Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Greetings! Welcome to the show! It’s good to have you with us. Last week we began talking about the first of Jesus’ miracles, which He performs at a wedding in Cana. And after laying some groundwork, let’s go ahead and start moving through this passage, starting with chapter 2, verse 1. It says…
John 2:1a (ESV)-- 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,…
A Wedding in Cana-- Now the third day means the third day since Jesus’ encounter with Nathanael. On the third day after that, there is a wedding in Cana. Now weddings during that time were major, major events. In fact, in small rural life, it was the single most importantcommunity event. And this wedding took place in the small rural town of Cana in Galilee, a close neighbor of Nazareth (them being about eight or nine miles from each other). And I said recently how insignificant Nazareth was. During the time of Christ we are talking about a max population of about 500 people. Cana, however, had only a few dozen. I mean this is a very small village. And so (when understood in that light) that makes this wedding all the more significant of an event. And you have people coming from Nazareth as well, because during this time people weren’t mobile like we are in our society. No, people married and stayed within the area. And they intermarried with people in the surrounding area. Nazareth and Cana were very connected; they had been for generations; for generations they traded with one another; they intermarried with each other. And, in fact, it is very possible that the bride or groom (or both) were relatives of Jesus (very possibly distant cousins). There’s a joke about how, in small towns, everybody is related. How much more so when you and your family have been connected with a place for hundreds of years. So because of that this is a community event for Nazareth as well. And it (like all weddings) involved numerous people. And one of those people is Mary, the mother of Jesus. It says in verse 1…
John 2:1b-2 (ESV)-- …and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
Mary’s Role-- Now Mary does not seem to have been there as merely an attendee, but as one who is either serving (which matches her personality) or helping in some other capacity. And why this seems to be the case is because she is obviously privy to information relating to the problem that occurs; a problem that was very sensitive and dangerous; and (as we will see) only a handful of people knew. She is facilitating or serving in some way.
Jesus and Disciples Invited-- And Jesus and what disciples He had already called (which included Nathanael, who was himself from Cana) also have been invited and make the three day, 20-22 mile trip from where Jesus had called Philip and Nathanael up in Bethsaida. And remember Jesus had said to Nathanael that he would see the glory of God revealed in Himself, saying in…
John 1:50-51 (NIV)-- 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
An Obscure Bridge-- And Jesus has been living for 30 years in absolute obscurity. And now He is about to bridge out and launch into His public ministry. And where Jesus would perform His first miracle would be very significant. And nobody (not even His disciples) expected His glory to be revealed here; in this kind of situation. Surely the Son of God would manifest His glory in the temple (His house); or at least in Jerusalem; or even in Judea. But, oddly enough, He chose to reveal His glory not in Judea or in Jerusalem; but in this tiny Galilean village for a relatively small gathering of friends and family (a place that would make a mere pinpoint on the map, if that) and to a simple couple who are so simple, they are not even named; we don’t know even know who they were. And there may be a beauty in that. Jesus cares (as Matthew 25:40,45 says) for “the least of these”. But, regardless of who this couple was, one of the worst things that could happen in a wedding during that time happens to them. It says in verse 3…
John 2:3 (ESV)-- 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
The Necessity of Wine-- Now wine was the staple drink of the ancient world and was made from all kinds of fruit, not just grapes. Now some argue that this was not really wine, but merely grape juice. That is simply not the case because you have to remember that they had no preservatives or refrigeration; and so because of that, all those juices were subject to fermentation; in fact they fermented and became alcoholic very quickly. But it was safer to drink than water because there was no such thing as a water purifier. And though moving water (like a river or a stream; what they called “living water” because it produced life, not death) was good, the majority of water you had access to was standing water; either from a lake or from wells; and whenever water sits it becomes subject to bacteria and disease. So wine (or wine mixed with water) was safer to drink; but because you might be working in the fields on a hot day and drink to become hydrated, you could very easily over-drink and become intoxicated. This is why scripture warns so adamantly about the dangers of alcohol; because drunkenness was so prevalent. And those who would use this passage in order to say that what Jesus is doing here is baptizing all social drinking as okay have no idea what is actually going on here; comparing modern drinks (which are designed to be intoxicating) to what naturally happened and was necessary in the ancient world; something which (with modern purification techniques and medicine) is completely unnecessary today. Fermentation was the only source of purification they had.
A major catastrophe-- But nevertheless, wine (throughout much of the Old Testament) was a symbol of God’s favor and blessing. Therefore, to run out of wine was a big deal. Now this may not seem like a big deal to us, but in the first century this was a catastrophe; a disastrous embarrassment of the worst kind. In fact, you may be surprised to find out that the offending party could in fact be sued over this.
The Betrothal Period-- And the reason this was so humiliating was due in large part to the fact that the bridegroom, after proposing to his prospective wife, would then enter into the beginning stage of the marriage covenant; which would be a betrothal period of about one year. And although they did not live together, the betrothal could not be dissolved except by divorce. And during this time, all throughout the year, the bridegroom would be making preparations for his betrothed; usually building an addition onto his father’s house and planning for the wedding and making provision for her to come and live with him in his father’s house. And so the responsibility of paying for and preparing the wedding fell solely on the groom. During this time before the wedding he had to prove that he could provide and care for her and meet her every need. And when he had demonstrated that he had what it took to provide and care for his bride, the festivities began, culminating in what was usually a seven-day-long wedding feast known as the marriage supper, after which the marriage was consummated. And so this was the moment that all of this time of preparation had been building towards. It was finally completed; the groom’s readiness to receive his bride was at hand. And then this happens.
A Father’s Worst Nightmare-- And as a father, this is the last thing you would want to see. And many of you fathers can relate to this. In marrying your daughter off, your number one concern is that you want to know that your daughter is going to be taken care of; even more so in such a precarious culture and time such as this. And yet right at the outset of their marriage the wine runs out. And you (like all fathers) would wonder, “Does this guy really have what it takes to take care of my daughter; maybe he can’t plan.” So there is that element to it. But there is also the fact that because living during this time was so extremely difficult, weddings provided a relief from the difficulties a town like Cana would face; weddings were a pleasant distraction from the harsh realities of day to day life. And so running out of wine could ruin the spirit of the wedding by bringing in that harshness, bringing a very bad vibe to the whole celebration.
That The Wedding Might Go Through-- And so what Jesus does here is truly remarkable. All throughout the Old Testament, just as God had made provision for His bride, so we now see the very picture of that as here Jesus (God in the flesh) begins His ministry by making provision for this bride in order that the wedding might go through. What a picture this is of the entire ministry of God; making provision for His bride (through Jesus) in order that our marriage to Him might go through.
Mary’s Request-- Now Mary’s coming to Jesus with this problem plays out kind of humorously. She says to Him, they have no wine. Now here she is being very motherly. She is not merely stating a fact. I had a professor in seminary who said that it is kind of like when your wife or mother says to you [“The trash can is full.”? Or “The grass is long or “The car sure is dirty.” Yes those are all statements of fact, but we know that they are indeed much more {than} a statement of fact and if that is said {to me}, it is really going to be the best thing for me to empty the trash, cut the grass, or wash the car.” Such a mother thing to say. And yet it is a statement that also reveals that she knows there is something special about this person. To say that to a normal person, they would not be able to do anything about it. But she knows that there is something special about Jesus.] How she knew Jesus could do something about it, we don’t know. There are ancient legendary stories of Jesus having performed miracles as a child. We don’t know which (if any) of them are true. This is the first public miracle He performs. But she chooses to trust that in Jesus her needs (and the needs of others) can be met.
A Great Immediate Response-- How awesome it would be if we could have that kind of trust in our relationship with Jesus; that when things get tough, our immediate response is to put the situation into Jesus’ hands; to hand it over to His control. Mary’s faith here is truly extraordinary. But it is a faith that each and every one of us can have. That illness you or a loved one may have; give it to Jesus. That lost family member or friend; turn the over to Jesus. Any emptiness in your life can be (like those jars) platforms upon which He can perform some of His greatest miracles. And so let us be faithful to give those situations over into His hands. Why? Because He is able. Give it to Him today. Amen.
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