John 2:1-12 - Water Into Wine - Ordinary to the Extraordinary
Notes
Transcript
John 2:1-12
John 2:1-12
Jesus has been through his testing period and has started teaching. Now it is time for Jesus to begin his short but very miraculous career as rabbi, as messiah, moving into the public arena
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1 And on the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 And both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine!” 4 And Jesus said to her, “What does your concern have to do with me, woman? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it!” 6 Now six stone water jars were set there, in accordance with the ceremonial cleansing of the Jews, each holding two or three measures. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the water jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward. So they took it. 9 Now when the head steward tasted the water which had become wine and did not know where it was from—but the servants who had drawn the water knew—the head steward summoned the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and whenever they are drunk, the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This beginning of signs Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee, and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, and his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.
Wedding in Cana
Wedding in Cana
There is a wedding in Cana.
We are not sure where Cana is, but it is probably a small village about nine miles north of Nazareth where Jesus grew up.
Jesus and his disciples, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers are all invited. Which means they are at least friends to the wedding party but may have even been family.
Either way, with an invitation comes with social obligations. In ancient worlds the wedding is not just a marriage of two individuals but of two families. They were of immense significance as public demonstrations of the family honor.
Families often when deeply in debt trying to demonstrate family honor.
Because a wedding celebration often included the entire village and this wedding had to be the best the village had ever seen. Weddings often went for days, usually seven, with lots of food and wine that were brought and prepared for by friends and family.
The running out of wine would be seen as a serious loss of honor. Friends and family that were invited usually sent gifts of wine ahead of time to prevent such a dishonor on the family.
The lack of wine may show a lack of friends. It defiantly shows a poorer family.
It isn’t surprising that Mary knows about the lack of wine, she and most of the other women would have been involved in the food preparations.
Working behind the science to prevent social humiliation of the family.
Tradition holds, though not in the Bible, that she was part of the family related to the groom.
Explaining why Jesus might have acted in such a way. This was urgent because it would effect Jesus and Mary’s honor. This could bring shame to Jesus.
Jesus response, “Woman”, Sounds harsh today in our modern ears but it isn’t. John uses this term often when addressing a woman. It isn’t disrespectful, but a simple, informal form of address.
Mary here is telling Jesus that he needs to act as the patron of the family.
Where is Joseph?
Tradition holds that he passed away before this. In the time between Jesus being 12 and the 30 year old baptism. This is very possible because he was older when he married Mary and men just don’t live as long as women in most cases.
So he is gone, Jesus is the head of the family
Stone water jars
Stone water jars
(Image taken from bibleplaces.com)
These stone water jars hold about 20 to 30 gallons of water and they are used for purification rites.
A family would only usually have one but at events like this other family Members would bring theirs so that all the people would be cared for. This wedding has six of these things. So filled to the brim were looking at circa 180 gallons of water. Tt would take quite a bit of work to fill these things. This is prior to the days of the water facet!
I know some of you here might remember going to the well to draw water. And this water becomes the best wine that is out there.
What a first miracle!
Was this his first miracle? Hard to say, what did Mary expect him to do if she didn’t look for a miracle? Run to the liquor barn? We do know this is his first recorded and public miracle. It may have stayed quiet for the wedding but secrets are never secrets for long
What Jesus did here is he took something ordinary. Water It don’t get any more ordinary than plain old H2O its everywhere, 2/3 of our earth is made up of the stuff. Can’t drink it all but it’s there. Can’t find it in areas but it’s there.
Jesus did much more than simply fill a need: He turned embarrassment into blessing. The chief steward’s pronouncement to the groom is the climax of the story. Instead of having to endure shame, the groom was publicly honored for his over-the-top hospitality—and for saving the good wine for last (John 2:10).
This is the first of many situations in John’s Gospel where Jesus restores something to better-than-original condition. It also reveals Jesus’ deep concern for meeting people at their point of need, no matter how inconsequential that need may seem.
Ordinary to Extraordinary
Ordinary to Extraordinary
That is what God does he takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.
He wants to do that in your life too.
He wants to give you a life with purpose. More than just living and dying. A life that has meaning. Meaning through Christ. Meaning in making a difference.
He has given you gifts you need but to use them and develop them He wants to give you a life of freedom. Free from shame. I shall not be ashamed of the gospel or his name. Here’s my story Giving glory to the Lord today. Who can shame the righteous.
Free from sin and the negative consequences of those sins. Free from the chains that bind us to the world and its pattern of thinking. To the sin that hold us back
Free from bitterness and resentment.
Free to forgive
Life of security. Blessed assurance Jesus is mine o what a foretaste of Glory divine
Do not worry about your life or what you will eat or what you will where God will take care of it if we follow after His Plan
Life of love. Not just any love but God love. The type of love that makes you stay when the world says you should leave (like during the Black Plague). The type of love that forgives what the world says don’t. The type of love that trust
Next Steps
Next Steps
Is your life extraordinary?
Do you have a life that is full of God
Sometime sin puts holes in our water jars and we don’t have anything
Pray God fill those Holes, forgive sin repent and refill your cup
Sometimes all the sermons of the world keep us from seeing the truth and we have to remind ourselves of the truth.
We have to take steps to accept the power of the HS and the Extraordinary life
Sometimes the desires of our flesh keep us from living a full life. We have to die to ourselves.
Let’s live the Extraordinary life this week
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