The first miracle (John 2:1-11)

Scripture reading:
(1) On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, (2) and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. (3) When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him “They have no more wine.”

(4) Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

(5) His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

(6) Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

(7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.

(8) Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, (9) 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 (10) 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.”

(11) This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.


Observations:
(1) Jesus lived the way he promised.

Back in John 1:50-51, we saw Jesus put his reputation on the line by promising Nathanael that he would see great miracles.

In this passage, Jesus commences action upon his promise. The act – turning water into wine – was the first of many miracles Jesus performed. In doing so, he started delivering on what he had promised to Nathanael.

This is just one of many examples throughout the bible which attests to both the character of Jesus the son and that of god the father – he doesn’t make bold promises lightly – what he says he will do – he does.


(2) God is not a ‘kill joy.’

A common perception of god in the world is that he is a kill joy. Some have the idea that being a Christian means locking yourself away in a cupboard and never enjoying the fruits of life – something like what we see in the movie “Flowers in the Attic.”

This is a misconception. To be sure, Christians are called to abstain from certain activities, such as sexual promiscuity or alcohol abuse. But at the same time, god created many wonderful things for us to celebrate and enjoy.

The gift of marriage is one such wonderful occasion. Far from abstaining from the celebration, we see that Jesus joined in. Not only did he personally join in, but when tragedy almost struck and the wine ran out, Jesus saved the day and allowed the celebration to continue.

God has given us many wonderful things in life to celebrate and enjoy. We should not hold back in enjoying the lord’s great gifts, but should take an attitude of enormous gratitude to our maker.


(3) Sensible enjoyment of alcohol is Ok.

This is not the main point of the passage and I do not wish to labor upon this point.

Some Christians abstain from alcohol by choice, others believe that drinking alcohol is a sin.

However, we can clearly see here that god is not opposed to enjoyment of alcohol per see. We see here Jesus turning water into wine. Later we see Jesus giving wine to his disciples during their final feast together.

It seems clear to me that sensible enjoyment of wine is OK. Abuse of alcohol, or getting drunk, is not behavior which honors the gospel. But sensible enjoyment is not a problem.


(4) Jesus does not refer to Mary as his mother. (v4)

The manner in which Jesus addresses Mary in this case demonstrates not only an important aspect of the relationship between Jesus and Mary, but also of the character of Jesus himself.

Jesus addresses Mary as “Dear woman,” – not as his mother.

Why didn’t Jesus address Mary as his mother? I believe the reason for this is that from a spiritual viewpoint, Jesus had no mother, nor did he need one.

John chapter 1 describes how Jesus, from a spiritual viewpoint, has always existed. The existence of Jesus in physical form commenced after he was born to the virgin Mary. However, the spiritual existence of Jesus had no commencement.

Physically, he was born to Mary. Spiritually, he has always existed.

For this reason, from a spiritual viewpoint, he had no mother. Nor did he need one.

It should be noted, however, that whist the manner which Jesus adopts toward Mary does not indicate an intimate relationship, nor does it indicate rudeness or disrespect. According to one of my former pastors in Australia, the expression “Dear woman,” was not, in this context, a patronizing expression.

Jesus did not address Mary as his mother, but nor does he address her in an insulting manner.


(6) God does not act according to our time schedule.

Not only does Jesus not address Mary as mother, but he also made it clear that he would reveal his glory when the time was right, and not when Mary asked.

In this case, Jesus performed the miracle nevertheless. But he also made it clear that neither the problems faced by the wedding party, or Mary’s wishes, would dictate when the time was right for him to reveal his glory.

Often times, we think feel that god should do what we want and act according to our plans and schedules. Perhaps this is a product of the consumer oriented societies of the western world - where we are encouraged to think of ourselves, as individual consumers, as being the centre of the world.

But god will not simply conform to our desires. He is the creator of the world, we are his creation.
We are accountable to him, not the other way around. He will carry out everything according to his perfect plan in his own time. Sometimes, this will conform neatly into what works conveniently for us. Other times, it will not.

But he does things according to his plan and schedule, not ours.


Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that you fulfill your promises.

When I look at your word, it reveals a maker who does not make empty promises, but rather a maker who can be totally and completely trusted.

Lord, I thank you that you gave us many wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy. The gift of marriage, where you join two people in lifetime partnership, is simply a marvelous gift.

Lord, so many times, we think you should do things our way and conform to our plans and schedules. Remind us in those times, Lord, that we are under your authority, not the other way around. Humble our hearts to accept your plans.

In these things I pray. In your great name.

Amen