New Wine
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On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 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 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.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Introduction:
Introduction:
Over the last couple of messages, I’ve mentioned how the first chapter of John parallels the first chapter of Genesis and how all of this sets up the comparison between the old creation versus the new creation. And just as Genesis finishes the seventh day with a story of a wedding so does the Gospel of John. None of the other gospels actually mention this miracle and it is altogether possible that the Holy Spirit didn’t reveal the full significance of this wedding and the miracle of turning water into wine until John. And it isn’t hard to see why this event was overlooked. By itself, as a stand alone event, it is one of the least remarkable miracles of Jesus.
And isn’t because John didn’t have enough material for his new book because he tells us later in chapter 20:
John 20:2
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
In fact, John was highly selective in the miracles that he chose for his gospelThis begs the question of why did John pick this miracle that was not included in the other gospels. I’m assuming that out of all those unreported miracles that Jesus performed, there were probably a few that were probably more spectacular or noteworthy. Reynolds Price, who is an English professor at Duke, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, writes that if you were making up a biography of Jesus, there is absolutely no way that you would begin with what we read here. As he argues, a miraculous solution to a mere social blunder is not what we would expect as the introduction for the Son of God. But there is a positive spin, because for some this miracle is proof that John actually tried to give an account for real events that happened in the life of Christ.
Reynolds Price, who is an English professor at Duke, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, writes that if you were making up a biography of Jesus, there is absolutely no way that you would begin with what we read here. As he states, a miraculous solution to a mere social blunder is not what we would expect as the introduction for the Son of God.
Now, the key to understanding the significance of this miracle is found in the conclusion that John draws out at the end of the passage. In verse 11, we see that John describes this event as a sign. Of the four gospels, only John is consistent in describing the miracles that Christ performs as signs. A good working definition for the word sign is “a perceptible indication of something that is not readily apparent” or “a lesser reality instructing us of a greater reality”. I want you to remembers that definition because unfortunately, it seems that the most common use of this passage by many Christians is simply as a proof text to justify their freedom to drink. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone justify their excessive drinking with the argument that Jesus turned water into wine. And what we’ve essentially done is we have reduced this glorious sign that points to something incredibly beautiful and turned it into a very weak excuse to drink far too liberally as believers. In fact, we have done exactly the opposite of what a sign was meant for, we have taken a greater reality and turned into a lesser one.
The Gospel according to John A. The First Sign—Water into Wine (2:1–11)
This particular miracle signifies that there is a transforming power associated with Jesus. He changes the water of Judaism into the wine of Christianity, the water of Christlessness into the wine of the richness and the fullness of eternal life in Christ, the water of the law into the wine of the gospel.
This morning, I want us to look at the greater reality that this miracle points to by breaking down this passage into 2 main thoughts:
Religion is the old wine that runs dry.
2. Union with Christ is the new wine that brings eternal love and joy.
To set up this story, we read that Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding. Jewish weddings could last for several days and it was the host’s responsibility to provide food and drink for the entire celebration. To not do so, was not only a major social blunder but it was possibly grounds for legal action. So Mary, like many of our mothers, decides she needs to get involved and meddle in the situation. Turning to Jesus, she tells him that he needs to do something about this. To which, Jesus gives what seems like a very human response. “Woman, what does this have to do with me.” (Meaning, this is none of my business and it shouldn’t be yours.) We are going to come back to Jesus’ response later on but Mary must have known that Jesus would come around because she tells the waiters, “Do whatever he tells you?” It would seem that Mary has seen Jesus do some things that were maybe out of the ordinary. At any rate, Jesus tells the waiters to get the stone waterpots, fill them with water, and to give it to the master of the feast.
There is no coincidence that Jesus takes these large containers that were used for ritual purification and commands that they be filled with water that he would turn into wine. It’s fair to assume that everyone at the wedding was Jewish and therefore, all of the water that was in these pots were used so that each of the guests could be ritually pure in order to come into the wedding. And this religious purity for the bride and groom and even the purity of the guests was important for the observance of any Jewish ceremony including their weddings. Today among certain circles, there is this on-going debate whether or not marriage is a civil, social, or religious construct. The answer it seems is yes to all three but in varying degrees. In some cultures especially in the past, it was largely a social construct that ensured two families would share all their resources. In some cultures, it is largely a means to be recognized by the government to gain certain benefits. But in our so-called modern western culture, marriage is deeply rooted in its religious origins.
Why does the bride where all white? It is a symbol of her purity. She is pure as an angel, untainted and unstained by the world. But who are we kidding, most people who get married are not virgins on their wedding day and they are certainly not this unblemished moral beauty. (Men don’t even pretend.) However, it is a symbol of all that we desire spiritually.
When we talk about marriage, why do we talk about an eternal love, a love that will last forever? Again knowing full well that 50% of marriages end in divorce and 100% marriages end in death. Love in our marriages does not last forever, it has a definitive end. But again it is a sign of our deepest desires for a love that well never end.
I can go one and one. Let me give one more. Why do we want to find a soulmate, someone who will know you to the bottom and completely fulfill you? I’ve been married for over 20 years and as far as I can tell, our marriage is pretty good, top one percentile. My wife fulfills me completely but I don’t know if I do the same for her. One of Mira’s favorite questions is “Do you understand?” and more often than not, I’m left shaking my head, “I don’t think I really understand but I’ll pretend I do.” All joking aside, we are very different people and we’ve moved past this soulmate thing because we know there is only One person who knows us and can satisfy completely.
And without our individual relationships with Jesus, all of these unrealistic expectations would come crashing down on our marriages. And when it does, it often times leaves us feeling empty. In all religious constructs, the old wine eventually runs dry. (Ask any couple that has been married 5 years, if they still have that festival joy in their marriage that they had on their wedding day.) Marriage as a religious institution cannot hold within itself the new wine that God promises. It’s old wineskin that is good for it’s intended purpose but it cannot hold the love that we were meant to receive solely from Christ. Marriage as a religious construct points to much greater reality.
The Western ideals of love and marriage are now widespread and generally accepted as universal because there is a universal longing in the human heart to be part of the greatest love story that was ever told. I think, most people across various cultures like Disney films because some of the themes resonate in all people. In my opinion, one of the most underrated Disney films is Tangled and my favorite scene from the movie is when Rapunzel and Flynn are in a boat and the lanterns for Rapunzel’s birthday go up and they sing, “I see the light”.
And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you
Ask my wife, I am one of the most romantically challenged people but that scene always gets me right here in my heart. It’s not like I’m some love starved single guy. I’m very content in my relationship but it stirs a part of my heart that longs for a love that changes everything and one day will not only make the sky new but everything underneath the sun as well. And either I can dismiss this as romantic nonsense or accept it as a longing that exists because God in Christ loves me in this way. What I cannot do and should not do is believe that another person can fulfil this deep longing in me because they can’t.
In modern Christianity, we have lost some essential truths of the Gospel and possibly none more damaging than the fact that union with Christ is the new wine that fulfills our deepest desires for eternal love and joy. In this miracle, Jesus is ushering in a different way to relate to God, a new way to worship God, not based on ritual and religion but based on our union with Him. it is appropriate that Jesus begins to reveal his glory at a wedding. As we all know, weddings often have a dual effect on people. I remember the first wedding I went to after the birth of Carissa, I found myself eating my cake with tears in my eyes. Seeing the traditional first dance of the bride and her father was too much. It didn’t help that Mira reminded me that this was going to happen quicker than we will realize, that one day I will have to give her away. Weddings are strange like that because they are a mixture of joy and sadness. If you are a parent, you know that this will be your son or daughter. If you are a single friend of the bride and groom, you are happy for them but often sad for yourself.
In this passage, this is the phenomena that we see being played out in Jesus’ reaction because this wedding points to the sacrifice that Christ will have to make in order to redeem his bride. When the wine runs out, his mother comes to tell Jesus that there is nothing left to drink and we find that his response is abrupt and seems rather harsh. He tells her, what does this have to do with us, why are you concerning yourself with, this is not any of our business. There is no indication in this statement that Jesus is going to help fix this situation but just two verses later, we see the first of his miracles. So why the sudden change in heart? Well, I think it’s clear from the second part of this verse that Jesus’ mind is on something else, that this wedding is reminding him of a future event and like many of you who are single, this wedding is reminding him of his own wedding to come. And in looking forward to his own wedding, he says my hour has not yet come. In the gospel of John, the phrase “the hour has not yet come” is used exclusively to indicate the cross that Christ came to bear. At this wedding, there is a deep realization, on the part of Jesus that in order for him to enjoy his own wedding day, he would have to pay the ultimate price for his bride. And in this one moment, He is thinking about both the future joy that he is going to experience but he also the
deep suffering he will have to endure to get there.
Our marriages are a sign that points to an infinitely greater reality, which is the eternal love that we will share in Christ. This love changes everything and makes all things new. Marriage is one of the most common metaphors used in the Scriptures to draw a picture of God’s indescribable love for us. In face, the Song of Songs is an entire book of the Bible that explores this metaphorical connection between marriage and our union with Christ. And the book begins with this famous verse:
One of the most common metaphors used in the Scriptures to draw a picture of this indescribable love is the relationship between a man and a woman. The Song of Songs is an entire book of the Bible that explores this metaphorical connection between marriage and our union with Christ. And the book begins with this famous verse:
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, (I’m not sure if the breed of dogs is named after him or not) was a very important Christian monk in the 12th century. He has influenced countless Christian leaders with his life’s work on the Song of Songs and what it teaches us about our union with Christ. Regarding this first verse, he writes:
The living active Word is to me a kiss, not indeed an adhering of the lips that sometimes belie a union of the hearts but an unreserved infusion of joys, a revealing of mysteries, a marvelous and indistinguishable mingling of the divine light with the enlightened mind, which, joined together in truth to God, is one spirit…Therefore I ask of Him, what I ask of neither man or angels, that He kiss me with the kiss of his mouth.
I hope you are beginning to see why our old religious structures cannot hold this new wine that Christ wants us to share with us. I believe that one of the most common misconceptions of the Christian faith is that its main purpose is to rob us of all our fun and to be the ultimate kill-joy. I know Christians whose mission in life is to be as miserable as possible. I was talking with a young lady and she was sharing with me how she reads her Bible, goes to church, and prays but she struggles with a sense of emptiness. In the course of the conversation I realized why her faith was so ineffective. She assumed that these religious rituals would lead to a sense of fulfillment but she was lacking one essential component of true worship, which is simply to love and enjoy God. She made it clear that she enjoys sin far more than she finds enjoyment in her relationship with Jesus. This is living by the old wine and her perception of Christianity simply had no category to see the light of God’s love that can lead us to the purest joy. You enjoy that which you love the most. And when you begin to understand and experience your oneness with Christ, God becomes the delight of your heart. This is the journey that we are all on.
Conclusion
Conclusion
(This past week, Pastor Andy shared with me that he had a chance to go see Heidi Baker and he confessed that in comparison to her that he didn’t feel like he loved Jesus very much. I’ve seen her minister a few times and whether you agree with some of her doctrines or not, her love for Jesus is very rare. It seems like she is living in another dimension, another world altogether. I imagine that St. Bernard of Clairvaux was like this and so was John, the Apostle. In his gospel, the way that he refers to himself is simply the one whom Jesus loved. And far from being just spiritual giants, I’m challenged by their examples to pursue my union with Christ more fervently, more passionately because I know what is possible. This is also the purpose for which the apostle Paul labored in his ministry.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:
I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:25-
Weddings often have a dual effect on people. I remember the first wedding I went to after the birth of Carissa, I found myself eating my cake with tears in my eyes. Seeing the traditional first dance of the bride and her father was too much. It didn’t help that Mira reminded me that this was going to happen quicker than we will realize, that one day I will have to give her away. Weddings are strange like that because they are a mixture of joy and sadness. If you are a parent, you know that this will be your son or daughter. If you are a single friend of the bride and groom, you are happy for them but often sad for yourself.
I remember the first wedding I went to after the birth of Carissa, I found myself eating my cake with tears in my eyes. Seeing the traditional first dance of the bride and her father was too much. It didn’t help that Mira reminded me that this was going to happen quicker than we will realize, that one day I will have to give her away. Weddings are strange like that because they are a mixture of joy and sadness. If you are a parent, you know that this will be your son or daughter. If you are a single friend of the bride and groom, you are happy for them but often sad for yourself.
In this passage, this is the phenomena that we see being played out in Jesus’ reaction because this wedding points to the sacrifice that Christ will have to make in order to redeem his bride. When the wine runs out, his mother comes to tell Jesus that there is nothing left to drink and we find that his response is abrupt and seems rather harsh. He tells her, what does this have to do with us, why are you concerning yourself with, this is not any of our business. There is no indication in this statement that Jesus is going to help fix this situation but just two verses later, we see the first of his miracles. So why the sudden change in heart? Well, I think it’s clear from the second part of this verse that Jesus’ mind is on something else, that this wedding is reminding him of a future event and like many of you who are single, this wedding is reminding him of his own wedding to come. And in looking forward to his own wedding, he says my hour has not yet come. In the gospel of John, the phrase “the hour has not yet come” is used exclusively to indicate the reason that Christ came for. At this wedding, there is a deep realization, on the part of Christ that in order for him to enjoy his own wedding day, he would have to pay the ultimate price for his bride. He is thinking about the future joy that he is going to experience but he is also deeply grieved by the suffering he will have to endure to get there.
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