Scriptures: Psalm 36:5-10 and John 2:1-11.
Message: “No more Wine.”
Psalm 36:5-10
(5) Your love, O Lord , reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
(6) Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord , you preserve both man and beast.
(7) How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
(8) They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
(9)For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
(10) Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
John 2:1-11
Jesus Changes Water to Wine
(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 from 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.” (9) They did so, 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 in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
This is the word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever heard the story about the priest who was on his way home, after attending a wedding and pulled over by a state trooper because he had been weaving all over the road. The officer came to the side of the car, looked in, saw the priest, and at the same moment, saw what looked to be a thermos. “What’s in the bottle, Father?” He asked.
“Nothing but water, officer.”
“Let me check.” The officer sniffed. “Water, nothing. This is wine.”
Where upon the good father clasped his hands together, looked reverently toward heaven and said, “Praise be, he’s done it again!”
Can you imagine the conversation that went on following this incident between the officer and the priest. I’m certain at some point the officer must have looked this priest in the eye and said: ”No more Wine!”
Weddings are special. Normally all goes well, even though the happy couple should always be warned that something can easily go wrong and often does. My advice to wedding parties is to look for something to go wrong, then consider it God’s good gift to keep us on our toes.
Weddings can be adventures. Several years ago one went just beautifully until the very end of the ceremony. In that tender moment when bride and groom kissed, the bride’s five-year-old brother, the ring bearer, let out with a”Yuk!” The congregation was on the floor laughing. As people left that afternoon, the placed glowed with everyone’s grins. And in years to come, when people think of that wedding, the one thing they will remember is the,”Yuk!”
In a way, that is what we are confronted with in our text.This one almost became one of those weddings to remember and for a reason that would have mortified the bride and groom.
Consider the scene: a village wedding feast, a really notable occasion, especially in this exceptionally poor, dusty region of Judea. Your invitation would have come from the groom. The ceremony would be scheduled for a Wednesday evening (that was the rule to allow travelers to avoid the necessity of going any distance on the sabbath). Then the other card in the envelope would say, “Reception to follow over the next seven days and nights. RSVP.” They needed to know how many would be showing up so they could make adequate preparation for food and drink. They would certainly not want to run out of anything, because in that part of the country, a lack of hospitality was a terrible social faux pas.
As to the ceremony itself, it would be preceded by a huge feast with the actual exchanging of the vows late in the evening. Afterward, the couple would be led on a winding trek through the town by the light of flaming torches, a canopy over their heads, allowing the other townspeople the opportunity for congratulations and good wishes ending up at the couple’s new home. Then for another week or so, the newlyweds would host an open house. They would wear crowns and dress in their bridal robes. They were treated like king and queen and, for that week, their word was law. In a life of poverty and hard work, such a week was truly a great occasion.
As to this specific wedding in Cana of Galilee, about four and a half miles from Nazareth, no doubt much of the town was involved in the festivities. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was there, so probably a lot of the people were relatives of hers or, at the very least, good friends. Joseph is not mentioned, and scholars believe that by this time, he had died. Mary was probably close enough to the wedding family to have helped with the arrangements, for, as we shall see, she had authority over the servants to get things accomplished. Jesus was invited, and he showed up with his disciple friends. A good time was being had by all when, “Horrors of Horrors”!! , the wine ran out.
Nobody runs out of wine at a Jewish wedding. It is an insult to the guests, for as we mentioned, hospitality in the East is more than a social grace, it is a sacred duty. It would be a terrible humiliation for the bridal couple, and, in a small town, it would have been talked about for a generation. It would be more than just a (Yuk!), imprinted on their minds.
So Mary came to Jesus, the head of her household, the one to whom she probably came for years with problems like this, ever since her husband died. With a implied request. You know what I mean don’t you?
My wife, my kids , my parishioners, assume I’m a mind reader and make statements with out ever making a request. They will usually will start with,”did you know”, such and such.. and hope, I will get the hint and take action. To all those who are reading or hearing this who know me, I thank you for the complement of thinking I have mind reading abilities like Jesus, but the truth is I don’t.
When Mary came to Jesus with her implied request, she told him, “They have no more wine” (John 2:3). Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle; she was simply hoping that her son would help solve the major problem and find some wine. And I’m not certain she even heard his response.
When Jesus responded by saying, “Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come” (John 2:4).
Jesus’ answer to Mary is difficult to understand but maybe that is the point. Although Mary did not understand what Jesus was going to do she trusted him to do what was right. Those who believe in Jesus but run into situations they cannot understand must continue to trust that he will work in the best way.
There is no indication as to whether Mary had the slightest clue of what he was talking about, but she did have every confidence that he would come up with a solution, so she just told the servants, the ones waiting on the tables, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Come to think of it, that is good advice anytime we encounter Jesus, isn’t it?
Mary submitted to Jesus way of doing things. She recognized that Jesus was more than her husbands son, he was the son of God. When we bring our problems to Christ, we may think we know how he should take care of them. But he may have a completely different plan. Like Mary we should submit and then allow him to deal with the problem as he sees best.
Let’s finish our study today and look at how Jesus handled Mary’s implied request. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water” (John 2:7). And they filled them up to the brim. Six huge stone water jars normally used for washing road dust or mud from a traveler’s hands and feet, each holding between twenty and thirty gallons, between 120 and 180 gallons total. Jesus then instructed, “Now draw some out, and take it to the master of the banquet.” (John 2:8 ). We know the rest of the story. The water had been turned to wine. Gallons and gallons and gallons of it! Is there a warning here? Be careful when you ask the Lord for something? His sense of proportion is different from ours. When the Lord steps in, things happen, big time!
The wine, of course, was excellent. The master of the banquet even joked to the bridegroom, “Hey, this is better than what we started out with. Most people would use the really good wine first and then come out with the cheap stuff after everybody is blitzed.” Perhaps he thought, “Well, what can you expect from a newlywed?”
Little did he know … and when it comes right down to it, little do we know. We know the result: the water was turned to wine and the celebration was saved. How did it happen? The problem was turned over to Jesus. That is all we know, other than the fact that he handled it.
I remember the story of the cynic who commented to a friend that he could not believe that Jesus actually turned water into wine. The friend, who happened to be a recovering alcoholic who had come to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, replied, “I don’t know anything about that. I just know that, in my house, Jesus changed whiskey into furniture.”
As we said at the beginning of this, in a way, our lesson confronts us with the story of an ancient, small-town wedding. In a way! You see, the gospel of John never tells stories, this one or any other, for just their narrative value. As Bible scholars know, of all the gospel writers, John always has a point to make. For John, this scene in Cana is not about a miracle. In fact, John simply calls it a sign. What do signs do? They point us to something. In this case, John comes right out and tells us: He thus revealed his glory!
As most of you know, the word “glory” means,
: worthy of public praise, honor, and fame.
: something that brings praise or fame to someone or something
: something that is a source of great pride.
Put all that together and the message from John the Baptist, and remember he places this event right at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, it’s not about Jesus rescuing a party, it is, that this Jesus whom we are about to get to know is someone to take very seriously! This Jesus is awesome, magnificent! This Jesus is praise worthy!
Has the wine in your life run out? Remember, this Jesus is awesome, magnificent! His glory has been revealed to us by the grace of God, as a sign that we need to be like his disciples and put our faith in him!
Remember, Mary didn’t understand what Jesus was going to do but she trusted him to do what was right. When we, who believe in Jesus, run into situations we can’t understand we need to continue to trust that he will work in the best way.
We can have every confidence that he will come up with a solution. Take Mary’s advice and, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). It’s good advice in every situation.
But be warned. When you come before the Lord and tell him there’s, “No more Wine;” “I’m tired;” or “Life’s to hard;” keep in mind. When you ask the Lord for something? His sense of proportion is different from ours. When the Lord steps in, things happen, big time!
Remember the words of the Psalmist:
“How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.”
In His Service,
Pastor Joe
Listen To Audio: Sermon 20220123
Listen To Audio: Service 01232022
Prayer of Confession: Great God, your mercy is an unexpected miracle. Help us to believe and obey, that we may be filled with the new wine of life, promised in the power of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pastor Joe will be available at the church on Thursday afternoon from 2 to 4. If you need to speak to him, contact Pastor Joe at 570-267-4570 (cell) or Email: joe.s.travis@gmail.com
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