Intro: It may have been a Wednesday night when it started. She was waiting at home with great anticipation. "When would they get here", She thought. Suddenly she could hear them coming! Perhaps she saw the flickering torches first or heard the sound of music.
She knew it was time! It seemed as if she had waited so long, but now is was time to go out and meet Him. She made her way out through all the friends and relatives in the street and took her place beside him. The music and the
merriment continued as they walked. Finally they arived at his home. Then someone said to him, "Take her according to the Law of Moses and of Israel," He signed the 'Kethubah', the marriage contract, someone said a benediction and the then the marriage supper began.
The first manifestation of Christ power took place at a wedding. The wedding at
Cana.
John 2:1, On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 6 Now there were set there six
water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus meets a social need :
Occasion, there was a wedding, an Eastern wedding.
1, On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
A Jewish wedding is very different from our Western Weddings. Here in the United States the Bride has center stage. She is kept out of view and when all the quest are seated and the Groom and the wedding party is all up front she comes to the back of the church and the organ or piano THUNDERS "here comes the Bride."
But in Eastern weddings the Groom had the prominent place. On the evening of her wedding the bride would be led from the home of her parents to the home of her husband. Joyful music played as they went. Children were given treats of nuts adults were given wine and oil, and she would be surrounded by her friends and friends of the groom. Some would also carry torches or lamps.
As you can see, this was an event that would not go unnoticed. Often strangers would stand and salute or join in and follow the wedding parade for awhile just to share in the in the joy. Then the bride would be brought to her husband and the husband would sign the Kethubah, a written contract stating that:
He would work for her, honor her, keep her and care for her. Then he paid 200 Zuz in cash (1400 denari). Then they would wash their hands.
Remember this point about washing the hands, because it has significance concerning the water pots that are present at the wedding feast.
Finally a benediction was said and the marriage supper began.
An Eastern wedding could last as long as 2- 3 days or even a week.
Imagine having all the relatives from both sides together for up to a week.
You'd better hope everyone gets along. It's quite possible that Jesus was related to the bride.
It was the custom in Galilee for the female relatives to help and take charge of the kitchen. John records that Mary took the initiative to do something about the lack of wine. John chapter 2, also opens with the statement, "and the mother of Jesus was there." What we can be sure of is "Jesus , His mother and His disciples were invited to the wedding."
It was the custom to invite a Rabbi, (teacher) as Jesus was called, to the wedding. The fact that our Lord was willing to attend says something about His desire to care for the simple needs in our life. He was called a friend of publicans and sinners.
Jesus meets a physical need.
3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
It's important to ask why they ran out of this beverage? The wedding feast could have lasted for days. Did they know that Jesus and six of His disciples were coming? The people involved may have been poor just like Jesus' family.
We should also ask , Why was there such a concern over the beverage running out? It was a duty in the Eastern culture to show Great hospitality.
It would be a Great embarrassment if you fell short of your responsibility.
The bride and groom would be concerned to keep the quest well served.
There are 2 other questions we must ask:
How are we to understand the mothers statement?
How are we to understand Jesus answer?
First, let's deal with Mary's statement;
She doesn't say, please give us a miracle.
She doesn't even ask out right, "will you help with the lack of wine?"
She seems to hint to her Son, "they have no wine,"
Remember, Mary has never seen her Son perform a miracle. This is the First one. However, Mary knows her Son is the promised One from God. NOW, She sees Him with disciples. Perhaps she's thinking , "His ministry has begun."
At the least, she thought her Son could do something, or else she would not have asked.
Jesus' response to His mother's question:
4, Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
Why did He call her Woman? In our culture, if you address a lady as "Woman" it may not be acceptable. What about in Jesus day?
John 19:26 "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' 27 Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home."
If you look through the gospels you'll find that Jesus uses this address, "woman" of His mother again and also of the ladies that seek Him at the tomb. It would be like a son saying to his mother , Mam, Yes Mam, No
Mam.
Why Jesus' question, "what does your concern have to do with Me?"
She was after all, His mother. But something has changed. He has been manifested as the Lamb of God. He has recently been identified as, the Man who is preferred before John, He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, Rabbi, Teacher, the Messiah, Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets wrote, the King of Israel and the Son of Man. His divine identity is getting brighter and brighter!
She held the Holy One of Israel in her arms, but now His relationship was not to His family, but to the world. His willful submission to His family is superceded by His submission to God the Father.
Luke 2:48, So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." 49, And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" 50, But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
His concern has moved from the physical family to His Spiritual family.
Mat. 12:49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!"
He was saying, "this is My family." Yes Jesus was the son of Mary, but at this point in Jesus life, His greater relationship with mankind is beginning to be manifested.
What did Jesus mean by, "My hour has not yet come."
The timing of when He would manifest Himself in certain ways was in a divine timetable. Nothing would be done outside of God's timing. This miracle is done in such a way that He does not draw attention to Himself.
Many times when He does a miracle , He also teaches and the miracle does obviously draw attention to Himself, proving that He is Messiah. But, He did not try to make THIS miracle noticed. The master of the feast had no Idea where this wine came from. The servants knew, that the wine came from the stone water pots. Only the disciples understood that it was the Messiah that had turned water into wine.
Mary's faith in Who her Son was is expressed in v. 5...
John 2:5, His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
There's a lesson for all of us here.
"what ever He says, do it"
She simple brought the problem to Jesus. She waited for Him to deal with it in His way and His timing. Certainly our request to the Lord should be handled the same way.
v.6, "Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece."
Why did they have water pots at the wedding feast?
Mark 7: 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
Some of us have this kind of tradition, but it's not because we want to be ceremonially clean. We wash before we eat to avoid Germs on our hands.
The servants at a wedding would pour water over the quest's hands so they could wash. I remember watching an Orthodox Jewish student while I was attending a university before I went to Bible College. He washed, before, during and after, right at the drinking fountain, in the cafeteria where everyone could see him. The Jews did have and still have customs that involve ceremonial cleansing. That's why the water pots were present at the wedding in John 2.
John 2:7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
So Jesus helped this young couple during their wedding feast. He saved them from social
embarrassment.
Jesus meets a spiritual need.
John 2:11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
The disciples that were following Him saw for the first time a manifestation of His power. The disciples, being Jews, would have known what Nicodemus knew, "that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him"
Jn. 3:2.
What is the significance of this miracle?
For 30 years Jesus had kept quiet about Who He really was until He comes to John the
Baptist for baptism. Now in God's divine timing, Jesus is slowly manifested as the Son of God, the Messiah.
Notice that John says "This beginning of signs". A sign points beyond itself to something greater. The big picture is not "wow that water was turned into wine," but rather, "this is the Messiah, the Holy One of God."
The theme of John's gospel is, "Jesus is God."
The Word, was eternal, was God, was the creator, was the true light, became flesh, and we beheld His glory.
This is what happened on this wedding day in Canna many years ago.
Jesus manifested His glory with the first miracle of changing something from one thing to another.
Conclusion:
We serve a God who changes and transforms things and people.
The Latin, "Ex Nihilo" out of nothing, God made the universe. God turned dust into a man. He turned some bone and flesh from Adam into a woman.
And God changes sinners into children of God. What an amazing transformation. God changes our sinful character into that of His Son.
God will change our corruptible body. And God is still changing men today. Christians are still being transformed and conformed into the likeness of Christ character and unbelievers are still being transformed from being children of darkness to children of light.
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