John 2 Water to Wine.

Beginning of Christ's ministry, 3 years before His sufferings and death.

Jesus leaves from Jerusalem 3 days late to go to Galilee Region.

Village  -  Cana. Wedding in progress.    

His mother Mary is there.   Some position of responsibility at Wedding.

Jesus and his disciples invited in.  

Had they been expected or was this a last minute invite -  to them  -  just having arrived in village ?  

Wine fails  -  Run out.  

Mary reports this to Jesus. 

He is obviously a little perturbed and says:

“Why do you involve me.  My time has not yet come.   (My time  -  time of suffering and death)

Why did he say that ?   Answer later on.

Nearby were big jars.  Used for holding water used for ceremonial cleansing.

Jews  -  O.T. Used a great deal of water cleansing themselves, cleansing sacrifices. 

Sign that before God we need cleansing.  

(from this O.T. custom of cleansing in water comes our Christian Baptism).

Jesus asks servants of wedding to fill these jars with water. 

Water becomes wine. 

New wine taken to master of wedding.  

He is amazed by the Good Wine.  (Usually the last wine to be drunk is the worst).

(He actually did not know where this new wine had come from).  But the Disciples know.

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

Sign is not just an astounding piece of Paul Daniel’s magic but something that points us to Something very great.

Sign posts are there not so we can find them but to show us how to find the places to which these point.  

So this miracle is a sign  -  lead us to find something great and wonderful.

It will show us the glory of God.

Water to Wine ?  Unbelievable !

Grape seed.    Ground.    Rain Water.   Grapes.   Wine.

Is that a miracle ?  It happens everywhere.   

Yes, but it is still a miracle. 

No human being could make such a thing.

There is no scientfic theory of how chimicals can change into life..

Wonder of Nature.  We can make amazing things but cannot make a grape seed.   Only God.

Jesus turns water into wine. 

Glory of God the Creator.

But there is an even greater Glory hidden in this story.

Wedding Feast.

Wedding and Marriage is a sign of Kingdom of God.

Matthew 22, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his Son.

 Mark 2 :18-19:18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

True Wine, True Joy is in Christ because He is the way back to God from the dark paths of sin.

Now  -  how is he the way back to God ?

Water was put in big jars. 

Not any old jars but Jars used for Ceremonial Cleansing.

This water in those Jars were a constant reminder that we need cleansing.

Our lives have been made unclean by sin  -  evil  -  cheating  -  blasphemy  -  selfishness  -  the like.

Water to Wine.  

What does wine signify ?  (not only joy  -  but blood of Christ).

3 years later  -  Cup of Wine.  This is my blood shed for you.

Wine not only signified Joy but also Great Sorrow.

The Sorrow of God that we his people have gone our own way and our Sin has brought us

Great Sorrow.

Jesus, the Son of God, was pierced by our wickedness and His blood was poured out.

Took or sins from us. 

Bore the pain of the Jagged Weight. 

This is the real way of cleansing.

Cleansing Water of the Jars. 

Christian Baptism in Water is a Sign that each of us needs cleaning  and the real Cleaning in Blood of Christ. 

Signified by wine.

Many times Jesus referred to His own death upon Cross as Revealing His Glory. 

Just before his arrest, suffering and death, 3 years after    "The time has come”.

There we see right to the glorious heart of love of God for us. 

Cross reveals his glory.

So when Jesus turned water into wine (3 years earlier) Jesus thus revealed His glory and the disciples believed in Him.  

Although his time had not yet come (as He told them) he gave them  a glimpse of what would happen when his time to suffer, die and rise would come.

The disciples believe in Him. Do you believe in Him?

What must you do ?   What was Mary’s instruction to the servants ?  vs. 5  says: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Do whatever He tells you.

Some here may have been going their own way, seeking happiness and joy.

That joy will allude you and even if you find it  -  it will fail.

Come to Him who can give you “Fullness of Joy”.

We finish with this point. 

The M.C. of the Wedding was surprised that the new wine was better than that had been first served. 

He expected the quality of the wine to deteriorate as wedding progressed.

We expect our joys to get less, as life goes on we get older.  

Without God that is indeed our destiny.  

But with the Lord  -  Joy got greater. (Yes we often also experience greater sorrow and we will have sorrow)  

But Word of Christ will grow and grow and grow in us.

As our knowledge of God gets even deeper, so Joy also grows. 

Our sorrows won’t last forever but one day Our Joy will overwhelm us in GLORY.

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