Jesus Brings The Alcohol - Finding Jesus Part 3

If you are thinking I am skipping John 1:43-51 I want to apologize, it’s not because there is not value to be gained from this portion of scripture because there is. There is some beautiful imagery of Jesus calling his disciples and the fig tree with Nathaniel. However, I believe that this reading could easily be done on your own and there is more value in us moving on toward chapter 2. So let’s start by reading John 2:1-12

John 2:1-12 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

This is the first miracle that is ever recorded and based on vs 11 the first miracle that Jesus ever performed. Spend just a few minutes discussing this passage with your group.

Now that we have discussed this passage a little, let’s dive into a deeper look.

John 1:1-2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

Third day from what? Well it was the third day from when he called Nathanael to be his disciple. I am not sure if the third day here has any imagery or not. But let’s talk a little bit about what a Jewish wedding would have looked like in the time of Jesus.

First marriages were primarily arranged marriages in the Jewish culture at the time of Jesus and the bride would always join the groom's family. Because of this the groom's father would pay a bride price called the mohar (dowry). Another important thing to note is that a good father was expected to share the mohar or give all of it to his bride.

The groom would give a gift called Mattan to the bride.

Let me ask you, who wins here? The bride. The bride gets everything. Because she deserved it? No, because the groom said she was worth it. Christ determined our value through Mattan that he gave to his bride. What gift/Mattan did Christ give to his bride? Well, 1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

Acts 1:8

The gift of the Holy Spirit which is Jesus himself. Jesus held nothing back from his bride, but lavished his greatest value on her.

Bold Point: Christ gave us his value.

There were 3 parts to a Jewish marriage.

· First the betrothal – this was the agreement between two families to create an arranged marriage. It was at this point the couple was considered married and would sign a contract called the Ketubah. This meant that if the couple wished to end the marriage they had to get divorced.

In between this time the groom would go and prepare a wedding chamber for him and his bride. This could take all a year or longer.

Then unannounced the groom would return for the bride without warning. When he did he would have trumpets sound as he returned for her.

· Second the Ceremony – This was often limited to the close family and was where the ceremony took place.

· Finally the Wedding Feast – This was a giant celebration of family, friends, and anyone you can think of. It was always the groom's family's responsibility to make this party the best it could be. It would have been a great shame on the groom's family if it was not done well. But, the bride and groom were not there. Why? They went back to the place the groom had prepared for his bride. They were celebrating by spending time together and yes, intimacy.

I think understanding this Jewish wedding is critical to understanding this passage. Now we get a clear understanding of what event Jesus and his early disciples are attending.

Look at vs 3-4

Would someone reread vs 3-4?

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Why do you think Jesus’ mother cared so much?

Well, I tend to believe because this wedding was personal to her. I believe she was related to the groom. We don’t know who the bride and groom were. But, I think Mary had a personal sense of responsibility for the wedding. Why? Because, running out of wine could have damaged the groom's family’s reputation. So Mary looks to the one person she believed could save their family's reputation. I want to point out that Mary believed in her son. How could she not, right? She had been there when an angel appeared to her and told her she would bear the son Emmanuel. But, what I find even more miraculous is that Jesus answers his mother's request or might I say prayer. Think about it, this is such an ordinary thing in Mary’s life. Does this not sound familiar? “God please provide me with, so that I don’t embarrass myself.” Jesus takes initiative in answering the prayer of his mother’s personal needs. Why? For no other reason than she asked.

Bold Point: God involves himself in the most minute, intimate aspects of our daily lives.

Then look what he says, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

How could Jesus talk to his mother this way? If I called my mother woman, I would have been backhanded.

I don’t typically read from this version of the bible, but I think it might help give us a clearer perspective of the tone that was used between Jesus and his mother.

The Message Bible says,

4 Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn’t my time. Don’t push me.”

5 She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

Now does that not sound more like a mother and son? The mother went ahead anyway telling the servants.

What’s more interesting is that Jesus says, “this is not my time.” This gives a clear indication that Jesus knew he was, as we read in John 1 last week, the Lamb of God. Not only is this the first miracle that we see Jesus perform, but really it is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

When I look at the relationship between Jesus and his mother, I think about Bible verses such as

Matthew 7:7-11

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Now I’m not saying this is a pass to ask God for a Lamborghini or that God is going to give you all the desires of your heart. First, this is an indication that those who seek salvation through Christ will find it and, second, God provides for us. I’m not giving credit to any type of prosperity gospel, but do not dismiss the power of these words either. I think that many times we hear these words and ignore the power found in them because of the way some teachers have twisted them. But these are Jesus’ words and they are powerful. With understanding that they are in alignment to God building God’s Kingdom.

Let’s keep reading 6-7 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

Notice that Jesus did not say fill the jars halfway. He said fill them. Then they filled them to the brim.

I point this out only to make the point.

Bold Point: Jesus spares no expense in the provision of those who love him.

Would someone like to read 8-10?

Let’s keep reading vs 8-10 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”

Now everyone wants to make this part of the Bible an argument for why they should or should not drink alcohol. As you can see, this alcohol is only a small part of the significance of this scripture. I think that most of the time when people do this they are simply looking for a justification for their own sin. But, with all of that said, did Jesus make alcoholic wine? The answer is yes. This was not some watered-down wine as some have suggested and I’m going to show you why.

First reason. This was good wine. Have you ever known someone who likes wine to say wow this watered-down wine is so good? That alone should end the argument, but we'll dive a little deeper.

Second reason is the Greek. Yes, the Greek again. So what is the Greek word for good wine here? It is “kalon” oinios which means καλὸν οἶνον which is worthy wine.

There is no question that the wine Jesus made was superior to the wine previously served. Jesus left the quality of his miracle unmatched.

What is more miraculous is not the quality of the wine that Jesus made, but that Jesus did not take credit for his miracle.

Jesus allowed someone else to take credit for his work. Again reminding us that Jesus does not always communicate in loud forms of communication, but often speaks to us through subtle and humble forms of communication.

Finally, we get to vs 11

11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

There are two pieces of information in this verse.

First, this was Jesus’ first sign – This was most likely the first miracle that Jesus ever performed and he did not perform any through his childhood.

Second, his disciples believed – Jesus performed a miracle that only a small group of people would see. This miracle was not for the crowd, but for his disciples and mother. Sometimes God will do things in your life that only you can see so that you will believe.

I want to conclude that this wedding feast has significant implications throughout the life of Jesus.

The Bible is filled with this imagery of the wedding feast.

· Purchased with a Price – Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 11:25

· Preparing a place for us – John 14:3

· His return is unknown – Matthew 24:36

· Return for his bride with a trumpet – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

· Joined with him forever and take part in the wedding Feast – Revelation 19:7

Make no mistake the King will return the question is are you ready?