit. First of all, Jesus is not being rude to her when he calls her woman. It’s a very polite and kind way of addressing her. He addresses the woman at the well in the same way.
But, why does he call her “woman” instead of “mom?” At first it appears in our English as though Jesus is annoyed because His mom wants to put him to work. But he’s not. It’s much, much deeper. There is a change happening in their relationship.
The Greek for “Why do you involve me?” is literally, “What is there for you and me?” Strange, but, that’s because it’s a Greek idiom that means, “What do you and I have in common here?”
The scholars point this out as a very transitional point in Jesus relationship with his mother. He called her woman, a kind but, distant term. He was distancing himself from her authority as his mother. And now, as his public ministry was beginning, he was committed to His Father’s authority over Him, as evident by his next comment that His time has not yet come.
Why is this significant? It was for Mary’s sake, not His. She was to look at Jesus no longer as her son, but, as her Savior. Jesus was breaking the family ties and, now, all those who are his family are those who become His followers.
Remember Mark 3? Jesus was teaching in a house crowded with people. His mother and brothers arrive and want to get to Jesus. Someone yells to Jesus and tells him they want to see him and Jesus says in verse 33, “Who are my mother and brothers? Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and my sister and mother.”
And then in Luke 11 someone in a crowd yells out to Jesus, “blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” There is no VIP passes for family. You don’t have access to the Father just because of who your family is. There’s no inherited salvation. To truly be in Jesus’ family you have to hear the Word of God, believe it, and obey it.
Mary gets it. She tells the servants to do whatever He tells them to. She doesn’t say anything more. She does not know what he will do, but, she is confident that whatever he does do will be the right thing. She doesn’t know how the problem is going to be solved, but she trusts Jesus. She doesn’t know where the answer is going to come from, but she knows Jesus. She doesn’t know what to do other than go to Jesus. She
Take your concerns to Jesus, and leave them there. Mary went to Jesus first with her concern before she went to anyone else. When she left Jesus, she left her concern with Him. I suppose she didn’t worry one more moment about the wine after she walked away. Take your needs to Jesus and don’t take them back. We have to be willing to trust Jesus and wait for His way and His time.
The Solution
So we’ve seen the Setting, and the Situation. Now, we are going to see the Solution in verses 6-10. Notice verse 6, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.”
The Jews believed that by living daily life and especially by coming into contact with Gentiles that they became ceremonially unclean. So, they were required by the religious leaders to do ceremonial washing before they ate. And, with many guests for a wedding, a lot of water would be needed for them to obey this custom of purification. At this wedding, they had about 120-180 gallons of purification water.
Verse 7 says, “Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” so they filled them to the brim.” The jars were filled to the top, no more water could be put in them. More importantly, no wine could be added to them. John notes this small detail so we know that it wasn’t a trick. There was nothing but water put in, and there would be nothing but wine coming out.
The word for servants here is the Greek word, “diakonos”. This is the word we translate into Deacon. These are not household slaves or servants. If they were, John would have used the word “doulas”, which means slave, or bond-servant. These were most likely people who have been employed, or were volunteering as close family and friends to help with the preparations and serving.
Then Jesus commands them in verse 8, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” Faithfully obedient, just as they were instructed to be by Mary, they draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.
In verse 9, this man in charge tastes the water that was turned into wine and doesn’t realize where it came from. But, the servants knew. In verse 10, he rushes over to the groom, pulls him aside, and says, “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 until now.”
I want us to notice 2 things from this Solution Jesus offers. First of all, He is the One who truly purifies. The Jews did their ceremonial washing and it was part of their religion, and they thought they were clean before God because of it. Washing externally doesn’t clean internally. The wine was a symbol of his shed blood, and Jesus said in chapter 6, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” Is Jesus teaching cannibalism? No! What did we eat and drink together last week that represents his flesh and blood? The bread and the juice. Jesus taught that the bread is a symbol of His broken body and the wine is a symbol of his shed blood and these things are to be taken by all those who profess faith in Jesus. Here’s the point. Real purification, really being cleansed of your sins is an internal thing that happens when you receive Jesus and believe that His blood was shed for you to cleanse you from your guilt.
Which leads into the 2nd thing I want you to see: God saves us from shame. This groom and his family were about to suffer great shame for running out of wine. But, Jesus doesn’t let that happen. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will never be put to shame.” When a man trusts in God, God removes his shame. Religion doesn’t wash our shame away. Only the shed blood of Jesus can.
Application:
To see the glory of God, obey God. The servants obeyed Jesus and as a result saw the miracle he performed. It didn’t make sense to them, but, His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Our obedience does not require our omniscience.
God accomplishes great things with those who are not so great. It wasn’t the noble families in attendance at the wedding, or the master of the banquet, or the bride and groom who Jesus revealed his glory to. It was the servants. First Corinthians 1 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things ….so that no one may boast before him.” God accomplishes great things for His purposes and He does it with those who are not so great.
With God, the best things are saved for last. Jesus saves the best for last. The best wine the families could afford was served, and ran out. Jesus provided the wine afterwards, and it was better than the wine that was first served. Those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first in the kingdom of God (_____). No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor 2:10). This requires patience. Jesus told Mary, “My time has not yet come.” His glorification at the cross and resurrection is yet to come. Today, we wait for His glory to be revealed from heaven, we wait to be glorified with Him. With Jesus, the best is yet to come.
Jesus is the Joy-giver. Wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible. In the culture of the day it was essential for any celebration, especially a wedding. There is no greater joy than the joy Jesus gives. The master of the banquet marveled at the wine he tasted. He said it was better than the wine offered first. The groom didn’t know what was going on. Certainly he followed custom and gave the best wine he had first. But, it was cheap compared to what Jesus offered. Look to Jesus for true, joy. Also, look to Him for enduring joy. Jesus changed so much water into wine, that the family had more than enough to last long after the wedding was over. His joy is an enduring joy.
Conclusion
The significance of this miracle is that it revealed Jesus’ glory as God, the miracle was a sign pointing to His true identity. As a result, the disciples put their faith in him verse 11 says. Have you put your faith in Him?
The master of the banquet did not know where the wine came from, but, who did? The servants. They knew they put water into those jars. They knew that wine came out. And, they knew it was Jesus. But, you know what, look at verse 12, none of them are listed as following Jesus. How could they see that miracle and not follow Jesus when he left that wedding?
Let me ask you, I’m preaching Jesus Christ in here. When the service is over and you are walking out of here, are you walking away from Jesus? Or, are you walking out of here with Jesus?
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